First Day of School

Nope...my kids aren't old enough for school (and when they are, we will very likely home school), but Lee and I are both back to school full force as of this last week.

When I was a child, my mom always worked hard to make the first day of school very special for us. She spent the afternoon baking cookies! As we stepped into the house after that first LONG day of classes, the house smelled of delicious, sugary, chocolate-y, mouth-watering sweetness. So this semester, we did the same thing for daddy on his first long day (and week) back! He's always been a sucker for chocolate chip cookies. So that was definitely our dessert of choice.

Now...what recipe to use? Shall we Google one? Maybe just go directly to cooks.com or bakingcookies.com? Um, ya know, maybe the Nestle pre-mixed ones are enough considering my workload. Oh wait! My friend, Brittany, recently posted her very favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe along with amazing professional directions on how to bake them the very best they can be. She would know. Trust me. So I call her up and she gives me the recipe right over the phone.

I was not prepared to be amazed. This isn't a reflection on my friend--it's just that ever since moving to such a high altitude, I've had difficulty getting my baked goods to turn out just right. It's more work because everything is different. But can I just say WOW! These cookies are amazing! I thought I'd capture some of it in photos. Mmmmm...

Half-way there!!!!

I like to pull them out a minute or two early so they're a tad bit gooey. Mmmm...

These are my favorite plates in the world, by the way. They were my mother's before they were mine. And they were my grandmother's before they were my mom's. There's just nothing like a batch of fresh baked cookies on a plate of beautiful milk glass!


This recipe is so HUGE that you can roll up the rest of the dough, freeze it, and pull it out another day to bake more. I've already done this a couple times since the first baking day and the cookies are JUST AS delicious as the first time!!


Anyone want to try this recipe on for size? The original directions and explanation paper appears to be missing because it used to be HERE. It was totally delightful and extremely helpful (like I didn't know the best way to crack an egg or the best brand of vanilla or the best kind of semi-sweet chocolate or how best to measure flour, etc.), so I'm gonna have to get her to put it back up one of these days. But for the time being, I'll re-post the main recipe below. Enjoy! I'm off to make another small batch, myself. :)

Shaye's (ha-ha) Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/3 C shortening (she says to use real butter, instead)
2 C white sugar
1 C brown sugar
4 tsp vanilla (Mexican or wilton's clear is best)
4 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 1/2 + cups of flour (at the end you'll add the 4 cups and then add additional flour until you get the right cookie dough consistency)
1 - 2 bags of choc. chips depending on your desired amount (Ghirardelli’s are said to be best)

Without her fabulous written directions it's just not the same. But I believe you do the usual and add the ingredients in the order they are written (beating in eggs one at a time). Be sure to use a HUGE bowl because this makes a large batch. And, as mentioned, you can roll left over into little balls and freeze for baking later. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.