Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie

Frankie asked for a giant chocolate chip cookie for his birthday party with his friends.  It would be so easy to just run to the mall and order one, except for the fact that he has some nut allergies.  So, to be safe, I decided to make it myself.

Who am I kidding?  I LOVE to bake, so I probably would have made it myself anyway.

I searched for recipes online and read lots of tips and tricks and did a test cookie myself so this recipe is a mash-up of all the things I read and came up with myself.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie - recipe adapted from Nestle Toll House Original Recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (This is lower than the original Nestle recipe!!!)
2) Grease a 14 inch deep dish pizza pan with shortening, bottom and sides
3) Combine the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
4) Beat sugars, butter, shortening in large mixing bowl until creamy.
5) Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
6) Add half the flour mixture and beat well.  Repeat with other half.
7) Add in chips and mix until blended.
8) Scrape all dough into middle of pizza pan.  Start spreading toward the edge with a rubber spatula.  DO NOT SPREAD ALL THE WAY TO EDGE.  Leave about 1 to 1 1/2 inches between dough and sides.  Also, make sure the dough is thicker around the edge than in the middle.  Doing both of these things will help make the cookie come out more even instead of higher on the edges (and crispier on the edges).  The photo below tries to show you what I mean

9) Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack.  Let cool for about 15 minutes then using a stiff but flexible spatula, run it around the edge of the pan carefully to loosen the cookie from the sides.  See photo below.  Don't use a knife because you could scratch your pan!!  Wait another 5-10 minutes and repeat.  Keep doing this every so often, and eventually you will feel that the cookie is loose in the pan. Trust me, you'll know when it is. Wait until it is completely cool before trying to remove it from the pan.

 

To remove from pan: Be sure it is not sticking to any side or bottom of pan.  Place a large cookie sheet on top of the pan, using two hands and working quickly, flip both over at the same time so the cookie sheet is on the bottom and the pan is on top.  Slowly start to lift pan.  It should lift off easily.
Repeat the process using a 2nd large cookie sheet to invert cookie right side up.

Decorate as desired.  I used Decorator Icing for this one.  I actually only made 1/4 recipe of icing and it was enough for what I needed.

Some questions you may have:

Why do you use shortening and butter, instead of all butter like the Nestle recipe?  I use a mix because all butter will result in a crisper cookie, and I want a little bit softer texture for this, but I want the butter taste.

Can I use non-stick cooking spray in the pan instead of shortening?  Well, you can try it and it make work fine.  I, however, don't know, because I used shortening.  :)

Why did you reduce the temperature to 350 degrees instead of using the original 375 degrees?  Lowering the temperature helps to not overcook it.  It will keep baking in the pan for a little bit after you pull it out. 

Hope all that helps!  Let me know if you have any other questions!!