As Christmas approaches each year, I always look forward to my long-time family recipe of salted chocolate chip cookies.

The tradition of these cookies began when my step-mom’s relatives made them during the holidays in the 1980s. Since then, my step-mom, Meredith has continued the tradition, making these cookies for various special occasions, such as birthdays, Thanksgiving, and most importantly, Christmas.

These salted chocolate chip cookies are thin, with warm chocolate chips slipped beneath the layer of cookie dough. It’s sweet but savory, as my step-mom incorporates a pinch of salt to keep a balance of sweet and salty flavors. When I take my first bite of the cookie on a chilly December evening, I am enchanted by the gooey chocolate that fills my mouth with sweetness and happiness.

My favorite time to eat the cookies is when I’m sitting in the living room, or “den’ as we call it, with my five sisters, dad and step-mom. It’s difficult to get all eight of us together in one room as my older sisters, Megan and Kelsey, both live in Las Vegas, and my twin sisters are both in college. When we’re all able to be together during family gatherings, like Christmas, it puts a smile on my face, especially when I see all of my favorite people gathering around the fireplace eating the cookies.

Our Boston Terrier, Nancy Jo, is always begging for a nibble of one of our cookies. Of course, one of us always sneaks a bite for her, which she appreciates as she gives us a kiss with her slobber.

The holidays are all about spending time with loved ones, and by seeing these cookies in my kitchen, and having my family all together fills me with delight. My sisters and I love baking our cookies together as we jam out to “Christmas Tree Farm” by Taylor Swift, mixing the cookie dough and chocolate chips together to make our favorite dessert of the year.

Ingredients

• 2 cup Nestle Toll House chocolate chips
• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup Crisco shortening
• A pinch of Salt
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl
3. Add the Crisco shortening, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a separate, large bowl until the mixture is creamy
4. Add the eggs to the large bowl and mix together
5. Combine the two mixtures in the larger bowl
6. Roll the resulting dough into small balls to form a cookie.
7. Put the cookie mixture on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Once the cookies have turned a light brown, take them out of the oven and cool for five minutes.
9. Enjoy!