Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy 2014 everyone!! Are you dorky like me and said "See you next year!" to every person you interacted with Tuesday? Or are you the person that hates the person that says that to everyone? :) Trust me, I know it's a bit obnoxious, but I own my dorkiness! I told you the other day we were spending New Years at my best friends house and of course I had to bring over some tasty treats! One of the things I brought were these Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies!

They went great with Champagne :) Now I pride myself on this recipe because it's something I played around with for a long time and altered everything here and there until I had the recipe I wanted.

I was able to use one of my new Christmas presents! The no-stick mat is amazing! I suggest everyone who likes to bake should get one!

And I got to use my new scoop! Can you believe I didn't have one until now? Honestly what baker doesn't have one?...I mean besides me. Well, I do now!

One of the biggest things I love about this recipe is I use melted butter. Whenever my chocolate chip cookie craving hits I want one NOW...not in an hour when the butter has softened. I know you can do it in the microwave, but my recipes never worked out when I did it that way. I'm not sure if it was just the butter or something else, I just know it's always seems to be a safe bet when I wait it out.

One of my secret ingredients to making these cookies super moist that needs to be slightly softened is half a block of cream cheese. I usually set the cream cheese still on the wrapper on top of the stove while it preheats, and measure out all my other ingredients. I also cut the cream cheese into sections to speed up the process (like I do with my butter pictured on this post). By the time that's all done it's softened enough.

 My other secret ingredient is...drum roll please...french vanilla pudding mix! It creates an amazing taste and an incredibly chewy cookie. Just mix it in with the other dry ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 Cups flour
1 box french vanilla pudding mix
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 Cup butter, melted
4 oz (1/2 block) cream cheese, softened
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup sugar
1 T vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 Cup milk chocolate chips
1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
Coarse Sea Salt for topping

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line your baking sheets with a mat or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt. In your mixer beat together the butter, cream cheese, sugars and vanilla until combined. Add in the egg until fully incorporated, then the yolk.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in chips with a wooden spoon. Drop tablespoon size balls onto the sheets and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Remove and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Allow to cool on the sheet a good amount of time before moving them to a wire rack. Pour a tall glass of milk and enjoy!


My resolution this year is to cut out fast food almost entirely from our lives. It's one of those things that always sounds good, but then I eat it and regret it. Since I don't eat it often, my stomach gets very upset with me. I know at times it will be hard, especially when we travel, but that will just help me start planning ahead more. Got any resolutions of your own? Love to hear them!

Thanks for stopping by!

**I linked up to made from pinterest, tatertots and jello, the country cook, shaken together life, serenity now, 504 main, shabby nest, the pin junkie, simple living eating, kitchen fun with my 3 sons, tidy mom, love bakes good cakes, a glimpse inside, the self sufficient homeacre, bloom designs online