M&M Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

Lately I have seen lots of recipes around the blog community for pudding cookies so after my curiosity finally got the best of me I cooked up a batch this week. Adding pudding mix into cookies is an absolutely genius idea and my only regret is that I am just now giving this a try. They are soft and chewy, just as a cookie should be, and with the addition of the peanut butter chips and M&M's it's like a little bite of heaven. These cookies can easily be adapted to work for other holidays or can be made on those days where you just feel like having a good cookie...or three dozen good cookies.

 

M&M Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

 (Recipe adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen)

Recipe Yields: 3 Dozen Cookies

Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup M&M's
- 1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 35o degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and dry pudding mix; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
-Add eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla extract and honey and beat until combined.
- Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beat to combine. Add M&M's, and peanut butter chips and mix until incorporated.
- Roll a tablespoon of dough into a 1½-inch ball between your palms and then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten the dough balls until they are about ¾ inch thick.
- Bake 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to another plate to cool completely.

 

Enjoy as an afternoon snack with a mug of hot chocolate:)