Soft Chocolate Chip With Walnut Cookies

Hello everyone!

It's that special time of year again... baking season in its prime! And I have to admit: there's nothing better than a plate of warm, freshly baked, golden cookies on a cold winter morning. Of course, the traditional chocolate chip cookie is tasty as it is, but then I thought, "I really want some nuttiness this year!" Meet one of the chocolate chip cookie's wondrous cousins: soft chocolate chip walnut cookies. They're really fast to make too, so no worries. Okay, let's get baking! (Oh, and make sure to make an extra large batch... these babies go like hotcakes.)

This is my first Instructable, so any comments would be greatly appreciated! Please vote for me in the Cookie Contest and the Holiday Gifts Contest!! (Besides, who wouldn't love cookies as a gift?!)

Step 1: Ingredients

For these cookies you will need:

• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (any brand is fine.)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (this is a lot of chips, so if you don't want the extremely chocolatey taste, reduce to 1 to 1 ½ cups.
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

These measurements will yield 36 cookies; adjust the measurements to your liking.

Step 2: Tips for a Great Cookie

I was a bit short on time when I made these, and I wasn't able to fit in these two tips below. But when you make cookies, you've gotta make them with love. The way you make your cookies really makes a difference! For the best flavor and consistency, you will want to roast your walnuts on the stove before you chop them up.

Secondly, when finished making the cookie dough, roll it into a rod, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it into the refrigerator for a few hours. (This is such a hard step, so try not to look in the fridge too much.) This ensures all the ingredients mix together evenly, and it makes the cutting of the dough a lot easier.

So, for those of you with the extra time, it would do you great good to follow the tips above. You'll get a fantastic cookie.

And for the people like me who don't have a lot of time, just continue on with the Instructable. You'll still get a fantastic cookie.

Step 3: Mixing and Stirring.

Making the dough:

1. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in eggs and vanilla.
3. Then, sift together the flour and baking soda and add to mixture made in step 2.
4. Finally, evenly stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Now would be the time to follow the tip in step two: roll the dough into a rod, cover with plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator. When enough time has passed (approximately a couple of hours or when you just can't stand the wait any longer), take the dough out, unwrap it, and cut the dough into equal half-inch rounds. (If you prefer, you can still do the traditional scooping of the dough.) Lay these cookie dough rounds onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Step 4: Scooping and Baking!

Yay! Last step!

Now, if you scooped your dough, you will probably need to shape your dough into rounds. If you cut the dough into rounds, you might need to "touch-up" the rounds if they were misshaped when moved to the cookie sheet. (You've gotta make them rounded. Otherwise they'll become soft chocolate chip walnut chunks or blobs instead of the normal shaped cookies. Valuable lesson I learned.)

Now, just bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. It's best to use your eyes: you can tell when they're still wet or when they're perfectly cooked with a golden brown color. If you're still unsure, there's nothing wrong with using a toothpick or your own trusty mouth.

Finally, sit back and ENJOY!! (Best with a tall glass of milk.)