Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome to my first cookie blog posting!  As many of you know, cookies are my favorite thing to bake.  I think it is the instant gratification aspect as well as the easiness factor.  Kate tells me that I am a lazy baker; I tend to not care if everything is measured exactly and scoff at the idea of sifting flour.  But I think my cookies still turn out just fine.  

I love baking cookies, but recently I have misplaced recipes and can't remember which ones I have tried.  I have my token "Laura" recipes that I make over and over, but I wanted a place where I could remind myself which recipes I loved, and which ones I hated.  Thus the cookie baker blog was born.  This blog is as much for me as it is for you.  Please send me any cookie recipes you have been wanting to try or any recipes you love that I can add to the blog.  I want this to be used as your cookie recipe box!

When trying to decide which cookie to start with, I realized it was obvious... Mint Chocolate Chip.  This is Adam's favorite cookie and I probably make it every other week so that we not only have cookies in the cookie jar, but also a bag in the freezer for study breaks.  This was a recipe passed down from my mom, not sure where she got it, but it is one of my favorites!  Mainly because of the secret ingredient...

Chocolate Pudding!!!!  The pudding makes the cookies extremely soft.  Interestingly enough I have tried vanilla pudding in regular chocolate chip cookies but was not as impressed.  This may be something I will have to experiment with for other recipes, but for now, this recipe is perfect! FYI: Make sure that you use instant pudding, I have accidentally used regular pudding and the cookies were pancakes. 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Makes 3.5 dozen cookies (depending on how much dough you eat!)

2 sticks butter

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 small box instant pudding 

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp mint extract (peppermint works as well)

12 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take 2 sticks butter- I tend to soften mine in the microwave because it makes the cookies chewier (just make sure that the butter doesn't get into liquid form because if it is too hot it will cook the eggs).  Add the sugar, brown sugar and pudding into the butter and mix.  Once incorporated add the vanilla and eggs, beating between each ingredient.  

In another bowl mix the flour and baking soda.   

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture until everything is incorporated.  Lastly add the mint extract and mix again.  Then stir in the chocolate chips and your dough is ready.

Make the dough into small balls and bake for 8-10 minutes.  I tend to bake my cookies for the least amount of time because I would rather them be under done than over done.  When they are ready you will notice that the cookies are getting a little darker around the edges.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

They can be eaten warm, room temperature or frozen, any way it's a yummy cookie!