Over the summer I took a little break from making gravestone recipes, but I think it’s time to try another one. Fall is coming, so what better time to make chocolate chip cookies? They are always the best when they are still warm from the oven.

I came across this gravestone on reddit, posted by user ubercrabby. So, today on the blog, I want to try making Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Cookie Book gravestone of Jennifer P. Ferrante.

Ferrante’s red granite gravestone, found in a cemetery in upstate New York, is shaped like a book, with “Cookie Book” inscribed on the side. The recipe can be found on the back side of the stone.

Jennifer Peggy Allan Ferrante was only 54 when she passed away suddenly in August of 2019. According to her obituary, she was a consulting engineer for many years, traveled extensively, and loved spending time with her family and pets.¹ She was also an avid baker and was known for her chocolate chip cookies, which she often shared with her loved ones.¹

It seems fitting that they would honor her by inscribing her famous recipe on her gravestone for others to make and share.

Here is the recipe as inscribed on the gravestone:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

9 to 11 min 375’F

1) 2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2) 1 cup Crisco
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar

2) 1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Combine dry
Combine wet then add dry

Making the Recipe

Although this recipe is similar to the famous Nestlay Toulouse recipe, also known as Nestle Toll House, there are some small differences—most notably the substitution of Crisco for butter, and the omission of nuts.

It also looks like there might be a typo on the stone, as it has two step 2’s, BUT it might not be a mistake. Both step 2’s contain wet ingredients. Is it possible that it is direction on how to mix the ingredients?

That is the way I read the recipe when I tried it. I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl, and then in a second bowl, I mixed the ingredients from step 2. Then in the same bowl from step 2, I mixed the vanilla, eggs, and chocolate chips. I was a bit worried about the amount of chocolate chips, it seemed like a lot! When that was mixed well, I then combined the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, forming a nice cookie dough.

The ingredients consist of pantry staples so it was nice not having to make a special grocery trip to make this recipe. I was curious about the use of Crisco instead of butter. Crisco or shortening, is made from 100% hydrogenated vegetable oil and contains no water.² It has a higher melting point than butter, so it tends to produce more lift and holds its shape better.²

I try my best to stick to the recipes as written on the gravestone and only make substitutions when necessary—like when ingredients are not available. That being said, shortening has no flavor, so baked goods made with it do miss that buttery taste that only butter can produce. If I made this recipe again, I would make the switch and use butter.

Otherwise, following this recipe was incredibly easy and was a quick one to make. The trickiest part for me was spooning the cookie dough from the bowls to the parchment-lined cookie sheets. I had a bit of a hard time getting uniformed portions so after the first cookie sheet was full, I put a little oil on my hands, to prevent the dough from sticking, and rolled the rest of the dough into balls for the second cookie sheet.

In the end, both cookie sheets came out the same, with the cookies spreading out into each other. I should have given them more space and used one more cookie sheet.

My worries about the amount of chocolate chips were also unwarranted as they didn’t come out a melty chocolate mess. These cookies are incredibly decadent, and delicious!

This is a tasty cookie recipe and easy to make. I can see how this would quickly become a favorite. It’s also a simple recipe with room for modifications if desired. I would make this one again the next time I am craving a nice chocolate chip cookie.

Have you tried this recipe? Or do you have another gravestone recipe suggestion I should try? I would love to read about it, in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

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References:

1. Jennifer Peggy Allan Ferrante | Find a Grave
2. Butter vs. Shortening in Baking | Land O’Lakes