Chocolate Chip Cookies are undoubtedly the most popular variety of home-baked cookies in America. Developed by Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1930 at her establishment, the Toll House Inn (where they were named Toll House Cookies) in Whitman, Massachusetts, she used broken pieces of semi-sweet Nestle’s chocolate as a substitute for the commercial baker’s chocolate she had run out of. Fortunately, semi-sweet chocolate chips were invented shortly thereafter, so nowadays there is no need to chop large pieces of chocolate to go into the literally thousands of different recipes for chocolate chip cookies that have been developed since; fortunately there are also many new brands of semi-sweet chocolate chips that are much higher quality than Nestle’s with fewer additives and fillers and more real chocolate.

The following recipe for Shortcut Chocolate Chip Cookies starts with a Basic Master Baking Mix to save time; minimal other ingredients are added. The resulting cookies are fabulous – this may become the favorite family recipe for basic chocolate chip cookies. Of course any kind of nuts can be added, although pecans are the standard, and milk chocolate chips or other flavors may be substituted for the semi-sweet. Although many of the recipes (including the one on the Nestle’s package) for chocolate chip cookies call for butter or margarine, there is truly no reason to spend time making homemade cookies if they are to contain something as sub-standard as margarine, so please use real butter – they’ll taste much better and have a better texture.

6 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Master Baking Mix, Whole Wheat Master Baking Mix, or Healthy Multi-Grain Baking Mix
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cream the butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in the master baking mix until well-mixed.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans (if using).
5. Scoop or drop tablespoon-size balls onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
6. Bake 8-9 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
7. Transfer to cooling racks.
8. Store for up to one week in an airtight container.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 71 Calories from Fat 35
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 49% Protein 4% Carb. 47%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 4 g
Saturated Fat 2 g
Cholesterol 9 mg
Sodium 69 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 1 g

Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 1%