Baking at high altitude does make a difference.
When we moved to Denver from St. Louis, I had no idea that my favorite cookie recipe wouldn’t work so great up here. Oh no! I was dismayed to pull out sheets of wafer thin crisps instead of chunks of cookie goodness. 😦 That’s when a little reading opened my eyes to the new world of baking at high altitude. Making the recommended adjustments to the amount of ingredients (a little less of this, a little more of that) wasn’t enough for me. I like my cookies a little loftier than the average bloke. So learning exactly what each ingredient does was important. This is why I love Alton Brown. He gets into the science of ingredients and how some react when combined with others. So if you live at an altitude higher than 5000 feet, this recipe will work for you. If you’re closer to sea level, I don’t know what to tell ya!
Preheat oven to 375° and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Ingredients
Whisk the following in a separate bowl:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (I’ve used the High Altitude flour but don’t see a huge enough difference to justify the cost)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
In large mixing bowl, cream the following together until light and almost fluffy:
1 cup butter-flavored shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Then add 3 eggs, one at a time (only 2 if using Jumbo).
Add dry ingredients gradually, mixing JUST until combined and moist. Do NOT over mix! You will kill it. Trust me!
Stir in about 12 ounces of chocolate chips (or morsels of your choice).
Drop by small (1 inch) ice cream scoop about 1.5 inches apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden at the bottom, outer edges. Let stand on cookie sheets about four minutes before removing to a wire rack.
Bonne Cuisine! 