$0.19 each 85% savings save $114.54 yearly
I'm usually a "back of the chocolate chip bag" kinda girl when it comes to quick chocolate chip cookie recipes.
I know... zero points for originality.
HOWEVER. When I want the humble chocolate chip cookie to have the "WOW" factor, I go BIG with these over-sized, perfectly chewy, delcious chocolate chip cookies. I brought a double batch to a small church function the other day. Thirty-eight enormous, chocolate-laden, beauties that completely beat out their made-in-an-actual-bakery competitors in taste and cost effectiveness hands-down.
Yep.
It was pretty amazing how fast they disappeared, even though there were less people (half of which were small children) than cookies. I'm not gonna lie... it felt like a huge compliment to see people leaving with more than one giant cookie in their hands, and kids shoving them in their mouths as fast as they could so they could have the approval of their parents to eat another. In the end, I had half a dozen recipe requests.
So, yes.
Prepare to be amazed.
Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Note: I wash my pan between batches.)
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
With a large spoon, cream shortening, butter, and sugars together in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the beaten eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, mixing until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Add the chocolate chips, and mix once more. Dough will not be overly sticky, nor should it be dry and crumbly.
Using a spoon or cookie scoop, scoop out approx. 3 tablespoons worth or cookie dough, roll it into a ball in your hand, then flatten the dough into a thick, round "patty" approximately 2- 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on the cookie sheet 6 at a time.
Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the middle of the cookies looks just barely dry, and the edges are light brown. Cool on a paper towel on the counter. (Helps them stay chewier than cooling them on a rack, and they won't continue to cook like they would if you let them cool on the baking sheet.)
Store in an air-tight ziplock bag to keep them softer longer.
~ Savings ~
Cost Breakdown:
48 oz. shortening - $4.28 = 227 T = $0.019/T = $0.0152
2 cups unsalted butter - $1.99 = 32 T = $0.062/T = $0.496
7 lb brown sugar - $5.05 = 264 T = $0.019/T = $0.228
10 lb sugar - $5.58 = 378T = $0.015/T = $0.180
1 dozen eggs - $1.79 = $0.150/egg = $0.300
8 fl. oz. imitation vanilla - $0.98 = 48 tsp = $0.0204/tsp = $0.041
25 lb flour - $6.78 = 94.5 cups = $0.071/cup = $0.213
16 oz. baking soda - $0.58 = 94.5 tsp. = $0.006/tsp = $0.006
26 oz. salt - $0.42 = 122.75 tsp. = $0.003/tsp = $0.0015
18 oz. cinnamon - $6.69 = 230 tsp = $0.029/tsp = $0.0145
12 oz. bag choc. chips - $2.38 = $0.074/T = $1.776
Total Recipe Cost: $3.41
Per Cookie: $0.19
The Contender:
1 dozen Great Harvest Bread Co. Chocolate Chip Cookies = $15.00
Per Cookie = $1.25
Savings: 85%
"Over a year" scenario:
Make Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe 6 times = $20.46
Buy 9 dozen Great Harvest Bread Co. Chocolate Chip Cookies = $135.00
*Money Saved: $114.54
Do I read this correctly that you bought butter for $1.99 for 2 lbs? And 25 lbs of flour for $6.78??? Where do you shop?! I would love to see those prices! :) And I love, love, love your blog! I have been married for 2 1/2 years and want to get the whole making inexpensive meals down soon! We are expecting #2 in April and want to be saving to buy a house! So your site is invaluable! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou read it right! I got the butter at Kroger with a store sale and a coupon. The flour came from Walmart, but the price has since gone up to $9.28 there. It's now officially cheaper at Sam's Club at $7.28. :) Prices change with time and market values, so it could continue to go up or (finger's crossed) down a bit. Congrats on #2!!! That is wonderful! And good luck saving for a house.
DeleteSorry... minor correction. Not 2 lbs of butter... 2 cups. (a box with 4 sticks).
DeleteI have just stumbled across your website/blog today and I am so excited!!! I love cooking and love to see all the Wonderful recipes that are on your blog! I will be trying many of them out. I am currently having a cookie dilemma. Lately when I am making cookies, they all turn out flat and hard. I don't cook with shortening and would like ideas using butter. I have softened my butter, used room temp butter, added more flour(which did help some), creamed for a short time, creamed for a very long time and nothing is working wonderfully. Any tips would be great!
DeleteGreat to have you here! As far as making cookies go... everyone has their favorites: flat, crispy, soft, doughy, crunchy, you name it. I don't have any "amazing" tips as far as these cookies go. Just to say that they are NOT a flat cookie, and they are NOT a hard cookie, so they should be right up your alley. These cookies are thick, crispier on the edges, and soft in the middle. They bake up really nicely, and I always get rave reviews. If you give 'em a try, let me knowhoe it goes for you!
DeleteButter tends to make crispier cookies and shortning a chewier cookie. Usually, I use half butter, half lard. Yes, lard...the majority of its fat is mono like olive oil--therefore healthy. You can buy it at Kroger and many other grocery stores, also check with stores that cater to Hipanic populations.
DeleteJ in VA
Boopsiee: Spectrum makes a non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening from palm oil. It runs around $5.00/lb. I had stopped using shortenings as well and then discovered this and use it 1/2 and 1/2 with butter in biscuits and pie crusts.
DeleteTried these tonight and they were a hit--thank you!
ReplyDeleteI made these today with farm eggs, coconut oil (instead of the shortning) evaporated cane juice (instead of white sugar) and fresh ground whole wheat flour. They were a huge hit and I was ony at 26 cents a cookie!
ReplyDeleteJ in VA
I dont know what it was about these cookies, maybe the cinnamon.. but they are SOOOOOOOOOO good!!! I think perhaps we put too much dough per cookie since it only made 15... but then again, it could have been my dough-snitching family. But either way, this is definitely a KEEPER!
ReplyDeleteI thought they were way too sweet, I'll try reducing the white sugar next time and maybe try the lard, it sounds intriguing...
ReplyDeleteSooooo good! These are the beat chocolate chip cookies I have ever made and I have made a bunch throughout my years of cooking ! I made them just the way you posted the recipe. I did make mine smaller 12 to a large baking pan and cooked in a 350 degree oven for 13 minutes and cooled on the pan for a minute and then transferred to the cooling rack. Also I did add coconut to six of them and they were delicious too! Next I am making your refried beans..they are on their 24 hour soaking right now! I am also going to try all your bread recipes and your dry mix for cream of chicken soup..I use a lot of cans of it so I can't wait to try it .. and I use the Tone's chicken base all the time too..I have used it for all my stock ..one tsp of base to one cup of water works great and saves a lot of money! I love your site..please continue to share your great recipes cause I will be trying them!!! Becky :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes! We took them on a mini road trip and I forgot we had a bag in the car and three days later they were still delicious! Yay!
ReplyDelete