Mom's Recipes: Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my Mom's recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It makes the most perfect chocolate chip cookies in the world. I do not like crispy or crunchy chocolate chip cookies. These are moist and soft and just delicious. It is based off of a recipe that used to be on the back of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding, but she has changed ingredient quantities and perfected it. I tried the original recipe once, the cookies didn't hold a candle to these ones. I've never met anyone who didn't love these cookies. She makes them for church functions almost every month, they are always gone, and people are constantly asking for the recipe. I love them so much, I had her make them as the favors for my wedding and I put them down in little gift boxes and tied them with ribbon. I prefer them without walnuts, but most people love the addition of walnuts, so I included them in the recipe. My Mom only makes one pan without walnuts, for my sister and I to share, the rest get the nuts. Excuse the terrible iPhone pictures. I didn't have my camera with me and I knew there wouldn't be any leftover for me to take home and photograph.

Ingredients

3-½ cups Flour

1-½ teaspoon Baking Soda

1-½ cup Butter

1 cup Light Brown Sugar

1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix, 3.5 Oz

½ cups Sugar

1-½ teaspoon Vanilla

3 whole Eggs

3 cups Chocolate Chips

2 cups Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix flour and baking soda together set aside.
Mix butter, brown sugar, pudding, sugar, vanilla and eggs until smooth.
Slowly add flour mixture until well blended.
Add chocolate chips and walnuts.
Spoon dough into cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes (cookies will be soft). Cool on wire rack.

Very important: the cookies will not look browned, you don't want them to. We found that baking for 10 minutes, checking, and then baking for 1 more minute makes them turn out perfectly. When I set a timer for 11 minutes, they were too done. Weird, I know.

 Make these for your family today. They would also be perfect for a Christmas party (or ANY party). My Mom has actually made the dough, put it in a container, and taken it to people around Christmas time, so they can bake cookies at their leisure.