Not Your Average Chocolate Chip Cookie

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? No one I know! For years I used the tried and true Tollhouse Cookie recipe and it is, of course, great. However, about six years ago I stumbled across this recipe on Allrecipes.com. It was posted by Debbi Borsick. Debbi named these "Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies". I tend to stray away from recipes that use such hyperbole in the title, but the average 4.5 star rating (5000+ reviews as of this posting) made me give them a try. I haven't won any awards with them but I have gotten a lot of "these are the best chocolate cookies EVER"!

Everyone loves the soft texture and the intense vanilla from the pudding mix and the TONS of chocolate chips make them irresistible. Beware, this makes a lot of cookies. 4-6 dozen depending on the size of your cookies!!! You can just half the recipe if you don't need so many cookies. Somehow these never seem to go to waste at my house!

TIPS: Use REAL BUTTER. I refuse to use margarine or butter flavored shortening when I bake. YUCK! Fresh unsalted butter is the only way to go. Use a good quality vanilla. It makes all the difference in the world. I usually add a little extra vanilla to just about everything I bake...but that's just me.

Use a shiny cookie sheet with no sides when baking cookies. (Not the dark non-stick pans with the sides.) Use nice thick, cookie sheets. In fact, double up the cookie sheets. Rotate the cookie sheets in the oven half way through baking. This is a tip I picked up from reading Marcy Goldman's Passion for Baking. You will not believe how much better your cookies will rise and brown evenly. Invest in some good cookie sheets. You will be pleased with the results.

Use a cookie scoop for chocolate chip cookies (or any drop cookie). This will keep them uniform in size. Don't press the cookie dough down on the sheet.

Never. I repeat...NEVER put your cookies on a hot cookie pan. Your cookies will spread out too fast and you may end up with thin, burnt cookies. If you are short on cookie sheets, just run the warm cookie sheet under cool water before putting the next batch on to bake.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

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

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

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. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.