Why is shortening used in baking?

Shortening is a solid fat made from animal or vegetable fat. It’s often used in baking to give recipes a softer, lighter, or flakier texture and to extend shelf life. If you prefer to skip shortening, you can swap in the same amount of unsalted butter.

Is baking soda or baking powder better for chocolate chip cookies?

Neither is inherently better, but they will affect the texture of your cookies differently. Baking powder is often used to make fluffier, more cake-like cookies, while baking soda is used to increase browning and helps to give these cookies their golden brown edges.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Zoë’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies — Photo:
Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Alexandria Juhl

Active Time:

35 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs

Servings:

20 to 25

Yield:

20 to 25 cookies

What makes a chocolate chip cookie “perfect” might be subjective, but these oversize cookies from baking pro Zoë Francois are undeniably delicious. François’s recipe yields four-inch, chocolate-packed cookies with golden crisp edges and chewy interiors. They’re classic yet sophisticated thanks to complex brown sugar notes, an infusion of vanilla, large chunks of bittersweet chocolate, and a balancing bit of flaky salt. For fans of crisp-yet-chewy cookies that don’t skimp on the chocolate, they’re perfect, indeed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is shortening used in baking?

Shortening is a solid fat made from animal or vegetable fat. It’s often used in baking to give recipes a softer, lighter, or flakier texture and to extend shelf life. If you prefer to skip shortening, you can swap in the same amount of unsalted butter.
Is baking soda or baking powder better for chocolate chip cookies?

Neither is inherently better, but they will affect the texture of your cookies differently. Baking powder is often used to make fluffier, more cake-like cookies, while baking soda is used to increase browning and helps to give these cookies their golden brown edges.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

These cookies spread somewhat organically. If you want a more uniform cookie, place a four-and-a-half-inch round cutter around a cookie fresh out of the oven. Move the round cutter in a clockwise motion, making contact with the edges of the cookie in the process, until desired round shape is achieved.

These cookies spread a lot so it’s important to give them their space — three inches minimum!

Although you can bake these cookies after 30 minutes in the fridge, the F&W Test Kitchen suggests chilling for at least one hour to prevent overspreading.

Some stand mixers beat quite aggressively even at their lowest speed. Therefore, we stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture gently by hand to start just to help reduce the chances the dry ingredients will get pushed out of our mixer bowl.

Make ahead

After chilling the cookie dough, you can bake the cookies or freeze the dough balls for baking later. Bake as directed, adding more time if needed. If you find your cookies are spreading the way you want them, you may want to let them thaw further next time.

Store cookies in an airtight container for up to three days.

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups (about 11 1/3 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
8 to 12 ounces (60% cacao) bittersweet chocolate, chopped in largish (1/4 to 1/2 -inch) chunks (about 1 1/3 to 2 cups chopped)
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

Whisk together flour, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, shortening, and vanilla with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until incorporated, 15 to 30 seconds. Add flour mixture all at once; gently stir with a spatula just to slightly combine then beat on low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds to 1 minute (see Note). Beat in desired amount of chopped chocolate. (You may need to give the bowl a couple of swipes with a rubber spatula at the end to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed.)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough using a (3-tablespoon) spring-loaded cookie scoop onto prepared baking sheet. (You can make the cookies larger or smaller, but it will affect the baking time, the amount cookies need to be spaced on baking sheet, etc.)
Chill scooped dough in refrigerator until chilled, at least 30 minutes or up to 24 to 36 hours. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Space six chilled cookie dough portions at least 3 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and slightly puffed, about 12 minutes. (For more uniformly round cookies, place a 4 1/2-inch round cutter around 1 cookie immediately out of the oven. Move the round cutter in a clockwise motion making contact with the edges of the cookie in the process until desired round shape is achieved. Repeat quickly and as needed. Alternatively, use a small offset spatula or butter knife to nudge cookies into a rounder shape.) Let cookies cool on pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, 30 minutes. Repeat as needed with remaining dough portions.