Instant Pudding Mix Makes These Chocolate Chip Cookies Irresistibly Soft and Chewy

Photo byCookies for Days

I love chocolate chip cookies, especially the moist, chewy kind that are slightly undercooked. I've tried a lot of different recipes in search of just the right cookie and this vintage version is one of the best.

While this recipe has all the standard ingredients--butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla--it's also got a not-so-secret add in: instant vanilla pudding mix. Adding a package to the batter makes these cookies fluffy and wonderfully moist. They will stay chewy and delicious for days.

Best of all, this is a straightforward recipe that takes only minutes to prepare and requires zero chilling time. You can have a fresh batch of cookies in about 20 minutes. Serve warm with a glass of milk or dip a cookie into your afternoon coffee.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If you plan on using parchment paper, line your baking sheets now.

2. Using a hand-held or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and two sugars. Add the instant pudding mix until blended, then add the eggs and vanilla.

3. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. With two spoons or a cookie scoop, arrange dough in 1.5-tablespoon balls about two inches apart on the baking sheets.

5. Bake for 8-12 minutes, until edges are firm and the centers are still soft. Do not overbake.

6. Let cookies sit a few minutes on the baking sheet then remove them to a cooling rack. Seal in an airtight container.

Notes

Remember not to follow the directions on the back of the pudding mix, just add the dry package to the batter.

This doesn't work with regular pudding mix. You have to use the instant kind.

I usually use Great Value instant pudding (98 cents at Wal-Mart) but any brand will work. Jell-O cookies will look a bit lighter than the GV cookies.

I make these without parchment paper on ungreased baking sheets. It's better not to grease them to avoid burning the bottoms of the cookies but parchment paper works fine too.

Err on the side of slightly undercooking these cookies. You can let them sit a few extra minutes on the cookie sheets if they need more time to firm up.