Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

It never ceases to amaze me that when you search the internet for chocolate chip cookie recipes you will find over a million results.  No really, go google it.  Everyone I know is very very particular about how their cookies should be.  Puffy and soft, thin and chewy, crunchy on the outside, the list goes on for days.  Well these cookies are for anyone who likes the soft cookies, maybe even for those of you who mgiht like those soft chip-ahoys.  I won't judge you, I could eat a box of those no problem.  My friend Hayley sent me this recipe, and I think it's a keeper.  The addition of pudding in the cookie might seem strange, but it really helps keep the cookies soft and chewy. 

Soft and Chew Chocolate Chip Cookis
from Food.com

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
2 large eggs
12 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.  In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer beat together the butter, sugars, and pudding mix until smooth and creamy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla.  Add the flour mixture by 1/2 c. beating after each addition.  Use a wooden spoon to mix in the chocolate chips (if you use nuts this is where you'd mix those in as well).  Drop by teaspoon full onto a non-greased cookie sheet (I used a silpat), slightly flatten.  I found here that if you didn't flatten them with your hand/spatula that they didn't spread very much, however, that could be a result of that silpat.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

I always like to read the comments people make when you get recipes from websites like this and a lot of people mentioned that they used different flavors of pudding mix to get different flavors of cookies, try it out and see what you come up with!

-D