Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Classic

I am on a quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’m serious; it is one of my life goals to master the art of baking chocolate chip cookies. I’m so dedicated to this goal, I even wrote my grad school admissions essay on this topic. I compared baking chocolate chip cookies to my pursuit of higher education. I thought for sure I’d get into my dream school: University of Vermont. For one, unless you’re from Vermont, who really wants to go there? And second, it’s my dream to live in a New England Fall.

That dream will have to wait. Turns out only 1 of the 6 schools I applied to values the chocolate chip cookie like I do and the University of Vermont is not one of them. Oh well, made my decision easy!

Anyway, back to the quest. I don’t know where this desire came from. To be honest, I never thought chocolate chip cookies were all that special. Growing up my mom never baked them. She never baked, period. A side note about my mother: I love her dearly and she has many wonderful attributes but baking/cooking/grilling/anything involving the making of food is not one of them. One time she baked a cake and forgot to add the oil so she opened the oven, pulled out the cake, mixed in the oil, and pushed the pan back into the oven. Another time she was baking chocolate chip cookies for her students and forgot the chocolate chips- the defining ingredient. Although, in her defense, my family actually loves chocolate chip cookies sans chocolate chips so they were still devoured!

(As a side note, tonight while baking these I did something my mom would do: I forgot to add baking soda and they turned out like pancakes so I had to start over! Guess I have no room to criticize her baking skills! )

For now, back to the cookies. My chocolate chip cookie quest began in high school when a close family friend gave me the tip to add a small box of vanilla pudding mix into the dry ingredients. (Thank you, Rachel!) Adding the vanilla pudding mix gives the cookies a slight chewiness and soft texture. I have seen some recipes call for cornstarch to achieve this as well. The pudding mix really makes for a delicious cookie! I also always add extra vanilla. Most cookie recipes I come across usually call for 1 teaspoon of vanilla but I always add two.

From then on I have tried and experimented with different cookie recipes and ingredients. Some I have loved (I’ll post those later) and some that made me sad (I won’t post those later), but I always come back to this original recipe. This recipe is the “Classic” chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is the go-to recipe when cookies are needed for family functions, office gatherings, sporting events, and even those late night cravings when you desperately need a cookie or you honestly think you might die. Come on, we have all been there. I promise I am not judging.

This recipe has been adapted from many sources including the back of a chocolate chip bag and a Nestle Toll House Cookbook. I hope you enjoy!

~Kelly 

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• 2 sticks of butter (softened at room temp)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 small package vanilla pudding mix
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips (however many you want!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix together butter and sugars. Add in eggs and vanilla.
3. Mix in baking soda, flour and pudding mix. Stir in chocolate chips. (I usually add about 3/4 the bag).
4. Bake in the oven for 8-11 min. The first batch usually takes about 10-11 min but the batches that follow take about 8-9 min.