Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

When I first made chocolate chip cookies after becoming a wife, I was disappointed in my husband's disappointed reaction. He said his sister sent him cookies when he was on his mission and that they were the best. So, I got her recipe. They really are the best. I've tried others who claim that they are the best, but to no avail. These are soooo good! This is Mary's recipe:

Ingredients:
1 small pkg vanilla pudding
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*. Cream butter, brown sugar, pudding, eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour and baking soda. Mix in chocolate chips. Place on cookie sheet in little balls. Bake 8-10 minutes. They should still look a little rounded with touches of golden brown. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, then move to a rack to cool the rest of the way. Brent thinks they're even better the next day.

*to send them to a missionary anywhere in the world, wrap them in aluminum foil and put that in a ziplock bag with a piece of bread in it. Freeze them and send frozen. I send them in either pringles or crystal light canisters that I've wrapped in paper or placed inside another box. They made it all the way to my brother in northern Russia and they were fine...even though their mail system is a wreck over there.

Best Banana Bread

I LOVE Banana Bread, but it seems like every time I make it it turns out with a really crunchy crust and a really gooey middle. I used to blame it on my gas oven, because they say they don't cook as evenly as electric ovens. I sort of stopped making Banana Bread...gave up for the time being, until recently we had a lot of bananas that needed to be used. So I decided to try it again...and I'm so glad I did. I got this recipe from a cook book my family's ward put together. I decided to try this one because it had sour cream in it, and I've always had good results in baked goods when they have sour cream in them...kind of weird, but true.

This is Judy Teuscher's Banana Bread:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mashed bananas

1/2 cup sour cream

*optional: chopped walnuts

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Add the remaining ingredients. Bake at 350* in a greased pan for 50-60 minutes. It makes one loaf.

Easy! I let mine go a little past 50 minutes...till the knife came out mostly clean. And seriously, this is the best Banana Bread my husband and I have ever tasted!!! No gooey middle and no burnt crust, but so moist and delicious! I hope you try it, and if you do, I'm sure you'll love it.