Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is the one and only recipe I use for chocolate chip cookies.  It is the best recipe I've found.  It makes a million cookies, even after I eat half of the dough.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. shortening
1 c. margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
4-5 cups flour (depending on how the dough feels)
1 pkg chocolate chips

Cream shortening, margarine, and sugars together.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Add the vanilla.  Add dry ingredients.  With the flour, I usually end up needing about 4 1/3 cups but sometimes I need a little more or less.  The dough shouldn't be crumbly or runny.  It needs to be thick enough to stay in a shape but not so thick that it crumbles to pieces.  Add in the chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Drop the cookie dough on a cookie sheet (no need to grease it because of the copious amounts of shortening and margarine in the dough...)  Make them as big or small as you like.  I use a cookie scoop that is about 2 Tbsp per cookie.  Bake for about 8 minutes, give or take.  Do not let them over bake.  Take them out before they get brown all around.  Let them cool for a minute and then move them to the counter or a wire rack, if you feel the need to be fancy.

Caramel Popcorn

This is hands down the best caramel popcorn recipe I have ever had.  Julie, my sister, made it for us to eat while we watched the fireworks on the 4th of July and I could have eaten every single drop and not shared at all.  It stays soft and gooey.  Oh.... it is just so so good.

It is delicious.

2 C. Brown sugar
1/2 C. corn syrup
1 C. Butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3 bags microwave popcorn

Pop the popcorn and put it on a greased cookie sheet.  Get all of the kernels off the bottom of the pan.  Set aside and wait for the gooey delicious caramel.

Melt butter, sugar, syrup and salt, stirring constantly until it boils. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir soda and vanilla completely into mixture. Pour over popped popcorn. Double the batch because you will eat at least half of it before you share with anyone.