Triple Chocolate Cookies

I was on the hunt...for the perfect giant chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I wanted something new that had tested the large 4-5" size and was loaded with chocolate.  I thought and thought. Looked and looked.  And then it occured to me. I needed to turn to Paula Deen.  She is known for her down home cooking and never skimps on flavor (or fat!)  This recipe is amazing!  The cookies turned out absolutely perfect and I bet your mouth will be watering by the end.  Oh, and don't miss out on the pictoral instructions following the recipe.  If you have trouble getting your cookies to come out just right, these steps will help!

note:  I followed Paula's recipe exactly aside from the chocolate.  Here I added 2 cups of Ghiardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips and 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips.  

 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels

1 cup milk chocolate morsels

3 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup almond brickle chips (bits of Heath Bars)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels and almond brickle chips. Drop cookies by 1/4 cupfuls about 3-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.  (or feel free to make them a more traditional size of the heaping tablespoonsful.)  Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Steps to the Perfect Cookie

::beat butter & shortening until creamy. Then add sugars. Then eggs and vanilla. Until smooth and creamed::

::This is Essential--sift (or whisk) together dry ingredients (to adequately distribute rising agents--baking powder/soda and salt--in the flour)::

::Important--add dry mixture to the creamed mixture in 3 or 4 separate amounts, mixing thoroughly upon each addition::

::keep dough at least 2 inches apart from all other cookies and from sides of pan (because cookies will spread out like this).  Oh, and just for comparison's sake, I can normally fit 12 "regular" sized cookies on a sheet!::

::this recipe recommends letting cookies rest on pan for 2 minutes after baking.  DO IT!::

::oh my goodness.  chocolate!::

::always cool completely on wire racks (that's in the background) before packaging in air tight containers::

::packaged::