My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  It comes from my BFF roommate from college, Jacque.  She's given me other great recipes.  Like the Easy Pudding Dessert, or the Easy Chicken Tacos.  And I'm pretty sure Jacque was the one who opened my eyes to Easy Pumpkin Cookies.  These delicious, moist, light and fluffy chocolate chip cookies?  Not so easy.  Not that they are actually very hard, but it is a really big recipe.  So big, in fact, that the title is "Big Family Chocolate Chip Cookies" by Betty Bell.  That is a big title, that even has the word "big" in it!  I half it every time I make it (which takes some mad math skills and amazing egg splitting abilities).  However, they are also big in flavor, and totally worth the extra math effort (or not, if you are in need of a huge batch of cookies).  So bake up a ginormous batch today!!

Big Family Chocolate Chip Cookies
by: Jacque (via her mother, Betty)

7 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. shortening
1 3/4 c. white sugar
1 3/4 c. brown sugar 
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 Tbsp. water
5 eggs
1 bag chocolate chips 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, cream the shortening.  Add the sugars (I always reduce my sugar and it still tastes great and bakes up normally), water, vanilla and eggs and cream it until it is light and fluffy.  Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix it well.  Then add the flour and stir it to combine.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.