Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

This recipe has become my go to cookie recipe.  Who doesn't like good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies?  They are so comforting and easy to make!

The special ingredient, vanilla pudding mix, keeps the cookies soft and tasting fresh for days.  All the other ingredients are what you would expect; butter, flour, eggs, baking soda, sugar, vanilla and chocolate chips.

The cookie dough comes together really quickly.  I cream the butter and sugar in my standing mixer, add the pudding mix, then eggs and vanilla.  Then hand mix in the flour and chocolate chips.

Using an ice cream scoop, I scoop out equal mounds of dough.  (When these pictures were taken, I wasn't baking in my kitchen, so I improvised with a measuring cup)  I like to use an ice cream scoop or measuring cup as it makes sure all the cookies are an equal size and bake evenly as well.




 I baked them on a parchment sheet for about 8 minutes.  I like to slightly under bake the cookies, so that they have a nice soft chewy center.  I take them out of the oven just before the center looks fully done and leave them on the baking sheet to cool.  They will continue to cook for a bit from the heat of the baking sheet.  I was baking in a convection toaster oven, so it may take longer in a full size oven.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes

Yield: 6 dozen

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.