Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Growing up, we only ever had one kind of chocolate chip cookie. Not the hard, crunchy kind...not for us! My mom made the softest, most delicious chocolate chip cookies in existence. Although this is my favorite cookie in the world, I have to admit that I don't make it too often, and that's because of the boxed pudding mix in it. Have you read the ingredients in boxed pudding? Well, I'll save that for another post. The thing is, the pudding is the key. I have yet to find another recipe that produces the same texture and flavor as this.

My mom was a wonderful cook. But as I look back through her recipes, most of them are a list of ingredients with some very vague instructions. I guess that's how she learned to cook - by doing, not following instructions step by step. Luckily, I've made these with  her plenty of times throughout my childhood to know exactly what to do!

 

Start with your basic cookie ingredients - flour, butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, chocolate chips, and a very cute 4-year-old helper.

Start by creaming the butter with the white and brown sugars.

Then, get your helper to measure the vanilla and add it to the bowl.

Add eggs and mix well using an electric mixer. I'm very fortunate that my awesome friend Karen has a bunch of chickens and gives me fresh eggs. If you've never had fresh home-grown eggs, you are missing out! The taste is unbelievable.

Add flour, pudding mix, and baking powder, and mix well. I usually do this part by hand, it seems to go faster and easier than using the mixer.

Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Totally unnecessary close up of the finished dough. Isn't it delicious, though?

That's it! Spoon onto a cookie sheet and bake about 8 minutes at 375. Keep a close eye on these, they go from raw to baked to burnt very quickly!

Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 C flour
1 C butter, softened
1/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
12 oz semisweet or milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Start by  creaming together butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, and baking powder. Add to butter mixture and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until edges start to turn brown. Keep a close watch on these, they go from raw to baked to burnt very quickly.