I'm going to share my own family's treasured recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Since our family is big this recipe batch yields more than 48 chocolate chip cookies. You can experiment with most cookie recipes to adjust to your own taste. If you increase the brown sugar in the recipe it yields a chewier cookie. This wouldn't require much change. First we will start with ingredients.

Enjoy these wonderful cookies at any occasion. They are quite popular when the family gets together. You might notice my secret ingredient. It is the boxed yellow cake mix. The cookie will be more robust if it is made with cake flour instead of the unbleached, regular flour.You may use any of your favorite brands. Remember to reduce the baking time with smaller sized cookies. Many ovens produce heat from the bottom, so to protect the bottom of the cookies from being burnt I put the cookies on double pans before I bake. Although they may seem different, baking and chemistry have a lot in common.  Continuous experimentation will lead to success. Stick to the best combination of ingredients and procedures you have found. It's time to sit back and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4cup sour cream
3 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions to cookie recipe.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together.
3. Sift cake mix, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
4. In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Stir the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
6. Stir in the sifted ingredients with sour cream.
7. Mix in chocolate chips.
8. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls cookie sheets.
9. Bake for until edges are starting to turn dark brown.

Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups shortening
3/4 cup molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped almonds

Beat sugar, shortening and molasses in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients except almonds. Stir in almonds. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into roll, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 9 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched lightly in center. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

1/2 cup butter or margarine -- softened
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Beat butter, shortening and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour and salt. (Dough will be dry and crumbly; use hands to mix
completely.)

Roll dough into rectangle, 15 x 7 1/2 inches, on lightly floured surface. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 25 minutes or until set. (These cookies brown very little, and the shape does not change.) Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.