Ok, so i tried the Levain's bakery recipe (still havent gone out for shortening so i could try tiffany's recipe). For the most part, they are pretty good.
I doubled the recipe and baked at 350. While they came out nice and soft, i still wanted more height so i tried baking at 375. The cookies came out slightly more higher but definately cakier. I took some pics so i'll try and post them for you.

They were totally amazing when fresh out of the oven. After a few hours stored in an airtight container, they got crunchy when broken in half, and when bitten into, the middle is still soft.
I think i'd like more height, more cakiness inside (meaty bite), and for the cookies to stay soft when stored. Any ideas?
Having said all that, these are definately good cookies! Thank you!

I'm planning to taste test four of the cookie recipes that I found on here. One with butter only, one with both butter and shortening, one with only shortening and one with melted butter. I'm looking for a thick, chewy, tasty cookie. I plan on taking them to the firehall where my brother works and have them be some of the judges. I'll post my results when I'm done.

I've tried many, many CCC recipes and I agree with cookiemookie, Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies is the absolute best I've ever had. I use Ghiradelli chips (which are flatter than most CC's) in place of Jacques'. I have customers who are absolutely hooked on them. The secret, they say, is in letting the dough sit in the refrigerator at least 24 hours although I've baked them right away and only noticed a slight difference in taste. I make these cookies large (ice cream scoop) and every person who has tried them has raved about them.

I made them last week and was very disappointed with their flatness. Of course there are many who like flat chewy cookies, but like mine thick and soft.

Happy New Year to y'all.

Ok, so today i tried Mary's CCC recipe and they were flat. I was suprised with this because i thought shortening would give the cookies more height, but as i watched them bake in the oven, they started spreading quite quickly (yes i have an oven thermometer so i know the temp was correct).
After they cooled, they were crunchy and crumbly, not chewy, and not what i like; cakey and thick. I tried adding more flour to half the recipe, didn't help. I tried adding vanilla pudding mix to the other half of the recipe (1/2 pkg) but got the same results. They do taste good but not want i was looking for. My quest goes on.........

OK, after reading a few of the later posts...I have decided to throw my chocolate chip cookie recipe in the ring. I have not looked at the other recipes so I hope it is not a repeat. This is from a family member of mine. The only bad result I get from these is when I add to much flour or overbake.

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups shortening...I use crisco sticks sometimes I use 1 butter flv and 1 reg.
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
5 cups all purpose flour
1 12 ounce bag baking chips... I use semi sweet.


I cream together the eggs and sugars. Adding in the shortening and mix until blended. Add in the salt, soda and flavoring. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time until dough forms...add in the chips. Bake at 350 about 12 to 13 minutes. This also great with any kind of nuts...I use this in my shop and my customers love them.
Enjoy, Laura

Thank you Laura, that's very kind of you to share your recipe. I'm going to add it to tiffany's recipe that's waiting for me to try out.

Well I tried 4 of the cookie recipes: Levain, Tiffany's, Mary's #1 and the Best chewy recipe from allrecipes. I sent some to the firehall - they just said they were all great. No Help. Another friend and her husband each picked 2 different ones as favourites. I tried them myself and honestly they are all really good cookies. I had a really hard time picking a favourite, but I think that the ones with butter - Best chewy and Levain were my favouites. (to be fair - one recipe called for butter flavoured Crisco but all I could find was "golden" flavour - maybe a Canadian thing) They all stayed chewy and had a good taste. I did notice that the ones with melted butter were flat, but the Levain stayed thick and chewy. I usually bake the cookies at the least amount of time because I don't like crispy cookies. I still have dough left in the freezer so I am going to keep ask friends to give me feedback. I have to say this has been a lot of fun!!!

The Levain recipe is next on my list, have all my stuff ready for tomorrow!

Texas Sugar, that is very interesting.

When i made Mary's recipe, i didn't bake the whole thing. I portioned them into balls and flattened just slightly and then froze them. I thought maybe they would puff up more if i put them into the oven straight from the freezer. Nope. Same flatness. ARGH.

I tried the Levain's, my husband liked them very much. I have been comparing ingredients and measures to the Toll House recipe and this one was very similar, the biggest difference (I don't care about extract or levening amounts) was one more cup of flour. I can't stand cakey chocolate chip cookies so I would probably decrease the flour by maybe 1/4 cup next time. They held their shape well, not flat in the least and were still soft after cooling. I always add extra chips so that is why I left the listed flour amount in for my first go-round. Not as sweet as the Toll House ones but still very good!

Both Laura's and Tiffany's recipes were very good.
I used shortening for Tiffany's recipe as it's called for. It's a great recipe.......YUM.

Then i didn't have enough shortening for Laura's, so i used margarine instead. Very very good.

Both of these recipes are going in my files. Thanks gals!

You're welcome, I am so glad you liked it!!!

Not only did i like them but my kids gobbled them all up! Thanks again.

That's what I like to hear!! LOL
They usually vanish around here too! My sister really loves them. I had to give her the recipe to mine (we have different mothers, same father) cause she liked mine better than her mom's.

Yay!! Glad you liked it...I use butter crisco sometimes. But we like it either way. Glad your family enjoyed them....and good to know I can sub in butter in a pinch.
Laura

Hey Laura. In addition to the flavor and texture, i like that it's a huge recipe and produces a lot of cookies (i can never make enough ccc in my house). Thanks again. Oh, btw, it wasn't butter i substituted, it was margarine.

Canterbury Jumbles

These are hands down my favorite all-time cookies. They make a nice, soft cookie.

Makes 5 dozen.

Wet ingredients

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dry ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Additions

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped cashew nuts
1 1/2 cups craisins
3 cups milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening, butter, and brown sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the buttermilk and vanilla.

Blend the flour, baking soda, and salt together in anotherl bowl; stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until incorporated. Stir in the coconut, nuts, craisins, and chocolate chips. Drop by medium sized cookie scoop onto greased cookie sheets (or nonstick baking mat, like Silpat). Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and slightly brown. Cool on a rack. The cookies keep well in an airtight tin.

Please note: Original recipe was found in one of Diane Mott Davidson's murder mystery books staring a caterer as the heroine (I'm sorry... I don't remember which one). It called for semisweet chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and raisins, all in the same amounts... so play around with the additions if you don't like any of the ones listed. It also said this recipe would make 11 dozen if you use level half-tablespoons.

You can place dry ingredients and additions in separate bags to have ready to make cookie mix.

ENJOY!

- Leisel

Sagebrush those sound awesome!! Have you ever used white chocolate chips in place of the mild chocolate chips?

sagebrush, that recipe sounds delish. I can't wait to try them. I think it's the buttermilk I like! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you from me too. I've never seen buttermilk in a ccc recipe. Sounds very very interesting! Do the cookies spread much?

They don't usually spread much, no. I've had the occasional batch that did a bit, but I think that was either because I let the dough get too warm, or because I usually use measuring cups/spoons instead of weighing, so I might have gotten a little more or less of something. Usually they are nice and puffy.

- Leisel

Thanks again!