Photo by Lisa Cason

The search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie is a lifetime ordeal for many avid bakers. These sweet treats serve many purposes: they make all-star housewarming gifts, provide comfort to broken hearts, and offer the most basic and interactive baking lesson to children. Yes, the chocolate chip cookie is truly an all-purpose, multifunction treat.

Here are a few tips on how to ramp up your chocolate chip cookies plus a bonus recipe to archive in your cookie database. Enjoy!

1. Try substituting a vanilla-flavored instant pudding mix for part of your flour. This will give your cookie a richer vanilla flavor and keep the cookie moist for several days after baking.

2. For a mocha flavor, try adding a teaspoon of espresso powder dissolved in 3 Tablespoons of boiling water OR 2 Tablespoons coffee. You may need to add a bit extra flour to compensate for the extra liquid in your cookie dough.

3. Everyone likes something salty with something sweet, right? Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top of your cookie a few minutes before bake time is finished for a salty flair.

4. Add some peanut butter. There is no greater food pairing than peanut butter with chocolate. Substitute a few tablespoons of butter with equal amounts of creamy peanut butter and watch your bake time. They may not need as long to finish baking properly.

Props to Nieman Marcus for providing my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Ever.

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml