Dave's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies are my least favorite thing to bake. And honestly, I can think of a hundred desserts I'd rather eat. I wasn't always like this. It's all Dave's fault. It really is. He ruined me. You see, many years ago, during the beginning of our marriage we made a deal. I wanted to go home for Thanksgiving and he wanted to go somewhere else. I really, really wanted to go home because I like to cook with my mom and sisters and because my mom knows how to make Thanksgiving the best holiday ever. I must have been pretty desperate because I agreed to bake Dave cookies every Sunday for one full year -- cookies of his choice -- if we could go where I wanted for Thanksgiving. It was a done deal. Thanksgiving was enjoyed and the year long baking was tolerated -- at best. The worst part was that he insisted on me making only about three different kinds of cookies all year. I don't like to cook the same thing over and over again. And so I got all cookied out. And now I never, hardly ever, make cookies. And the girls know I won't do it and they love the time they get to spend with their Dad in the kitchen cooking one of their favorite treats.

That being said, cookies in Texas are not that great. They just aren't the same as when you make them in the West. Let's blame it on the humidity and altitude. Dave finally perfected a recipe from an old friend's old girlfriend, Natalie. We call it Dave's Chocolate Chip Cookies. They have the perfect crunchiness on the outside and are chewy in the inside. I've had my fair share today.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

12 ounces chocolate chips

Directions:

Beat butter, shortening, sugars, eggs, and vanilla for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Add flour, salt, and baking soda; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 11 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.