Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

The weather this weekend was perfect. Sunny, but not too hot. Saturday, I attended the Bruins Parade, but Sunday, I got in some time at the beach. My friends and I went to Singing Beach, in Manchester-by-the-Sea, about 45 minutes north of Boston. It was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better! Since I am the baker, I decided some chocolate chip cookies were in order for our trip. I found this recipe a while ago, and it has become my standard go-to chocolate chip recipe. The key ingredient to these cookies are the vanilla pudding packs. The pudding mix keeps these cookies soft forever, not that they usually last that long!


Award Winning 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
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. 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 un-greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Recipe Link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/award-winning-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies/detail.aspx