Accidental Perfection

Last week Mary Kate had a friend over and they decided they wanted to bake cookies. Mike and I were leaving to go out to  dinner with friends. We left the girls gearing up in the kitchen. As soon as we were seated at our table we received a phone call from Mary Kate. She had been searching and searching for her go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies (one she had gotten in a summer cooking class years ago) and couldn’t find it anywhere. I told her where she could find some other recipes to choose from and sent her on her way.

We returned home to the delicious sent of freshly baked cookies. Even though I was stuffed from dinner, I had to try just one, to see if Mary Kate and Lauren were the gourmet bakers they claimed to be.

Oh my, YUMM-O!

Their cookies were the best homemade chocolate chips cookies I had ever tasted, much better than any I have ever made myself. I know what recipes I normally use and none of them were this good. I asked Mary Kate which one she had used. She brought me an old recipe I had come across in college; one that I hadn’t made in years because it called for shortening, which I never use or buy anymore (all those trans fats). Of course I asked Mary Kate what she used in place of the shortening.

“I used shortening, Mom.”

“No, you didn’t, there isn’t any in the house.”

“Yes I did. Isn’t this shortening? Lauren said this was shortening.”

She handed me a bottle of canola oil.

So…it looks like Mary Kate and Lauren have stumbled on the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe by accident. The best part…it’s much healthier than a cookie made with shortening (depending if you fall in the “canola oil is good for you” camp, or the other one).

Here’s the girl’s recipe for you. Mary Kate said she did add some extra flour because the dough seemed too “runny.” (That was her word). You’ll probably have to do the same. Also, this recipe makes a TON; you may want to half it.

MK and L’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened to room temp
1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar (I only used 1/2 cup)
3 eggs

Cream butter, oil and sugars. Add eggs one at a time until well mixed.

Add:

2 T. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
5-6 cups flour (until the dough looks the right consistency)

Add one pkg. of chocolate chips (or more if you like them really chocolaty).

Add chopped walnuts (if you’re me), or leave them out (if you’re any of my kids or my husband).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (it took 11 minutes in my oven).

*Cookie trick: If you put the cookies in an airtight container before they are completely cool, they stay softer longer.