Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza

It’s Sunday Morning and I have gotten up to sit comfortably in front of a crackling fire in the fire place with a hot cup of Cinnamon Dolce` to write. The house is quiet “all the whos still asnooze” as was said.

Yesterday was my daughters 16th birthday and we seem to always end up going to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel for their yearly Christmas extravaganza and this year we’d hoped was no different. Her boyfriend joined us and we all sat down to a lovely home cooked dinner with cookie pizza for desert, loaded up in the family car and headed to Opryland. Our excitement and joy was soon turned to horror and despair when the traffic cam to a stand-still over a mile from our destination. It seemed everyone else in Nashville has decided to head to Opryland as well. We thought we’d try a sneak attack and come in from the other side but, when we drove past and seen the parking situation we decided to reschedule for weeknight. We drove around looking at the beautiful Christmas lights of Nashville, returned home and had a warn cozy bonfire in our back yard fire pit with Laughter and reminiscing.

I wanted to share with you the huge chocolate chip cookie pizza I baked for my daughters Birthday. She requested cream cheese icing on top of this cookie so of course, I did just that. The recipe is an old one I use to make for my oldest son when he was a child. It has been my tried and true “go to” chocolate chip cookie recipe for over 20 years now because of its versatility. It can be baked up moist and chewy or with just a few extra minutes in the oven crisp and ready to be dunked in a cold glass of milk, just the way a cookie should be. I used my Grandmother’s pizza pan which is over 50 years old. It came to my kitchen via my mother and it’s well seasoned charm will be passed on to another generation some day. This recipe is not of my own doing but one I found on a Butter Flavored Crisco container as a young Mother. But worthy of sharing non the less.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

3/4 cup Butter Flavored Crisco

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp pure Mexican vanilla extract – (my secret ingredient)

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour – King Arthur is what I use

1 teas. salt

3/4 teas. baking soda

1-2 cups of chocolate chips

-or-

1 cup of chocolate chips

1 cup of chips or nuts of your choice

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare cookie sheet do not grease, you can however use a silicone mat.

In mixer on medium speed cream together crisco, brown sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add egg and bled well.

In a separate bowl blend all purpose flour, salt and baking soda. turn mixer to lowest speed, add flour mixture to your creamed mixture blend just until it is weak incorporated. Add your ships and nuts if desired and mix slowly just until well blended. I suggest this be done by hand to prevent crushing the chips and nuts.

Drop cookie dough but the round tablespoon full 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.

to make the cookie pizza, pour dough onto pizza pan and spread evenly, this is very important as not to let the edges get too crisp and brown before the center cooks well.

Bake for 11 to 13 for crisp cookies, 8 to 10 for chewy cookies and 15 minutes for the pizza.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.