"the best" ever!

i sometimes laugh to myself when i read or see recipes that are called the best or ultimate and any other such names to that describe one's formula for some preparation. i have to admit however that i am [or have been] also guilty of it at times.

taste is a very personal thing, after all. what one person finds delicious and out of this world may not be another person's idea of perfection. i am sure this is a common finding amongst many a cook or foodblogger.

this also crosses over cultural lines. ashkenazi jews, for example love sweet things. i remember so many times when sephardi friends/family would be put off by some of the things they tried or exclaimed, "what is this?!! this isn't the way it's supposed to taste!" the same experience was often met the other way with anything from, "what's with all these spices?!" to "wow, this is so different and exotic."

in the end, we never know until we try something though many a time a good cook can "tell" by looking at ingredients, measures and instructions. sometimes though we don't take the time to read through a recipe or look at the instructions first. this recently happened to a friend of mine who emailed me for help. after making a batch of cookies which flopped and had to be thrown out, and this person KNOWS how to cook & bake, it was discovered that whoever who put out the recipe, screwed things up. i found the same recipe elsewhere and we figured out what was wrong.

so, getting back to my original intention for this post .... "the best ever," i am going to put in my submission, tongue in cheek, for THE BEST EVER chocolate chip cookies. yes, yes, not original at all. but they are just complete goodness.

these truly are, believe me, 'died-and-gone-to-heaven type cookies' [for me they are, at the very least]. i also say this more because for a cookie with no dairy products such as butter in it, you can't find better. you may though beg to differ, should you try them. beware, they are made with that, oooooh so terrible transfat called crisco™. these ones use the butter-flavoured version. i have used crisco, slash shortening, in small amounts my whole life. i still am alive and breathing. i wouldn't suggest using it as an everyday item but once in a while, in my eyes, is okay. i'm sure we've all eaten a lot worse.

this recipe is actually from the back of the box. a good friend of mine called me one day about a year ago and said, 'YOU HAVE TO TRY THESE!!'. since i trust this person's taste, i made them the next day. wow, they really are that good.

i like to use chocolate chunks instead of chips. the best, of course, are chunks of that silky smooth valrohna milk chocolate that you've broken up yourself and desperately tried not to gobble up in the process.

these cookies are not overly floury or chewy. in fact, they are kind of gooey. they are at their best when cooked for the exact time or maybe even a bit less depending on how well-calibrated your oven is. i end up making balls and freezing most of them on a cookiesheet and then put them in a ziploc to be taken out in various amounts. this helps me not to eat them all at one time! they also have no dairy products in them so depending on the type of chocolate you use.

as an endnote, it's not that there is anything earthshatteringly different in the ingredients. i think it's just the balance of what goes into them that makes them marvelously good.

so without further ado, here it is:

photo: not mine but this is how they look
with chunks of chocolate!
(check out jeff & drew's cookies from link!)

chocolate chip cookies sans comparaison

ingredients:

3/4 c golden crisco shortening
1 1/4 c lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk (or soy milk or water)
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c AP flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 c chocolate chips or chunks*

1 c coarsely *chopped pecans [i don't use them]

note: *the recipe says you can omit the pecans and add 1/2 c more chocolate chips. i just keep it at one cup.

method:

preheat oven to 375 F.

cream crisco and brown sugar in large bowl for 2 minutes or until light.

add egg, milk [or soy milk or water], and vanilla and beat one more minute.

in another bowl combine the flour salt and baking soda. add this in 3 additions and blend well.

stir in, by hand, the chocolate chips.

either make balls and squash them a little or drop by tablespoons on a cookie sheet [ungreased] with 2 to 3 inches of spaces in between. they will expand as they cook.

bake for 8 to 10 minutes. i suggest trying 8 first.

remove cookies from oven and let them cool for 2 minutes away from heat [like on top of the oven] before removing to cool further.

make these & tell me these aren't the best!
enjoy!!