Italian Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies.....we all love them.  There is the traditional, soft and chewy loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Then there are loads of varieties.  We add anything we can think of to them, nuts, raisins, coconut, oats, candy.  They are all delicious.  But have you ever gone into an Italian bakery and bought one of those giant chocolate chip cookies that they serve?  They are really fantastic too, but there is something different about them.  Have your ever noticed?  It is a texture thing.  The texture is softer, maybe a bit flaky, almost melt in your mouth.  Well how do they make them that way?  Why are they a different texture?  I love the traditional chocolate chip cookie, but I love these too.  

It is cake flour!  That's right..cake flour., maybe even in some instances pastry flour.  It is the flour that makes all of the difference, oh and a little powdered sugar too.  I can just picture some Italian baker years ago running out of regular flour and then saying, "thatsa okay...I maka the cookies witha the cakea flour", and the result was the yummy cookies they now serve.  Sorry to all of my paisanos for that, but I could not resist..lol  Or maybe that is just how it was always done.  Maybe they just used the flour they had available to make their pastries.  How ever they came to be, I am not sure, but I do know you will love this recipe.  These cookies are soft, slightly chewy, and incredibly good.  They are easy to prepare and are not as gooey as the original chocolate chip cookies; so they can easily be made into large cookies.  This would be a great cookie for a bake sale too because it is a large, sturdy cookie that could be packaged individually, and they also have a pretty long shelf life.  Give them a try.  I know you will love them. 

Anyway, here is my recipe for Italian bakery style chocolate chip cookies.  I think they are fantastic. 

To get started, in the large bowl of your mixer, mix together on low 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 cup of confectioners sugar, 1 stick of butter (softened), and 1 cup of shortening until mixed well, about one minute.  Then mix on medium for another four minutes until the mixture is fluffy. 

 Next, add one beaten egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Mix well.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix together 3 1/4 cups of cake flour, 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. 

Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture on low until combined.

  Add one 12-ounce package of chocolate chips.  I think milk chocolate or mini chips work best in these because of the cookie's delicate flavor and texture, but use what ever chips you prefer. 

 Mix chocolate chips into the batter.  The batter will be very crumbly.  That is okay.

Take handfuls and shape them into golf-ball-size balls.  Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten them with you hands, and also round them out with your hands to give them a nice, circular shape.  They will grow a little while cooking in the oven, so be sure to give them plenty of space on the cookie sheet.  This makes an over sized cookie, but you can make them what ever size you prefer.  Just adjust the cooking time accordingly.  

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges become light golden brown.  These cookies stay fairly light-colored; so be sure not to over cook.  They will be slightly chewier with less cooking time, more crisp with more cooking time.  I think they were perfect with just slightly light golden brown edges.  Remove from oven and allow to sit on cookie sheet for a minute or two.  Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool.  

Italian Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies 

1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup of vegetable shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3 1/4 cups of cake flour
3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 12-ounce package of chocolate chips (preferably milk chocolate or mini chips) (You can also use M&M's.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugars, butter, and shortening on low until combined (about one minute).  Then mix on medium for another three minutes until fluffy.  Add one egg, beaten, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Mix well.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture.  Mix well.  Add chocolate chips until combined.  The mixture will be crumbly.

Take handfuls of cookie dough and shape into golf-ball-size balls.  Place on cookie sheet two inches apart, flatten, and form into circles.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until the bottom edges are lightly golden brown.  Remove from oven.  Allow to cool on cookie sheet for one minute.  Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool.