The Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies from the 1969 Betty Crocker Cookbook are always a hit, which is why I go back to this recipe year after year. It may not be the most innovative recipe, but it's tried-and-true. The ratios for the Betty Crocker cookies are a little different from the Toll House ratios. There's less egg (so less cakey), and proportionately more flour, so cookies are softer. There's also half butter and half shortening to improve texture without compromising flavor. These almost always come out a medium thickness.
Jump to Recipe
Half Shortening and Half Butter
The recipe calls for a mixture of shortening and butter so the Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies don't spread too much and are fairly thick. Chilling the dough overnight will give you even thicker cookies, as will adding nuts.
Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies in One Bowl
Another nice thing about this recipe is you can make it all in one bowl. There's nothing wrong with mixing the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, and it's a good way to keep organized, but in this recipe it doesn't hurt to add the baking soda directly to the cookie batter. I add the salt and the baking soda before I add the flour so that I can watch them blend in evenly with the other ingredients. I then add the flour last.
More Secrets to Thicker Cookies
I see so many people online who have trouble with flat cookies and want to make them thick. Using this recipe should give you thick cookies, but there are some other little tricks.
- Use a trusted brand of butter such as Land o' Lakes and make sure it is room temperature, neither melted or very cold.
- Weigh your flour and sugar.
- Also, weigh the shortening.
- When beating the fat and sugar together, beat just until light and creamy. Don't beat too long or you'll dissolve more sugar and that will cause a little more spread (won't ruin the cookies, they just won't be as thick).
- Bring your egg to room temperature before adding it to the batter, then beat only until it is blended in. Don't overbeat after adding the egg.
- When you scoop the dough, use a cookie scoop and pack it tightly to create a tight ball of cookie dough. Tightly packed rounds should spread less than loose little scoops.
- Scoop the dough into balls onto a dinner plate lined with plastic wrap. Cover and chill overnight or for a day or two. The cookies made with the chilled dough balls should come out thick.
- Bake the cookies on a thick, heavy-duty ungreased baking sheet.
- Try chocolate chip cookie recipes that call for bread flour rather than all-purpose or just make your cookies with bread flour. The cookies will be softer, but they'll often be thicker. If using bread flour, be sure to weigh it.
- Adding chopped nuts tends to make cookies a little thicker
Recipe
Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup shortening (65 grams)
- ⅓ cup butter (75 grams)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg (50 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups flour (210 grams) – but can use an extra ¼ cup if desired
- 1 ½ cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Beat the shortening and butter until creamy, then add both sugars and beat with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat until it is blended in, then beat in the vanilla.
- Add the salt and baking soda and beat until thoroughly mixed, then add the flour and stir until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a medium size cookie scoop, scoop out balls of cookie dough. Bake immediately or arrange on a foil lined dinner plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
- To bake the cookies, arrange 2 ½ inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes (time will vary depending on size of cookie and how cold the dough is).
- Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack.
Katrina says
Hi YAA--I use a good dark chocolate chip in my NYT adaptation and that seems to be what people love the most. I never put the salt on top, but I do like using coarse salt in the dough.
Oh so many possibilities! 😉
Yet another Anna says
I've been making the NYT cookie for a while now, using far less chocolate, far less salt. I do use the waiting period, because in the interest of science, I baked cookies from the same batch of dough over the course of several days, and I find that I do prefer the flavor of the cookies baked from the older dough.
I only use a cup of chips (Guittard milk chocolate, lately), and not much salt.
I like being able to get a good taste of the caramel-y base dough, and with tons of chocolate, it gets lost in the shuffle.
Katrina says
The NYT cookie is my adapted go-to cookie and I never chill the dough overnight. Sometimes (more for my own convenience) I chill the dough a few hours, but sometimes not at all and the cookies are great every time. Everyone begs me for more of those cookies AND the recipe. I keep the two flours on hand just for those cookies. I've had people offer to pay me to make them some of those.
Yesterday I made some ccc's from a recipe at a SLC country club. They are just okay. I'd have rather have made mine. Aw, it's still fun to try different ones.
Jenny W (The Housewife Project) says
I bookmarked this, as I'm always on the look-out for a new favorite chocolate chip cookie!
Anna says
Darlene, I almost put Lee's on the list! That's a good one too.
The New York Times cookie is a good one, but not very convenient because it requires two types of flour and the overnight chill. It's a good cookie, but I rarely have both of the flours on hand and don't like the waiting period.
Gloria says
I like my chocolate chip cookies thick, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, but I can never make them.. Whenever I make them they end up harder and my family likes them that way. I didn't know 5/15/11 was national ccc day. I will need to try one of these! It seems the more brown sugar to white sugar makes them softer.....
Darlene says
The recipe you posted almost 2 years ago (Lee's Chocolate Chip Cookie) from Boston pastry chef Lee Napoli is a favorite of everyone who tries it . Maybe its the melted butter, 3 types of sugar, and extra egg yolk that makes it so special. Now that I'm reminded how delicious they are, I think I'll have to whip up a batch to celebrate Chocolate Chip Cookie Day.
vanillasugarblog says
i forgot that you had a Tate's recipe up here.
it's literally been ages since i've made a crispy cookie.
did you try those browned butter cc cookies from test kitchen?
those are next on my list. i'm sure you did already, i mean this is cookie madness after all.
how are you feeling? better?
Louise says
And, Steve Poses commented on his FC CC Cookie recipe. 🙂
Anna says
Louise, I've made those.
https://www.cookiemadness.net/2009/05/frog-commissary-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
When I'm in the mood for crunchy cookies, I like Cindy's version better. The FC ones are really good, but the shortening (and lack of milk) makes for a crispier, crunchier cookie. The FC cookie is definitely a good one, though.
Mackenzie@The Caramel Cookie says
Mmmmm chocolate chip brownies cookies are so good!
CindyD says
Just bought some of the Nestle's dark chocolate chips and have to decide whether to make my usual (very flattered they're still on your list, thanks!) or try one of the others. Very hard decision!
Louise says
Anna, I just looked at the CindyD cookies. The ingredients are like Frog Commissary Oatmeal CC Walnut Cookies, except FC uses softened unsalted butter, 2 T milk, 1 tsp salt, 2 1/2 c old-fashioned oats(not instant), and 1 1/2 cups walnuts. The chips can be doubled. These are initially soft and chewy, but the next day are hard and crunchy, depending on your preference. And, for fat cookies, you chill the dough overnight. These were really popular cookies at FC, a popular Philly restaurant 25 years ago.