Food

The Tyler East Senior League All-Star team returned from the Little League World Series in Bangor, Maine, on Sunday. They were greeted at Golden Road Park by more than 200 excited friends and family and a table full of Bonnie Klaassen's now famous chocolate-chip cookies.

On Saturday, during the Little League World Series championship game, the announcers from ESPN talked about how important these cookies were to the team and how much the guys love these cookies.

When first baseman Jacob Wadle came up to bat, they told the story about how Jacob ate eight of these cookies in the dugout one day and earned the nickname "Big Cookie."

Mrs. Klaassen made the cookies for every game, and the team always looked forward to eating them.

Her son Canaan, an outfielder and pitcher for the team, first brought the cookies into the dugout for one of their games in Brenham.

"Jacob Wadle and Jacob Spitzer immediately went and grabbed some because they had eaten them before at school. The other guys weren't sure if they would be good, but after they tried them, they told me if I didn't bring the cookies to every game then I wouldn't get to play."

After that, Mrs. Klaassen made the cookies for every game, and the team kept winning.

"I don't know much about baseball, but the cookies were a way I could show love and support to my son and the team," she said.

The secret to these large, soft cookies is the mixture of margarine and butter-flavored Crisco.

"That combination keeps them soft. When you use butter, that is when chocolate chip cookies get crisp," she said.

Her son has been in Little League since he was 4 years old, and she has been making these cookies ever since.

"It's a family recipe, and it never fails. Everyone I have shared the recipe with has great success. Baking can be expensive, and I hate when a recipe doesn't turn out. This recipe is very faithful," Mrs. Klaassen said. "I encourage every mom to make these cookies for their son and maybe someday they will also play in the Little League World Series. ...You never know."

INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter-flavored Crisco
1 stick margarine
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 cups flour
1 bag semi-sweet large Ghirardelli chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, blend until creamy the Crisco, margarine, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Slowly add the flour and baking soda until fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes until light brown in color.
Note: If you make the cookies smaller, decrease the cooking time.
Recipe provided by Bonnie Klaassen

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