Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

It's freezing cold here today (my car told me it was -22 this morning), so I expect all you local readers will be staying inside if at all possible! And what better activity to do with the kids (or the husbands!) on a cold day than to make cookies? 

I've been making these cookies for years, and they never lose their appeal. They're soft and chewy and have the slight, unexpected flavor of cinnamon. Mr. Kim Chee asks for these cookies more than any others. I'm a big fan of the Toll House recipe, but sometimes I crave something a little different--and these are it!

Here's what you'll need to start things off. Cinnamon and vanilla pudding are the secret ingredients!

Toss some softened butter and shortening in a bowl.

Add some white and brown sugar to the bowl.

I wonder how many pictures of butter and sugar I've taken so far?

Give the butter and sugar a brief beating, and then add the vanilla pudding.

A little vanilla extract can't hurt, either.

Now mix! Mix like your life depended on it!

Okay. Don't get too wild. You've got to take a break to add some eggs.

Add the dry ingredients in two batches. Flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda help your cookies come together. Give things a little mix.

Add the second batch of dry ingredients.

Scrape your beater. It's no longer needed. Let someone lick it if you're not squeamish about the raw-egg thing.

Add a whole bag of chocolate chips. Use your arm muscles to stir them in (this is a thick dough!)

I like to use a little ice cream scoop to divvy up the dough, but regular kitchen spoons would work fine too.

Drop them onto a greased cookie sheet.

You'll have to smoosh your cookies down. The dough is very dense, and these cookies don't spread at all, and if you don't smoosh them, you'll have two-inch-tall cookies.

Here's where the recipe goes against the grain of every other cookie recipe ever. Instead of telling you to not crowd your cookies, I'm going to tell you to crowd them. Fit as many cookies as you can on the pan. You want to underbake them a little, and since they don't spread, baking them this close together helps them from getting too dark.







Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes in a 350F oven, and soon you'll have dozens of delicious, soft cookies. Want to switch things up a little? Try different kinds of puddings. Caramel pudding with butterscotch and chocolate chips is amazing. Give things a darker twist by using chocolate pudding. Try them with peanut butter or white chocolate chips! Wait until fall and track down some pumpkin pie pudding, and try them with toffee chips! Whatever you do, make sure you've got lots of milk handy. You're going to need it!

 

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

8 tbsp. (1/2 c.) butter, softened

8 tbsp (1/2 c.) shortening, softened

1/4 c. white sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 small package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 package semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugars.

Add pudding mix and vanilla; mix well.

Add eggs; mix well

Add 1 c. of the flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Stir until just combined.

Add remaining 1 1/4 c. flour and remaining baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until just combined.

Use a spoon to stir in chocolate chips.

Drop cookies onto a lightly greased sheet very close together. Use the back of a spoon to smoosh down your cookies.

Bake for 7-8 minutes until cookies are set but not darkly colored. Let cool slightly before moving to a cooling rack. Enjoy with a glass of milk or steaming cup of cocoa or coffee!