a cause for celebration

Friends, tomorrow is a special day, for as I understand it, it's National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. If ever there was a food that deserved a day of recognition, it's the humble and long-loved chocolate chip cookie.

Classic chocolate chip cookies are just plain awesome, and there are as many recipes out there as there are ways to pronounce "Worcestershire sauce." Although you certainly don't have to add anything other than chocolate chips, it's fun to mix it up every now and then. Another flavor of morsel is good--I've used peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips in the past (though not all in the same batch)(note to self). Different nuts add different tastes and textures--walnuts are my go-to, but almonds and pecans are tasty too. Bacon is a recent and popular addition, and I could go on and on.

For this batch, I took advantage of my remaining macadamia nuts, chopped them up, and tossed them in. I added toasted coconut as well because the two seem to go hand in hand. The resulting cookies tasted unique--they were a little salty (a good thing, in my opinion), very crunchy, and extra flavorful. Macadamia nuts have a buttery richness to them that no other nuts seem to provide. Superb.

I have a Krusteaz package consisting of their Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookie mix and three coupons to give to one lucky commenter. Simply tell me your favorite thing to add to a batch of chocolate chip cookies and you'll be in the running. I'll randomly pick a winner in one week, on the 21st of May; good luck!

Island-Inspired Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Directions:
Beat together the butter and shortening, then cream in the sugars.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy; this will take a few minutes.
Carefully beat in the flour, soda, and salt until uniformly mixed, then fold in the morsels, nuts, and coconut gently with a spatula.
Chill dough for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Drop or scoop dough in 1-ounce portions (about 2 tablespoons) onto prepared pan, leaving a couple of inches between each ball.
Bake 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven, or until just brown around the bottom edges.
Cool for a moment on pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.