These are my childhood cookies, folks.
Likely, the first cookies I ever baked!
Really, by baked I mean, watched my mom do all the work, while I pilfered chocolate chips and begged to lick the beaters. They were for special occasions, for guests, for rainy days (not that we had many in Southern California), and sometimes just Mondays. Someone had given my mom a little cookbook called Family Favorites. It’s a compilation of recipes from different Home Economics teachers, printed in the early 80s. It was very easy to find the pages with the recipe on it, because they were (and still are) stiff with layer upon layer of accidental cookie dough spatter.
Why are they so amazing? Why did my mom settle on this recipe as our go to cookie recipe for all occasions? They are SO SOFT. They never get crispy or dry, and they last forever! I’m pretty sure these cookies are responsible for my suspicion of all crispy cookies. There better at least be a soft chewy center or I move on.
The only fat in them besides the egg is oil. No butter. This is part of what keeps them really soft, plus the high ration of brown sugar. MMM…molassesy, oily cookies! In the 90s, we always used canola oil, but I used coconut oil to make them 1% healthier. 1% counts right? Plus it adds a hint of coconut, which is never a bad thing! I also used mini chocolate chips instead of standard size like the original recipe, because that’s what I had.
Oh, did I mention that they’re super easy to make. Before we had a stand mixer, we would have to do the last step with our hands, because mixing all that flour with all that oil would have burned out the puny motor in my mom’s little hand held mixer. It’s older than me.
Now, with the miracle of stand mixing, all you have to do is add a few ingredients at a time and watch the best, softest cookie dough come to life before your eyes. Just try to save a little of it for the oven.
My mom always rolled them into spheres, I like to form them into patties. The spheres give you an even thicker, gooey center, but the patties make the texture even all the way through. There is no wrong method!
Gluten Free Version available over Here at Carlotta’s awesome blog Culinary Concerto! She uses her own special gluten free flour blend to make this recipe.
Objectively, these really are just another tasty chocolate chip cookie, but they will forever remind me of my childhood and precious time spent with my mom (who now lives soooooo far away…sniff*)
Here we are in the beginning of our cookie baking days. We were clearly up to date in our fashion sense, mom with her “frosted tips” hair and me with my frilly socks and white tennis shoes.
What cookie or (any) recipe reminds you of your childhood?
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- Pre-heat oven to 375. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- If coconut oil is solid, melt in microwave or on stove top. As soon as it's liquified, you can use it in the recipe. It doesn't need to be hot.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment add oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to oil mixture in small increments, mixing on low until fully combined. Add chocolate chips with the last edition of flour.
- Spoon 1-2 tbl sized balls of dough onto cookie sheets, spacing at least 1½ inches apart.
- Bake 8-10 minutes, or until dough is set and cookies are slightly golden brown.
- Let cool on cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before devouring.
- Cookies will keep for 1 week in an airtight container.
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Love the photo of you and your mom!
Thank you, it’s one of my favorites!
such a fun post! I love the mommy and me pic!
Thanks!
I will be trying this recipe with gluten free flour mix for a party this weekend! Thanks!
Please let me know how the gluten free version turns out!
Lindsey, those cookies are incredible! The switch to gluten free was simple using brown rice, tapioca, and sorghum flours. I have posted the recipe on my website, along with a link to the gluten free flour blend.
http://www.culinaryconcerto.com/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I wish all GF switches were so successful….
I’m so glad to hear that it worked! I will add a link in the cookie post to your gluten free version. Thanks so much!
Is the coconut oil solid (like butter would be) or liquid (like canola oil would be)?
Great question! Thank you. I meant to address it in the recipe and forgot. It’s liquid, like canola. I melt it in the microwave until it’s just liquified. I don’t want it to get too hot or it could cook the egg.
I LOVED the picture of you & your mom. The recipe that most reminds me of my childhood is my mom’s Almond Sour Cream Bread. TO DIE FOR!!! I’ll be curious if this works well with gluten-free flour. If Carlotta lets you know, will you pass on the info to me? I’d love to try it with gluten-free flour.
Thanks, Christine. That bread sounds amazing! I’ll definitely pass it on
I just re-read my comment, I meant to say if the gluten-free flour works on the cookies, I’d love to know that, and what flour she used. I have so many g-free flours (almond, cashew, all-purpose, brown rice, garbanzo bean).
Got it
Oh my gosh I love that pic! You and your mom were seriously stylin’. I love that you posted your childhood favorite with a little bit of a modern twist. I wish I had a recipe like that but sadly there were no cookies in my childhood. Maybe that’s why I’m so obsessed with baking now, lol!
Thanks, Allie! I’m sure when your kids are grown they’ll have so many childhood favorites that they won’t be able to choose just one cookie recipe
Love that picture of you and your mom! These look fabulous. Really looking forward to trying them, as I’ve never seen a cookie recipe made with coconut oil. 1% healthier is good enough for me!
Thanks! Every little bit counts, right?