Church lady chocolate chip cookies. I know what you may be thinking, and you would be incorrect. But trust me, these chocolate chip cookies are worth making!
Mrs. Laverette was by far my favorite teacher at church. She was a seemingly 6 feet tall, charismatic woman with a welcoming smile, and a pile of soft red curls on top of her head that shook when she laughed. I looked forward to spending time with her each week–I was captivated by her every word. As much as I loved her laugh and bouncy hair, I really enjoyed the way she sent us off each week after class.
Mrs. Laverette dismissed us each week with a prayer, a quick hug, and a piece of candy. As a kid that didn’t live in a house where candy existed, that little Dum Dum sucker may as well be made of gold for what it was worth to me!
But for as valuable as those little suckers may have been, often times I opted to skip the confections all together because I knew that, if I hurried, something even better awaited me in the church office below. Mrs. Laverette would just laugh and give an extra squeeze to me and my classmates as we declined to accept her candy.
You see, while we children were getting all-churched-up on the second floor, our mothers were enjoying some treats of their own in the church office with Mary the Church Lady. Mary was the church secretary, but on Wednesday nights, she was known simply as Church Lady.
Each week, Church Lady would stay after work to offer a warm smile, comfortable fellowship, and a plate of fresh cookies. Perfect for the weary moms awaiting their children to finish their classes. The moms would usually bring along a crafty project to work on in peace. Peace that comes from being in the company of other women who understand the challenges and joys of their current season of life. Although Church Lady’s children were grown, she remembered the renewed vitality brought forth by a few tranquil hours of community with other women.
Tranquility that abruptly ended with the shrieks and thunderous footsteps of a gaggle of kids in search of gooey chocolate chip cookies.
Thankfully, Church Lady’s recipe made a ton of cookies, so there was always enough to share.
Now Mary insisted that her cookie recipe was nothing special–it was only the recipe from the back of the bag of Nestle Tollhouse Morsels. However, her recipe was handed down to her from her mother, making it a vintage version of the Tollhouse Cookie recipe, which has been modified on the back of the package several times over the years. She guessed that her recipe came from the 1940’s, shortly after Ruth Wakefield first published her Tollhouse Chocolate Crunch Cookie recipe in 1936.
The recipe contains both butter and shortening, because as Mary so accurately put it, “butter causes cookies to spread, but shortening makes them puffy.”
This is largely due to the fact that butter has a lower melting point, so it melts and causes the cookies spread faster in the oven before setting. Shortening has a higher melting point, thus it retains its structure longer, allowing for the cookies to remain “puffy” and set up a bit more before melting.
Regardless of vintage or food science behind the recipe, Church Lady Chocolate Chip Cookies hold a special place in my heart. Mary’s recipe makes over 6 dozen cookies, so it’s easy to share a batch of freshly baked cookies with a crowd. However if 78 cookies is too much to handle, you can rest easy knowing that the dough freezes beautifully, so warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies can be ready as you crave them.
Church Lady Chocolate Chip Cookies are my Go-To chocolate chip cookie recipe for every pot luck, picnic, and friendly gathering.
I think Mary would be happy knowing that “her” recipe was still being shared among a community.
♥♥♥
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 6 1/2 dozen
Serves 2 cookies
Chewy chocolate chip cookies with a vintage taste, just like the Toll House classic!
20 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
30 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 C. granulated sugar
- 1 C. brown sugar
- 2/3 C. shortening
- 2/3 C. unsalted butter, softened
- 4 eggs
- 4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 12 oz. chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line several half sheet pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
- Cream the sugars together with the shortening and butter in a large bowl, until light and fluffy. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract; set aside long enough to assemble the dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt to combine. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, until fully combined. Fold in the chocolate chips to distribute throughout the batter.
- Working in batches, scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges begin to brown, and centers are set but not dry.
- Allow cookies to stand on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
More delicious chocolate chip cookie recipes to try:
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Comments