I LOVE Baking: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking is the one thing I love to do in any mood. If I'm sad, I bake and it cheers me up. If I'm happy, I bake and dance around the kitchen. I like to bake things to give away as gifts and like having baked goods as my go to item for gatherings with friends or family. I just love to bake!

So yesterday, as a snow storm was brewing and it was cold outside and I was feeling a little down in the dumps, I decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies. Not just any chocolate chip cookie but the softest chocolate chip cookie ever. I got this recipe from a friend in grade school. Her mother made these for birthday parties or if we just went up to her house to hang out and they were the best!

The secret ingredient...that makes them so tasty and possibly so soft (though I'm not really a science kind of gal, so I don't know the science behind achieving a soft cookie) is a package of vanilla pudding!

I tried to do a step by step photographs of the baking process but I have a problem with prolonging the baking process to clean off my hands and take another photo, so photos are few and far between.

The ingredients:

you can see here we have the main ingredients flanked by my mom's giant containers of flour and sugar. Eggs are missing from this photo...they kept rolling away.

I then mixed and mixed and mixed...the dough is really stiff.

The recipe calls for an entire 12 oz bag of chocolate chips...let me say now...half is plenty. You can see there's an overload of chocolate chips in the photo. I was pouring away and then i realize there are way too many chocolate chips in relation to batter, so i had to go through with a spoon and pick some out. However, if you would prefer more chocolate chips go for the whole thing. :)

The baking process...peeking in on the little fellas.

And the part I dislike of baking...having to wash the dishes. Though I must admit I'm thankful to have a dishwasher again after being without one in DC.

Softest chocolate chip cookies ever:
2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda

mix together in a bowl and set aside.

cream 1 cup of softened butter
1/4 cup of white sugar
3/4 cup of brown sugar, packed
4 serving package of instant vanilla pudding
1 tsp of vanilla
2 eggs

gradually add flour mixture. Batter will be stiff...i told you so
Then add 12 oz bag of chocolate chips...but really add 1/2 to 3/4 of the bag...you'll thank me later.

Add 1 cup of chopped nuts if you're digging it.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk. :)