Last weekend the Sweet Precision kitchen had two special visitors from Minnesota! My mom and dad took the Amtrak train all the way to Ann Arbor and we had a lovely and relaxing weekend together. Since I love to bake, company is the perfect excuse to get out my mixing bowls and fire up the oven. Especially since I had two ready and willing helpers! My mom was my sous-chef in the kitchen and my dad was our taste tester and photography assistant. They both took their jobs very seriously.
Deciding what to bake was easily the hardest part of our baking adventure. I ended up landing on a timeless baking classic—chocolate chip cookies—because, well… who doesn't love cookies?! The recipe that I'm sharing today had over 8,000 reviews on All Recipes and received 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you're a fan of chewy chocolate chip cookies you'll love this recipe. It has a special ingredient—pudding—which I think makes a subtle yet wonderful difference in the texture and taste of the cookie. The original recipe comes from Debbi Borsick.
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes approximately 36 cookies
Ingredients
2-¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 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 and nuts.
Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.
Heather's Helpful Hints
Chocolate chip cookies freeze best if you portion out the dough beforehand. Shape the cookie dough into balls as you would if you were preparing to bake them. Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours. Once frozen, the little balls of dough get sealed up inside a plastic freezer bag. When you're ready to bake them, just grab a couple out of the freezer and pop them in the oven!
Sherri
Oh Heather, I can hardly stand it, I'm so hungry as dinner cooks, and then I see these! With pudding in the recipe? They sound amazing. I've never heard of such a 'secret recipe' for cookies! And what a wonderful weekend, a train trip and a visit with your parents. What could be better :-)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you Sherri! It's so good to see you perusing the blog world again. I hope that things are going well for you and you mom?! Speaking of secret ingredients, I'm trying a brownie recipe this evening that black beans in it, if you can believe! I plan on keeping the surprise from Matt and then gauging his reaction to how they taste :)
Sherri
Hi Heather! So sorry to take this long to respond to your reply...blogging is definitely on the back seat at the moment! My mum is doing well thank you so much for asking. Her goal is to start driving again in the not too distant future hopefully, but she still gets very tired, which is understandable. I'm enjoying the workshop, but a day in London once a week means I spend the rest of the week catching up! But I am working hard on my memoir at least! Oooh...black beans in brownies? I will have to read all about that and Matt's reaction, sounds intriguing! I hope life is treating you well my friend, see you very soon! :-) <3
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Oh Sherri, I completely understand! The blogging world is always here to come back to once life settles down! That's one of the things that I enjoy whenever I'm having a busy period in life. I'm so happy to hear that your mom's recovery is going well. Driving soon?! That's quite a big step, how wonderful :) There's a lot of independence that comes with driving so I'm sure that is a big step for both you and her! A trip away each week definitely is a big time commitment but I'm glad that it's helping your memoir come along! Sending you positive thoughts and support during this busy time. Hope you have a lovely weekend! :) <3
Sherri
Ahh...thank you so much Heather! I hope you too have a wonderful weekend, celebrating Mother's Day with your lovely Mom :-) <3
CakePants
I wouldn't have thought to use pudding mix in chocolate chip cookies, but I'm glad someone did, because these look fantastic - so soft and chewy! Sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon :)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you! I don't often make recipes with a "secret ingredient" so it was kinda fun! Hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy this AH-mazing weather that we are having!
apuginthekitchen
I was reading your recipe and it reads just like the one I use unitl I got to vanilla pudding (and the sugar) mix and I had to do a double take. WOW, that sounds like it would be so good and your cookies really do look perfect. I made chocolate chip cookies tonight, they are so good.
Heather @ Sweet Precision
My reaction was exactly the same when I read the recipe Suzanne! It was so unique I had to give it a try! Chocolate chip cookies are one of those timeless comfort foods that I never tire of eating. That and apple pie :)
Francesca
Isn't it great??? When your parents are visiting? ????
These cookies are gorgeous and looks divine.
The pudding addition is very interesting.
My question for you: is the brown sugar really necessary? Can't I just use white sugar?
Heather @ Sweet Precision
I was somewhat skeptical of the pudding at first, but somehow it really does work in this recipe! Some people even talked about using different flavors. As for the sugar, I don't see a reason why you couldn't substitute white for brown! I didn't really play around with the recipe since it was purported to make "the world's best" chocolate chip cookies ;) I always maintain that there's room for experimentation in baking!
Mom
Oh they look as delicious as they tasted. I love chewy cookies and these were indeed nice and chewy. It was a fun visit and we loved time in the kitchen with you. Thank you, Heather, for a lovely long weekend.
Heather @ Sweet Precision
It was a wonderful weekend of (at home) adventures! And the best part is that I have a freezer full of cookies now : )
Mom
Your idea of freezing dough and cooking only 2 or 3 at a time is such a great Idea. It has worked for dad and I.....they are so fresh and there are not a dozen or two baked cookies tempting us!!
Just Add Attitude
I am just imagining biting into one of those - I suspect they are divine. Chocolate and chew sounds like an excellent combination. I hope you had a lovely time with your parents. ;)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Thank you B! Even as an adult it's wonderful having a visit from my parents. It was fun because we were able to relax around the house and do some baking ☺️
Jess
Yummy yum yum, Heather! I've tried that recipe and it is a WINNER. So are your cookies; I'm sure your parents gobbled them up
(how about this snow today, tho? Pure Michigan smh)
;-)
Heather @ Sweet Precision
Oh my gosh, the snow is RIDICULOUS! I heard there is more to come today and we might even get some accumulation?! Sounds like the perfect weather for baking to me ????
Antonia
It sounds like a wonderful visit Heather! Dad's are the best taste testers, aren't they? The cookies look just perfect and so delicious. It is always great to have a tried and true cookie recipe, especially a chewy one :-) Thanks for sharing!
Heather @ Sweet Precision
I agree Antonia! I've made quite a few recipes over the years (because who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies) but hadn't really settled on one that I loved. I think this might be a winner :)