Monday, December 12, 2011

Ducky's White Chocolate Chip Cookies

What a great cookie to add to your holiday collection!


Ducky's White Chocolate Chip Cookies


3/4 cup margarine or butter, room temperature (1 and 1/2 sticks)*
1/4 cup Crisco Shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I use Domino sugar)
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed (again, Domino sugar is the best)
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. That way, the bottom of your cookies will be as pretty as the top. Sounds crazy but it makes a big difference. Your baking rack in the oven should be in the middle; I have two racks and five slots in my oven, so I put them in the middle where I can bake two batches at one time. If you have any doubts, just use one.

Cream together butter and shortening until it's a smooth pale yellow. Add both sugars and cream until light and fluffy. Both steps should take a few minutes each, and use medium speed on your mixer. Add eggs and extracts, again blending until incorporated.

Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Personally, I sift them on one of the pieces of parchment paper but if you don't want to sift them, that's okay. While on low speed, add dry ingredients. Increase speed and mix until you have a smooth batter but do not over mix. Last step - add white chocolate chips and blend one more time.

For jumbo mall type cookies:
Using either a ice cream scoop (mine holds 1/4 cup) or an actual 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop cookie batter on your parchment paper lined cookie sheet; you will be able to get six cookies on each one. Make sure your cookies are spaced nicely - you don't want them to run together. Bake for six minutes; rotate cookie sheet, and bake another six minutes. Every oven heats differently; if your cookies are lightly browned, they are done. If not, set your timer for another 2 minutes and check them again. Mine never take any longer than 15 minutes, and after the initial 12 minutes check frequently - they can over bake quickly. Remove from the oven, wait two minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

For smaller cookies:
Use the same technique above, but use a small ice cream scoop (mine holds one tablespoon) or a tablespoon. You can get 12 cookies on the parchment lined cookie sheet.

* The margarine I use comes from Kroger: the front of the box says 'Great for Baking.' But what makes it perfect for cookies is the fact it's 80% vegetable oil. If you aren't using butter or the Kroger brand, read the label very carefully - you need to have at least 65% vegetable oil.

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