Orange zest adds wonderful flavor to these chocolate chip cookies

It’s the weekend, in fact for some it’s a three day weekend – time to unwind and do things you love. For some that means getting outside to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather, go shopping or getting in the kitchen to make some fantastic food. If you plan your time wisely, you may be able to do all of those things and even more!

If you do plan on spending time in the kitchen, why not bake some chocolate chip cookies? While everyone probably has their favorite recipe for these all-time favorite treats, the following recipe is a personal favorite.

Since chocolate and orange pair so well together, try adding a little orange zest to the cookies. The combination of the darker chocolate, orange and pecans is heavenly.

Remember when zesting an orange, or any citrus for that matter, only remove the bright part of the peel. If you go too far, you'll reach the bitter pith.

You may notice that this recipe calls for butter flavored shortening instead of butter. While butter is delicious in cookies, it can cause them to spread into thin, unevenly baked wafers that are unappealing at best. One remedy for this is to chill the dough beforehand, but even doing this can result in thin, burned cookies.

Substituting shortening for the butter helps produce uniform cookies that are evenly baked and have nicely crisped edges. Using the butter flavored variety imparts that buttery, slightly salty flavor that make cookies so irresistible.

Find butter flavored shortening (like Crisco) at Reasor's on the baking aisle with the rest of the shortening and oil.

Jill’s Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter flavored shortening
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, sift together all of the flour, baking soda and salt.
3. In a mixer bowl, cream together the shortening and both sugars until light and fluffy; add vanilla and orange zest.
4. Add eggs one at a time. Beat on low speed just until all is well combined.
5. Stir in flour mixture until just incorporated.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.
7. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, drop cookies onto prepared cookie sheets.
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.
9. Cool in pans for a couple of minutes before moving to racks.

Makes about 3 ½ dozen cookies