Why I’m baking Betty Crocker’s forgotten chocolate chip cookie recipe (it’s from 1963!)
I call them the Goldilocks of chocolate chip cookies.
In the 88 years since the iconic chocolate chip cookie first hit the scene, the recipe has seen a whole lot of adaptations. Changes in size, flavors, and inventive add-ins, like brown butter, tahini, and even banana!
So with the infinite number of creative takes out there, where should we look next to find a delicious chocolate chip cookie? I’m going back in time, to 1963.
Digging through my vintage cookbook collection, I found an old chocolate chip cookie recipe in Betty Crocker’s festive Cooky Book. Under the colorful, retro-looking cover is a collection of hundreds of cookie recipes for every occasion, introduced with the motto, “Happy the home with the full cooky jar.” So, I filled my cookie jar with this forgotten chocolate chip cookie.
Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe, Then and Now
The chocolate chip cookie recipe in the Cooky Book has a few differences from the one on Betty Crocker’s website today. It’s a smaller-sized batch, and also calls for shortening in the cookie dough instead of butter. Using shortening creates a chewier, tender cookie. There’s also an option in the vintage recipe to use half shortening, half butter.
The biggest difference is in the size of the cookies. The dough is scooped in rounded teaspoonfuls, versus rounded tablespoonfuls in the modern recipe. This yields dozens of baked chocolate chip cookies that are just two-inches in size; adorable little cookies that are perfect for lunchboxes, as a mini snack, or to fill a cookie jar.
How To Make Betty Crocker’s 1963 Chocolate Chip Cookies
The recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book comes together in the same way as most other chocolate chip cookie recipes. Here's how I made it:
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
Add the shortening, butter, and both sugars to a large bowl. Cream together until fluffy. Blend in the egg and vanilla extract.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl, then mix into the sugar-butter mixture. Finally, fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and chopped nuts.
Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls of cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake the cookies in a 375°F oven for eight to 10 minutes, just long enough to lightly brown but still stay soft. Cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
My Take and My Tips on These Cookies
I’ll never say no to a good chocolate chip cookie, and these are very good cookies indeed. They’re soft in the middle with lightly crisp edges, soft puddles of chocolate, and a bit of crunch from the nuts.
What I appreciate the most about this vintage take is the diminutive size. Those frisbee-sized chocolate chip cookies in bakery cases are always tempting, but let’s be honest, way too much sweetness and chocolate to eat in one sitting. These, however, are like the Goldilocks of chocolate chip cookies: They’re just right, especially alongside a cup of coffee or some cold milk.
It’s up to you what kind of nuts to add to the cookies. I used chopped hazelnuts, but walnuts, almonds, or pistachios would also be very good. Chop them finely for the best texture in the cookies. When baking, check the cookies early and pull them from the oven as soon as they’re, as the Cooky Book says, “delicately browned.” That way they’ll be soft, not overbaked.
The Cooky Book has variations on this chocolate chip cookie recipe you can try, such as adding crushed peppermint candies or using chocolate covered raisins instead of chocolate chips. You can also spread the dough in a baking dish to make chocolate chip cookie bars.
