In which Melanie makes cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are... well, they are the best! How many people do you know who don't like chocolate chip cookies? I've been making them since I was a little kid, I even remember the very first time I made them all by myself. I was reading the recipe out of one of my moms cookbooks and I had to go ask her what it meant to cream the butter and sugar. It sounded like some sort of professional technique and I was afraid if I guessed at how to do it, I would be wrong and the cookies would be ruined!

My main problem with most recipes is that they are either too dry or they end up flat when they come out of the oven. Back in highschool I decided I was going to come up with my own recipe because for some reason none of the ones I had found were quite right... this recipe was a long time in the making but I want to share it with you now! I warn you, there is something very addictive about these cookies.

Melanie Beth's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, melted*

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 (3.9 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix**

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 ( 11.5oz) bag chocolate chips (M&M's work great too!)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

- Combine salt, baking soda, instant vanilla pudding mix, and flour in separate bowl. Cream melted butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add egg, milk, and vanilla - beat until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

- Bake 8-10 min, until golden brown.***

* Melted butter helps dissolve the sugar a bit, so the texture is nice and smoothe.
**Just a note, only use instant pudding! I once accidentally used regular pudding that you cook on the stove... lets just say the results were less than desirable.

*** The trick to a nice soft gooey cookie, even after having been stored for a couple days, is to take it out of the oven as soon as it is barely cooked. The middle should still look soft and not quite solid.

I could just stop right here. No need to bake when you have perfectly good cookie dough!

I use a spoon and then round them into balls. I also like to stick the next sheet in the fridge or freezer while the first is in the oven - they seem to hold their shape better that way.

Fresh out of the oven, let them cool for a couple minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Cookie anyone?