Searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie seems to be a culinary “Holy Grail”. I’m not sure if such a thing even exists, since it is really a matter of preference. I’ve tried many recipes over the years, starting with the quintessential “Toll House Recipe”.

A few years ago, I came across my favorite recipe in a 1980’s version of Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. That recipe has proven to be a reliable standard that people always love. I’m not sure why it’s so good. It may be the half butter - half shortening that gives the cookies a moist, yet buttery taste and texture. It may be the salt and baking soda that offset the sweetness with a little savory. It may be the extra vanilla that rounds out the flavor. I’m not really sure, but I often get asked for the recipe and people clamor for the cookies when I make them.

I have found that freezing the dough in individual portions helps create a better consistency when baking. When baked soon after mixing, they are great tasting, but sometimes spread too much. When I make the dough ahead of time, I can freeze individual cookie balls and then bake from frozen. It takes longer to bake, but that is the only downside. One of the benefits is that you can bake as many as you want, leaving some in the freezer for when a cookie craving hits.

I also love the convenience of using a scoop or disher to make perfect little dough balls. I am a gadget geek, but this is one of my favorites. In fact, I currently have four in varying sizes. Parchment paper is also a must in my kitchen. I used to buy the rolls until I found I could buy half sheets that fit my Vollrath cookie sheets perfectly. I bought both the parchment sheets and cookie sheets at Surfas Online, a restaurant supply store in Los Angeles.

The recipe in the current Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook differs slightly, so I’ll post the “retro” version here. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups (12.5 oz) of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (1 stick) softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening
• 1 cup (7 oz) of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (3.5 oz) of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Cream together butter and shortening with an electric mixer until well combined. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Stir in flour mixture until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking racks.

Freeze Now, Bake Later

You can also make the cookie dough ahead of time and freeze in individual portions. I like to use a cookie scoop to make nice round cookies. It also speeds things up quite a bit if you bake often.

Scoop out dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper.
Put cookies in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.

When they are frozen, you can put the frozen cookie dough balls in a zip lock bag and keep in the freezer until you are ready to bake. You can bake as many as you want and save the rest for later.

You will need to adjust the baking time when baking frozen cookie dough. I find that 14 minutes works well in my oven, but check ahead of time. Keep the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If you bake two sheets of cookies at once, swap out the cookie sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through. They will bake more evenly that way.

A few years ago, I used to make Lemon Bars (or squares) quite often. I had a really good recipe that was tart but sweet. The only thing I didn’t like was how sticky they were when eating. It was easier to eat them with a fork than with your hands, which shouldn’t be the case for bar cookies.

I found a new recipe in the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion that seemed like it was worth a try. The amount of lemon juice and lemon zest foretold a lemony, tart taste. I had tried the Cook’s Illustrated version before, but had not been impressed.

One of my favorite people at work, Montie, is leaving to go pursue a dream to work in the entertainment industry. His one request before he left was that I make Lemon Bars again. I decided to try the King Arthur recipe, although it is always dangerous to try a recipe out for the first time on a crowd.

We had a going away party for him that was well attended. As I descended the stairs to go to the conference room, I could hear the gathered voices rising into the roar of a crowd.

I carried the lemon squares on a tray as eager hands reached for a treat. I could see Montie fighting his way towards the lemon squares shouting, “Out of my way!” so he could grab one of his favorite desserts.

The King Arthur Lemon Squares were a hit. One friend commented that she usually doesn’t like Lemon Bars because they taste too “eggy”. This recipe does call for four eggs, but is not eggy in the least. All you can taste is delicious lemon curd atop a shortbread crust. Heaven if you like lemon.

I forgot to take a photo of the lemon bars as I was exhausted last night when making them. They were so good that I’ll make them again soon and publish a photo.

Lemon Squares

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter

Topping

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (4 ounces) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• Confectioner’s Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 inch, 11 x 7 inch or similar sized pan.

To make crust: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, your fingers, or a mixer, cut in the butter, mixing to form course crumbs. Press the crumbs in the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 20 minutes or until it’s light brown.

To make the topping: In a medium sized bowl, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and the lemon juice until smooth. Stir in the flour, salt and lemon zest.

Pour the topping over the hot crust, return the pan to the oven and continue baking for about 25 minutes or until the top appears to be set. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Cut and sprinkle with confectioners sugar just before serving.

Nutrition Information: (1 square, 58g): 183 cal, 7 g fat, 3 g protein, 10 g complex carbohydrates, 17 g sugar, 70 mg cholesterol, 117 mg sodium, 44 mg potassium, 82 RE vitamin A, 4 mg vitamin C, 1 mg iron, 10 mg calcium, 36 mg phosphorus.

Some Tips

• Use fresh lemons instead of bottled lemon juice.
• Lemon Squeezers work really well to get most of the juice out of a lemon.
• Roll the lemons on the counter or microwave for a few seconds to break down the cell walls making juicing easier.
• Use a Microplane Zester to grate the zest before you cut and juice the lemons. A great deal of the lemon flavor comes from the zest.
• While preparing the rest of the topping, let the zest soak in the lemon juice. This will enhance the lemon flavor.
• Consider coating the pan with two intersecting layers of aluminum foil creating a sling and greasing or spraying with baking spray. This will allow you to remove the bars in one piece and cut them on a cutting board instead of the pan. It’s easier and saves your pan from scratches.