Christmas in July: Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 12

Some would say that this cookie can't qualify as a Christmas Cookie. And if you're going to a cookie exchange it probably can't.

But here's the thing. We spent nearly every Christmas with my Grandparents (on my Dad's side) and these cookies are the ones my Grandma always made for us whenever we would come visit her. So they remind me of her and when I think of Christmas, I think of her. She died a couple of years ago, so now I always make them at Christmas in memory of her. So for me they get to count as a Christmas cookie. :)

Are these the most fabulous, perfect chocolate chip cookie? I don't know. For me they are. But I don't know if that's the memories attached or the cookie itself. They are really good though! They're a crisp cookie and honestly I think the recipe was off of the chocolate chips package originally (it's still close, but they have changed it since then).

No one made these cookies like Grandma. I think mine are the closest in our family, but her love was in them and it just tastes different than mine. This will be another recipe that gets handed down. I usually have to make it in large quadruple batches because we all love them.

It's wonderful as a pizookie (if you don't know what that is, it's basically a deep dish cookie with ice cream - pizza/cookie, get it?). And you can freeze the dough to make smaller batches of fresh cookies. Who doesn't need a stash in the freezer for 10pm cookie cravings?



Grandma's Chocolate Chip Cookies 
(From Grandma)


Here is what you'll need:


1/2 cup shortening (you can use butter or half butter half shortening, but I find the texture crisper with pure shortening and that's how I prefer it)
1/4 sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/8 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for the ones in the picture I used milk chocolate chips)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional, truthfully I never use them because I'm not a nut-in-my-chocolate-chip-cookies kind of gal)


Cream the shortening, both sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Sift the dry ingredients together and then add to the creamed mixture stirring to mix. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. 


Drop by spoonfuls (I use the small cookie scoop from pampered chef) onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375ºF for 8-10 minutes (the oven temp has changed with every oven I've used over the years. I think more commonly I have baked them at 350ºF and sometimes for a little longer, so do a test cookie to see what works best for your oven. The cookies will look set and be slightly brown when they're done.


Hope you've found a recipe or two in these last 12 days to add to your Christmas recipe collection. Do you have a favourite recipe to share? Put the link in the comments, I'd love to check it out!