i am nothing if not a cookie baker, jumbo maker

Circa 1997, I (or maybe my mom) saw a recipe for Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies in Country Woman magazine that looked fantastic (anything with shortening AND butter has to be good) so I tried it. It was an instant hit and has become a staple for any family gathering (of 1 person or more). And, due to my vast experience, (friday nights in high school were marked by making jumbos and a viewing of Clueless or its equals-Tommy Boy, 10 Things I Hate About You, etc.) I've kind of become the master jumbo maker. Over the years, others in my family have really advanced and are equally if not doubly capable of the feat. But jumbos are just kind of my thing. I never have to wonder what my role is when we're together on a Sunday night warming up the deck of cards or settling in for an old Doris Day movie or having a baby blessing BBQ or whatever. My role is always to make the jumbos. It's what I do.
Hence my concern and devastation, yea, loss of self, when my last three attempts at these lovelies ended in disaster. They were disgusting. Like, they didn't taste or look good. This just doesn't happen to me. I'm good at making cookies. Three weeks ago I was creating Martha-worthy gems from a brand new recipe in Wyoming. And now? Now I can't squeak out anything worth consuming with the recipe I've had memorized for 10 years?? Maybe it's my oven? Maybe it's because I don't have a mixer? Maybe my baking soda's been open too long? I tried a different recipe, failures. I bought fancy pants ghirardelli milk chocolate chips, failure. I adjusted the temperature and racks of the oven, failure. I don't know if this is some cosmic attempt to force me into a deeper, truer sense of self or what. But I hate it. The dough is still good but the texture's a little off. I've brought them to work 2 times. The first time I left them orphaned in the kitchen and didn't respond to the inquiry about their mother. The 2nd time they just sat in my desk drawer for a few days before I took them back home and left them on the counter to harden. I'm at a loss. A complete loss.