I know this is going to sound like a total cliche so I might as well just come out and say it, my mom has always made the BEST chocolate chip cookies. Yes, I am fully aware that everyone says that and I know that about 90% of the time those claims are far from true. But according to me, everyone from my hometown that bought the Girl Guide cookbook about 12 years ago and everyone that has had the privilege of tasting them, they are the best. 

So when I got into my first serious relationship about 5 years back and wanted to bake him some cookies as a treat, I decided to scour the internet to try to see if I could find an even better recipe (in classic teenage fashion). After baking about 5 different batches based on recipes that were all claiming to be the best and most tasting so bad we couldn't even stand to eat them all, I remember asking my mother "what is it that makes your cookies so good?" and she simply said it was her secret ingredient. One stubborn teenager coming to her senses and a batch of cookies later, I found the perfect cookies to give to my boyfriend (who probably dumped me a couple weeks later anyway). I've been using and hoarding her recipe on several different platforms, as to never lose it, ever since. I thought it was about time I shared it.

The recipe goes as follows:

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 cup Butter

1/4 cup Sugar or Splenda

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

1 pkg. Chocolate Chips (Any Kind)

And the secret ingredient...

1 pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix

Pre-heat the oven to 350° F (or 175° C). In a small mixing bowl, sift flour and baking soda together then set aside. Combine butter, sugars, vanilla extract and the pudding mix in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs (an electric mixer works best). Gradually add in flour mix to the large mixing bowl until all is well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into teaspoon sized balls, flatten them slightly and place them approximately 1 inch apart on a lightly greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Makes 24 (or 2 dozen) cookies.

There must be something about the pudding mix that sets these apart but all I can say is that my family absolutely loves them. They're the best we've ever tried and this is a recipe I will be using for years to come. Now if I can only find a way to make them last for more than a couple of days in this house.