Cookies!

A Jessica-baked treat from last weekend—Reese's Pieces Chocolate Chip Cookies! The plan had been for her to make a popcorn snack from this month's Southern Living. I bought the Reese's Pieces. But when Saturday afternoon rolled around, we discovered that I was nearly out of popcorn. Not enough here to make the recipe.

This is when you gotta love the internet. Just plug your available ingredients into Google and search for a cookie recipe. She found a recipe that sounded good, and more importantly, we had all of the ingredients here. Saturday was when the torrential rains were falling outside. No one wanted to venture out in that to make a trip to the grocery store.

I need to make cookies for the Kairos prison ministry in the next week or so, and these might be my choice this year. They are delicious and they don't crumble easily. That a big consideration when you are packing them to distribute. If you try them, let me know what you think. All I know is that I've eaten too many!

REESE'S PIECES CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup Reese’s Pieces candy or baking pieces

Cream together shortening, brown sugar and sugar. Add water, vanilla, and eggs, and beat together until fluffy.

Add flour, salt and baking soda and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and Reese’s Pieces.

Using a medium cookie scoop, form and drop dough onto parchment or silicone mat covered baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies


Butter vs Shortening:
Now, if some of you are wondering about using shortening in cookies instead of butter, you can read about the differences here. Butter in cookies certainly tastes yummy. But don't count out these shortening cookies. Butter melts easier and your dough will spread out thinner and give you a crisper cookie. Cookies with shortening don't spread nearly as much, resulting in a thicker soft-baked cookie, which is good for packing. My ginger cookies are made with shortening and I mailed them to Italy when Jessica was studying there and they arrived all in one piece. I like both kinds. For the record...my grandmother often used half butter and half shortening.