Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies!

Well, hopefully some of you will read this! After my enormous absence I can't blame any of you for not reading again, but I thought this recipe would be great to start up again because:

1. It is super easy!
2. These cookies are darn tasty and moist!

So everyone knows how to make chocolate chip cookies, right? I just discovered a little trick to make them even better! The original recipe is here, but they use vanilla pudding. I said, why the heck not chocolate?!?  So the difference is that I substituted chocolate pudding for the vanilla pudding. No brainer, right? AND think of all the possibilities! These are amazingly moist, especially if you use half shortening and half butter like I do, instead of the entire 2 c. of butter. Just saying. They also puff up and stay fluffier.

So, try these puppies out! You know you want to. :)

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3.4 oz. package chocolate instant pudding mix (or whichever flava you want!)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
2. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.