Crisco ultimate chocolate chip cookies are made with butter-flavored shortening, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and chopped pecans.
Homemade chocolate chip cookies are a delightful treat that will satisfy your cravings. These cookies are a perfect combination of crisp edges and chewy centers, making them the best chocolate chip cookies. The end result is very similar to Tollhouse cookies.
The secret ingredient in this cookie recipe without butter is Crisco, a vegetable shortening with a buttery flavor that ensures the cookies stay moist and tender. The best part about Crisco is you don't need to wait for it to soften like butter.
The best time of year to enjoy these Crisco chocolate chip cookies is anytime! These cookies are a crowd-pleaser year-round. Serve with peanut butter blossoms or lemon cookies.
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Recipe Highlights
- Best cookies: This classic recipe makes an easy chocolate chip cookie.
- Basic ingredients: All of the ingredients in this simple recipe are pantry staples.
- Less prep: Baking with shortening means you don't have to wait for butter to soften.
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What is Crisco?
Crisco, a type of shortening, is a solid fat made from vegetable oils. It has no flavor on its own, so I recommend the butter flavor variety instead of regular shortening for baking cookies.
Since shortening has less water content than butter (none, to be exact), your cookies will spread less and remain softer. The result is a batch of chocolate chip cookies with the perfect texture and the best flavor.
Crisco comes in a large can or in a pack of Crisco sticks.
Ingredients
- Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening: Butter-flavored Crisco is a vegetable shortening with a buttery flavor, used as a substitute for butter in baking to enhance moisture and texture.
- Brown sugar: Light brown sugar, packed.
- Whole milk: To add moisture and richness to the dough.
- Pure vanilla extract: For a vanilla flavor.
- Egg: A binding agent that adds structure and moisture to the dough.
- Flour: All-purpose flour.
- Kosher salt: A coarse-grained salt.
- Baking soda: A leavening agent that helps the dough rise.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Semisweet chocolate chips have a rich and chocolaty flavor.
- Pecans: Roughly chopped pecans.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat and set aside.
Add the shortening, brown sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl.
Cream the ingredients until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, slowly mixing until just blended.
Tip: Mixing dry ingredients in a separate bowl from wet ingredients helps with ingredient distribution, activating leavening agents, and preventing excessive gluten formation, giving you the best results.
Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans by hand.
Scoop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets, placing them 2 to 3 inches apart.
Bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown, depending on the desired doneness.
For a softer cookie, cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. For crisp cookies, bake longer and transfer to a cooling rack as soon as they are cool enough to handle.
Substitutions
- Crisco - The best substitute for butter flavor Crisco is butter. Shortening can be substituted 1:1 with butter or margarine. If using butter, be sure to soften the butter to room temperature. You can also use regular Crisco.
- Brown sugar - Substitute the same quantity of dark brown sugar for a stronger caramel flavor in the cookies. In a pinch, white sugar works as a brown sugar replacement, but it does not have the same rich flavor.
- Chocolate chips - Use your favorite chip such as dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips.
- Pecans - Walnuts or almonds have a similar crunchy texture and nutty flavor. You can also omit the chopped nuts from the recipe and add an extra ½ cup of chocolate chips.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls - Large and medium for wet and dry ingredients
- Hand mixer - Or a stand mixer
- Silicone spatula - To mix in the chocolate chips and pecans
- Medium cookie scoop - A 1.5 tablespoon scoop (or use a heaping tablespoon of dough)
- Baking sheet - To bake the cookies
- Parchment paper - Parchment paper and a silicone baking mat work best for this recipe. In a pinch, you can spray the cookie sheet with cooking spray, but the bottoms tend to cook faster and get too brown too quickly.
Storage
Cookies are fresh for about 3 to 7 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Storing cookies in the refrigerator will keep them fresh for about 1 to 2 weeks.
To store leftover chocolate chip cookies, make sure they have cooled completely. Use an airtight container like a cookie jar or a resealable plastic bag to keep them fresh. Store the container at room temperature in a cool, dry place.
If you want to store the cookies for a longer period, freezing is an option. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. To thaw frozen cookies, transfer them to a plate or countertop and let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour.
FAQ
Yes, Crisco is dairy-free. Crisco is made from vegetable oils and does not contain any dairy ingredients.
Yes, you can freeze Crisco. Transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag to prevent freezer burn, and make sure the container is tightly sealed. When you're ready to use the frozen Crisco, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature. The texture of Crisco may change slightly after freezing and thawing, but it will still be usable for baking purposes.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Crisco Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
- 1-¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the shortening, brown sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, slowly mixing until just blended.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans by hand.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, placing them 2 to 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown, depending on the desired doneness. For a softer cookie, cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. For crisp cookies, bake longer and transfer to a cooling rack as soon as they are cool enough to handle.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw eggs.
- Avoid consuming raw eggs.
- Avoid consuming raw flour as it may be contaminated with harmful bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella. This includes tasting uncooked cookie dough.
- Wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces thoroughly after handling raw flour to minimize the spread of bacteria.
Christine says
I was looking to try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe and was pleased I found this one. I’m someone who has tried so, so many CCC recipes and this one lives up to its promise. Didn’t have butter flavored crisco so used 1/2 cup crisco and 1/4 cup butter and it worked out fine. Using only brown sugar gave to cookie undertones of a blondie. Nice mix of chewy and crisp. Next time I’d toast the pecans but definitely a keeper!
Kelsey Smith says
I'm so happy you enjoyed them and that the Crisco-butter combo worked out well. I love an old fashioned Crisco cookie, they're classic. Toasted pecans sound wonderful!
C Tackett says
I’m making these now glad I saw your comment first I will toast pecans first good idea “ wake them up “
Deanne Dicarlo says
I always make my chocolate chip cookies with butter crisco, but your recipe uses all brown sugar and the addition of milk that mine does not. I’m a convert yours has gone to the head of the line for favorite chocolate chip cookies after over 60 years of baking I’ve found the best! I doubled the recipe and it yielded 4 1/2 dozen using a cookie scoop. Thanks Kelsey❤️
Kelsey Smith says
That is absolutely lovely to hear. I LOVE the brown sugar, too. Such a rich flavor.
Diane Odell says
Used toll house recipe for years until I discovered Crisco's recipe!
Kami Carson says
Perfect chocolate chip cookies from Pleasant view Tennessee small town between Nashville and Clarksville Tennessee. Thank for sharing !
Kelsey Smith says
So happy to hear you liked it. Enjoy this lovely fall weather we're having!
Jan says
Made these today. So good and easy to mix and bake. I baked mine for 10 minutes, used a 1 tblsp scoop and got 35 cookies. Perfect soft texture and lightly browned. I will definitely add this recipe to my favorites.
Kelsey Smith says
Excellent! Love to hear that, Jan. Thanks for stopping back by to leave a review.