Mini Chocolate Chip M&M Pudding Cookies

I am a sucker for cookies.  Give me a cookie, any kind at any time and I’ll be a happy camper.  I’m not picky and I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t like!  My favorite cookies, though, are those cookies that are fluffy, gooey and chewy.  I love sinking my teeth into cookies like that; the more they stick to your teeth the better they are…in my opinion. 

Now I’ve a had a lot, and I mean A LOT of cookies throughout the years, but to my knowledge I don’t ever think I’ve had a cookie with pudding mix in it.  So, when I saw Jocelyn of Inside Bru Crew Life had a multitude of pudding cookies on her blog you could say I was definitely intrigued!  Now I know there are all sorts of little tips and tricks you can use to make cakes, cookies and bars taste better, be more moist or chewy or what have you.  But I had never heard of pudding cookies, or thought of adding pudding mix to cookies before now.  Genius, I tell you.  Genius!  Jocelyn, you’ve inspired me to take a closer look at the staples in my pantry and think of different ways to use them! 

After reading through all the different types of pudding cookies she had made, I thought that I should try this little trick of adding pudding mix to cookies.  So, I sat down and started filtering through different recipes and finally decided to start from scratch.  I played with different amounts of this and that before I finally found the perfect consistency and texture that I was looking for. 

The end result leaves you with a cookie that is fluffy, full of flavor (it’s amazing that a little box or mix can add such a big burst of flavor), and even more chewy than you can imagine.  These are some of those cookies that are stick-to-your-teeth good! 

Cookies alone bring a smile to my face, but when you have a delicious cookie with chunks of chocolate and candy  in them.  Well, that’s just pure happiness.  And that’s what these cookies are, pure happiness.  A deliciously moist and chew cookie that is packed full of cute, mini chocolate chips and colorful M&M’s.  Just looking at them will make you smile, but one bite of them will have you grinning ear to ear.  And just when you think it doesn’t gett any better, try one (or 3 of these) fresh from the oven and they’ll have you screaming and dancing!

Mini Chocolate Chip M&M Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 Egg
1/2 Tsp vanilla
1 (3.4oz) box vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 Cups + 2 Tbsp flour
1/4 Tsp salt
3/4 Cup M&M candy
1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat, or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Sift flour,pudding mix, and salt together in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Place butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla and mix to incorpate.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.  Add the M&M’s and mini chocolate chips and stir to incorporate.

Using a cookie scoop (mine is about 2 tablespoons), scoop cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet leaving about 1 1/2 inches between each cookie.  Very gently press the cookie dough with the palm of your hands to barely flatten. 

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 8-9 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.    

Store in an air tight container (if you have any left…I have a cookie lover in my house that is drawn to the kitchen right with the cookies come out of the oven.  This theif eats them faster than I can bake them!)

Recipe source: inspired by Inside Bru Crew Life‘s pudding cookies