Wild About Chocolate Chips

These chocolate chip cookies get a fun visual twist: red miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces pressed into the top of each cookie before baking. The red candies hold their shape and color in the oven, giving every cookie a pop of color against the golden brown sugar dough.

The dough uses all brown sugar instead of a white-brown blend, which means deeper caramel flavor and chewier texture. A full tablespoon of vanilla (not the usual teaspoon) amps up the warmth. Shortening instead of butter keeps the cookies soft and thick rather than crispy and flat.

Five to seven minutes at 375°F (190°C) is extremely short, and the recipe warns you not to overbake for good reason. The cookies will look barely set when they come out. Those 2 minutes on the hot baking sheet finish the job, and by the time they cool on the foil, the centers are soft and the edges are just barely firm.

Chef Tips

• Bake one sheet at a time as directed; two sheets rotate heat unevenly and the bottoms can burn
• Press the candy pieces in gently but firmly before baking so they don’t roll off
• Use miniature chocolate chips, not standard size. They distribute more evenly in small, teaspoon-sized cookies
• Pack the brown sugar firmly. Loosely packed sugar changes the sweetness and texture

Variations

• Holiday colors: Use green and red candy pieces for Christmas cookies, or all pink for Valentine’s Day
• Peanut butter base: Replace ¼ cup of shortening with peanut butter for a nutty background flavor
• Double chocolate: Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to the flour mixture for a chocolate-on-chocolate version