Need tips / new recipe for better chocolate chip cookies

This is the best recipe - soft and chewy: link

It uses instant pudding as the "secret" ingredient.

I always use the recipe on the bag also. I tend to microwave the butter until it gets softened up so that it mixes evenly.

I have noticed that depending on what brand of butter I use there is definitely a difference in taste/texture. Perhaps you should try another brand? (assuming you always buy the same one).

I just pinned a new chocolate chip cookie recipe I want to try - Salted chocolate chunk cookies

I have tried many, many different recipes over the years because chocolate chip cookies are DH's kryptonite and he loves them. I've never been a huge fan of the recipe on the Nestlé bag, they always come out really flat and I like my cookies to have a little more substance. This link was floating around Pinterest a while ago and I pinned it because it looked like a great reference. Hope it helps you find the cookie nirvana you're looking for!

Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies

I pinned this ultimate guide to baking chocolate chip cookies a while back. It's actually the first of four parts. She experimented with a bunch of different options and reported back. So take your pick.

My mom always used half butter and half margarine in hers, and that seemed to work well. I used to do that, too, but eventually it became the only reason I ever used margarine, and I got tired of keeping it in the freezer for the very occasional batch of cookies, so I switched to all butter.

I usually just use a recipe from an old magazine that's similar to the Toll House recipe, but calls for all brown sugar and adds a little cinnamon and ginger. That sounds odd, but they taste really good.

Also, I recently pinned a Pioneer Woman recipe that adds a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee powder. That might round out the favors really nicely.

I have cookies in the oven right now!  I use this recipe...Kami was a Pea but I don't know if she came over in the change.  

Kami's Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
walnuts
Melt butter in large bowl in microwave; let cool. Add brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients then chocolate chips and walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

I'm not where I can get to my recipes at the moment, but I use a recipe from the book The Clueless Baker by Evelyn Raab--I think it's called Better-Than-Average Chocolate Chip Cookies, lol! I bake these for every team party, parent party, staff room and food gift giving occasion, and have given out the recipe to dozens of people. Title aside, I did change some things--more flour and less chocolate chips than called for (because--who knew?!--too many chocolate chips aren't as good as a perfect balance between dough and chocolate!), and I always use margarine squares (our grocery's house brand usually) instead of butter. That being said, in all my visits to the US, I've never been able to find any good margarine--yours is yucky--it makes for long stays in Palm Springs when I can't have toast for breakfast ;P

I always use an old Pea recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It uses boxed pudding in the mix. They stay soft and yummy. I don't know why, but this recipe calls for room temp eggs and it really makes a big difference. I didn't add a tsp or salt to the recipe because I felt it needed the salt to balance it. This recipe makes a ton, so you can half it if you don't want too many.

!

Pudding Cookies
Sunday Baker

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 oz) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
4 cups add-ins (chocolate/butterscotch/peanut butter/white chocolate chips, candy bars, m&m's, nuts, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour and baking soda in seperate bowl and set aside; in a large bowl, cream butter, brown and white sugar. Beat in pudding mix until well blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. When smooth, slowly add in the flour mixture. This can take a little while, but make sure it's well incorporated into mix.

Finally, add the "fillers".

You can use a small melon ball scoop to make 1 " balls so the cookies are all uniform in size and bake evenly. When using candy like snickers, make sure you smooth the balls or the snickers part will ooze all over your pan.

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden.

Yield: 8 dozen

This is the recipe I use..soooo good!!

I always bring the eggs to room temperature for baking.

also, I chill my chocolate chip cookie dough. It keeps the cookies from spreading too much. The secret to keeping the family out is to store it in a covered bowl labeled "leftover liver and onions." LOL
@nicksmom

I agree with snugglebutter. Chilling helps, and I always double the amount of vanilla. I read somewhere (maybe an America's Test Kitchen article?) that doubling vanilla is 99.9% of the time an improvement, and I've done it ever since. In fact, I usually use the Adams Double Strength, and use about 1.5x what the recipe calls for, so I really use anywhere from 3-4x what most recipes call for. I find in a chocolate chip cookie it gives it a hint of butterscotch flavor or something, that really works well with the chocolate.

Before using Kami's recipe, I always made the recipe on the bag but swapped out all the sugar for brown sugar only and used shortening instead of butter.  I always add espresso powder OR malted milk powder to my chocolate chip cookies.

While I was looking for Kami's recipe, I came across her notes/tips.  The baking time is just a little different than what KelleeM / @bergdorblonde .  I saved this originally in 2007 as Two Peas Chocolate Chip Cookies, then in 2008 with Kami's notes in 2008.  Thought I'd repost her post about them. 


Here it is - my No-Fail, From Scratch, No Mixer Needed Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe – StinkyRose – 2 peas



These are super soft and STAY that way, easy and only require a few ingredients. I've made them for just about everyone I know and they have always been a hit.



Kami's Chocolate Chip Cookies



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips



1. Preheat oven to 350F.



2. Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl. Set aside.



3. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla until well blended. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.



4. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.



And a few tips for everyone:



I ALWAYS line my cookie sheet with parchment paper. I tear off 5-6 sheets of parchment paper (same size as the cookie sheet) and lay them all out on my kitchen table. Then I put the my cookies (drops of dough) on each paper so that I just have to slide the paper onto the sheet and pop it into the oven.



I bake the first one (on parchment paper ON the cookie sheet), take it out and immediately slide it off the sheet onto my kitchen table where it cools completely on the parchment paper. I immediately slide the next paper full of cookies onto the cookie sheet and into the oven. Then I keep repeating this process until all the cookies are finished baking.



This process saves SO much time for me! The dough is ready to go onto the cookie sheet as soon as one batch is out of the oven and my cookie sheet doesn't even touch a cookie. I think the parchment paper makes for a really nice cookie.



Also, this is a slightly crumbly dough, so don't think it needs more liquid. If you don't overmix them, the dough will just barely stick together and that's how it should be.



And last but not least, do not overbake them. Pull them out of the oven when they get to a nice golden brown, not the darker brown that most chocolate chip cookies are.