Yummy Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

The trick to a chocolate chip cookie that stays chewy three days into the cookie jar? A box of instant pudding mix folded into the dough. The pudding adds extra moisture and a deeper cocoa hum that plain chocolate chip recipes can’t touch.

This dough comes together fast in one bowl, no mixer drama required. Cream the margarine with both sugars and the dry pudding powder until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time so the batter stays smooth.

The flour gets folded in last to keep the cookies tender, never tough. A heavy hand with the chips is a must here, and if you’ve got pecans or walnuts on the counter, fold them in for crunch.

Scoop teaspoonfuls onto bare baking sheets and pull them when the edges are set but the centers still look underdone. They finish on the hot pan.

Pro Tips

• Use room-temperature eggs so they incorporate without seizing the margarine.
• Pull the cookies when centers look slightly raw. They firm up on the sheet and stay soft.
• Chill the dough 30 minutes if your kitchen runs warm to prevent flat, greasy cookies.
• Store in a sealed tin with a slice of bread to keep them pillowy for days.

Variations

• Swap chocolate pudding for vanilla or butterscotch pudding and pair with white chocolate chips.
• Use half butter, half margarine for richer flavor with the same soft texture.
• Roll the dough into balls and freeze raw, then bake from frozen for a fresh cookie any night.