The Simple Addition That Will Elevate Your Chocolate Chip Cookies

While not mentioned as often as apple pie, chocolate cookies might be in the running for the most American dessert. They're the ubiquitous go-to recipe for most folks tasked to bring a baked good to the pot luck or family gathering, and variations on the simple treat can be found across all 50 states (great road trip idea).

The original chocolate chip cookie was reportedly invented in the 1930s by Ruth Wakefield. The New York Times writes that it was originally known as the Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie. While the idea of baking whole chocolate chunks into a cookie might seem obvious today, it was an innovative step at the time for Wakefield. Some legends even recount that it wasn't Wakefield's intention, and that she originally hoped to melt the chocolate down to swirl through the batter. Regardless of what she intended, Wakefield pulled a legendary baked good out of that oven. The Sugar Association reports that it is still her recipe that is printed on every bag of Nestlé brand chocolate chips to this day. 

But while Wakefield's recipe might be the original, there is also another easy addition to help elevate the tried and true classic.

One simple addition for the soft cookie lovers out there is instant pudding mix. Crazy For Crust brags that adding instant pudding mix to its chocolate chip cookies gives them a lusciously soft, chewy texture. Using instant pudding also opens the doors to all sorts of other flavor experimentations. For example, adding a lemon flavored instant pudding can put a citrusy spin on the classic cookie with minimal added effort. 

I Heart Nap Time also raves about the pudding cookies, saying that they prefer using vanilla pudding for a classic flavor and recommending chocolate flavor for some indulgent variety. Both of these sites recommend adding a 3.4 ounce box of your choice of instant pudding mix to the batter to achieve these results and Crazy for Crust says this dough needs to be chilled for at least an hour before it can bake. 

While this might add a little time to your usual baking routine, the results will be well worth it.