Chocolate Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies have been a family favorite for a few years now. I found the original recipe on Allrecipes, but have since changed them so much, that they don't match the original!

You can use any flavor pudding for these cookies. The original recipe called for vanilla- making regular chocolate chip cookies- but I was not impressed. The chocolate is MUCH better!

The cookies are thick and soft. One oddity; they are better the day after they are baked. So, plan ahead! It is fun to experiment with these, adding peppermint, coconut, nuts, etc.

Cookie dough with Peppermint pieces.

Chocolate Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes roughly 8 dozen cookies!

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas. salt
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 small packages of INSTANT chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 teas vanilla
3-4 cups of your favorite chocolate chips
**Optional toppings or mix-in's: Peppermint chips, Mint, Coconut, Nuts! Press into the top of dough, right before baking.

Preheat oven to 350, or a convection oven to 325.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a very 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. (Dough will be very thick! I mix by hand... or my husband's hand...)

Finally, stir in chocolate chips. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. (I use a flexible scoop from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Makes great thick cookies!)

Bake for 10-12 minutes. If you are using a convection oven, bake for 10 minutes.

Leave cookies on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, and then transfer to cool on wire rack.

EAT! (Make sure you have milk!)