Chocolate Chip Cookies

If there's one thing I love, it's chocolate. Whether that be by brownie, by cookie, or by my spoon in a big jar of Nutella, it matters not. Just as long as I get my fix. WOMEN NEED CHOCOLATE TO LIVE. It's just an undeniable fact of life that we (and diets everywhere) must come to terms with.

Let me start out by saying that as far as cooking inspiration goes, Averie Cooks is my new favorite place to spend all my time on the Internet. So...all my time. Beautiful photos and amazing recipes are sure to get you hooked, too. Click the link and head on over.

The recipe I'm about to share with you came from her blog and let me tell you that these cookies are by far and away the BEST chocolate chippers I've ever put in my mouth. Nice and firm on the outside and oh so gooey, chocolaty and soft on the inside. Just how I like 'em.

As I'm sure you all know by now, I work in a jail of all places. Fun stuff. Anyway, when you work with a bunch of CO's all day, there's one thing you learn. They like to eat. A lot. And they like it when you bring them food of all kinds as often as possible. I usually hear one or more of the following phrases at least once during the course of my work day:

• "What's for dinner?" 
• "Can you go get me....to eat/drink?" 
• "What did you bring me to eat?"
• "Someone has to go get food or we'll starve!" 
• "I'm hungry." 
• "Who's got food?" 
• "Chinese again?!" 
• "Italian again?!" 

The list goes on. But I can tell you that these cookies were a definite hit. They love sweets. Well, they love anything, but sweets, definitely. And they love when they're cooked right. This recipe is fool-proof, so it's perfect for the beginning baker. Make these for anyone who you want to do anything you say for the rest of the day. They're a great bargaining tool. I heard a few comments about them that made me giggle:

• "This is a MAN sized cookie!" 
• "Thanks for the THC!" 
• "THC stands for Tasty Hot Cookies of course." 

Chocolate Chip Cookies-Averie Cooks

INGREDIENTS: 

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 

1/4 cup granulated sugar 

1 egg, large

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 3.5 ounce package of instant vanilla pudding (don't use sugar free or "cook and serve") 

1 tsp baking soda 

pinch salt (optional) 

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine butter, sugars, egg and vanilla in or with an electric mixer on high until creamed well, about four minutes (mine took less time than this).

2. Scrape sides of bowl and add flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt. Beat on low unit just combined, about 1 minute.

3. Scrape sides of bowl again and add chocolate chips, beat on low for about 30 seconds until just combined.

4. Using a large cookie/ice cream scoop/1/4 cup measure, make 14 equal sized dough mounds. Roll into balls, place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Place a few more chips on top of each dough mound. I ended up having 16 cookies, 8 for each sheet.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to five days. The dough must be chilled to achieve the right texture. If dough is warm, cookies will spread.

6. Preheat oven to 350F and spray cookie sheet with cooking spray or use a baking mat, such as a Silpat. Spread mounds 2 inches apart and bake for about 11 minutes, or until the edges are set and tops are set as well. It's okay if they look a little pale and under baked. The cookies will firm up as they cool and won't be hard and crunchy. After they are done baking, let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before serving them.

7. These cookies will keep at room temperature for up to one week when stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze them for up to six months!


That's all, folks. Delicious cookies, fabulous blog. Go check out Averie Cooks! Happy Baking!

♥︎♥︎♥︎