Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies & Variations
Submitted by kcawood
Ultimate chocolate chip cookies with three dressy variations: chocolate drizzle, chocolate dipped, and holiday frosted. One base dough, endless options for gifting, parties, and cookie exchanges.
YIELD
36 cookiesPREP
20 minCOOK
10READY
45 minOne dough, three show-stopping upgrades. This recipe takes the classic chocolate chip cookie and gives you a whole playbook of variations.
The base cookie is a brown sugar beauty made with butter-flavored shortening, pecans, and semi-sweet chips that bakes up chewy or crispy depending on your mood.
But the real fun starts after they cool: drizzle them with melted chocolate, dip one end for a bakery-style finish, or frost them with vanilla buttercream and sprinkle with holiday candies.
This is the recipe to bookmark for cookie exchanges, holiday tins, and any time plain just won’t cut it.
Pro Tips
- The base cookies must be completely cooled before dipping or frosting, or the chocolate and frosting will slide right off
- Melt chocolate over very low heat or at 50% microwave power to avoid seizing
- Add a tiny bit more butter to the melted chocolate if it’s too thick to drizzle
- For the frosting variation, beat at high speed for a full 2 minutes for the smoothest, creamiest texture
- If skipping the nuts, increase chocolate chips to 1 ½ cups for extra chocolate in every bite
Ingredients
Directions
- Note: If nuts are omitted, use 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Heat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Cream shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Blend until creamy. Blend in egg.
Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, gradually.
Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop rounded tablespoons full (about 2 measuring tablespoons) of dough 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies ( they will look light and moist; don’t over-bake!) or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies.
Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.
Variations for Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Melt 1 cup semi-sweet or white melting chocolate with 1 teaspoon butter over VERY low heat or at 50% power in microwave.
Stir well.
If too thick to drizzle, add a little more butter to thin.
Drizzle from end of spoon back and forth over cookie.
Sprinkle with nuts before chocolate hardens, if desired.
To harden chocolate quickly, place cookies in refrigerator for a few minutes.
- Chocolate dipped:
Melt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and butter over VERY low heat or at 50% power in microwave.
Stir well.
Spoon into a cup.
Dip one end of COOLED cookie in chocolate.
Sprinkle with finely chopped nuts before chocolate hardens.
Place on wax paper.
- Holiday dress-ups:
Frost cookies with creamy vanilla frosting andecorate with red and green candy coated chocolate pieces.
Creamy Vanilla Frosting:
Combine ½ cup butter, 1 pound ( 4 cups ) confectioners sugar, ⅓ cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl at low speed of electric mixer until well blended.
Scrape bowl.
Beat at high speed for 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
Frost COOLED cookies.
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