Butterscotch Pudding Cookies

I have made a variation of these Butterscotch Pudding Cookies more times that I can count in the past year. They always turn out irresistibly soft and chewy, making them a go-to recipe whenever I am in need of cookies. So when it came time to bake cookies for a 90th birthday party last weekend, I once again turned to this recipe. And once again it did not disappoint. 

Have you noticed that I find a way to add chocolate to so many of the recipes that I make? I am a big butterscotch fan, so I like these cookies with just butterscotch chips. But doesn't chocolate just make everything better? I couldn't help but throw a few chocolate chips into the mixer too. White chocolate chips would also be good here. Not a fan of butterscotch? I have you covered- these Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Pudding Cookies and Mini M&M Pudding Cookies are equally as good in my book. 

Double Chip Butterscotch Pudding Cookies
Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 package butterscotch instant pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Using a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the butterscotch pudding mix and continue to mix until incorporated. Add the eggs, one at at time, and mix until combined after each addition. Add the vanilla extract. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until fully incorporated. Turn off the mixer. Add the chocolate chips and the butterscotch chips. Mix with a spatula until just combined.

Using a medium-sized scoop, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. Baked for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Peanut Butter Captain Crunch Cookies

It is somewhat surprising that I would never eat a bowl of sugary cereal for breakfast. There is not a dessert I wouldn't eat, but when it comes to breakfast, I prefer the healthier whole grain cereals. It is not  a bad thing-just interesting. However, when it comes to snacking, I could eat Captain Crunch all day long. Sometimes I bring a small bag to work to have for an afternoon snack, but it never makes it past mid-morning. I love Captain Crunch. A lot. And the idea to add Captain Crunch to regular peanut butter cookies has been in my mind for a while, but for some reason I just got around to making these cookies last weekend. 

I shared these cookies with some friends on Saturday night and everyone loved the extra crunch that  the Captain Crunch gave these cookies. It  takes regular peanut butter cookies to a whole new level, in the best way possible. 

Peanut Butter Captain Crunch Cookies

Recipe adapted from Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups Captain Crunch cereal, slightly crushed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla extract. Mix until fully incorporated after each addition. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer off. Add the Captain Crunch. Mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. 

Scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are set. Allow the cookies to cool on  the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Yesterday I shared a recipe for homemade chocolate syrup. This is my very favorite way to enjoy chocolate syrup- drizzled over a warm chocolate chip cookie or brownie topped with ice cream. It seriously does not get any better than that. 

I have always wanted to try baking a giant chocolate chip cookie in a cast-iron skillet. In many ways, it is even easier than baking a regular batch of chocolate chip cookies because you don't need to scoop out any cookie dough. Just spread the dough in a even layer and bake. Easy peasy. And there is nothing more satisfying than pulling a 10-inch cookie out of the oven. You can let the cookie cool completely before serving, but I totally recommend eating it warm out of the oven. Served with ice cream and chocolate syrup, you have yourself a truly decadent and delicious dessert.

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Recipe from Cooking Classy

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup  granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp molasses

1 1/2 tbsp french vanilla coffee creamer powder

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

In a stand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, molasses and coffee creamer powder until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla bean paste. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer. Mix until just combined. Stop the mixer and add the chocolate chips. Gently fold with a rubber spatula. 

Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Spread the cookie into an even layer in the prepared skillet. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown in color. Allow the skillet to cool on a cooling rack. Serve with ice cream and chocolate syrup, if desired.

Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Last week I made another batch of Homemade Almond Butter. As much as I love eating it on bread or even straight out of the jar, I also love incorporating almond butter into other recipes. Last time I made this Brown Butter Almond Pesto, which I still love, love, love. It is one of the best pesto recipes I have ever made. This time I decided to make almond butter cookies. I love peanut butter cookies so I just knew I would also love almond butter cookies.

After thinking about these cookies for a long time, I decided to add chocolate chunks and lots of them. I kept thinking about the chocolate covered almonds from Trader Joes. Has anyone else tried them? They are so addicting, I could literally eat the entire container in one sitting. The consensus on these cookies? Equally as addicting.

Almond Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Recipe adapted from Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup almond butter
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 2/3 cups chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the almond butter, egg and vanilla. Mix until fully combined after each addition. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Turn off the mixer and add the chocolate chunks. Mix with a rubber spatula until combined.

Scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

This past weekend was Father's Day which meant that I couldn't show up at my house without a batch of cookies. My dad loves cookies. Like father, like daughter. Before heading home, I made these Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies. Coconut oil is a really trendy ingredient right now so I was especially eager to try it out. Prior to this weekend, I had only ever used coconut oil in my hair and as a skin moisturizer. I love the smell- it always makes me feel like I am in the tropics. In addition to the benefits to your hair and skin, coconut oil also adds great flavor to baked goods. I am not always the biggest coconut fan, but I loved these cookies.

My boyfriend is also not much of a coconut fan. In order to get him to eat the cookies, I didn't tell him that they had coconut oil in them. I only mentioned that there might be a secret ingredient. Turns out my boyfriend loved them too. The coconut flavor is present, yet not overwhelming. Perfect for both the coconut lovers and the coconut haters. 

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

In a stand mixer, beat together the coconut oil and sugar for 1-2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and coconut. Mix until light and creamy. With the mixer on slow speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix until just combined. Stop the mixer and gently fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.

Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets (my cookie dough balls were approximately 1 1/2 inches). Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cookies

I first made these Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cookies during the holiday season and have loved them ever since. Really what is not to love? Soft peanut butter cookies filled with butterfinger chunks and chocolate chips- sounds good to me. Butterfingers are always one of the candy bars I can't resist at Halloween and they are the perfect addition to these cookies. Of course you could leave them out altogether but I wouldn't recommend it. You would still end up with tasty cookies but you really would be missing out. 

I also love how this recipes results in perfectly round cookies every single time I make them. I love opening the oven to find round cookies- it really it the small things in life that excite me. In my book, this recipe is a winner not only because of the amazing flavor combination, but also because of the beautiful cookies it produces. 

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cookies
Recipe from Picky Palate

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups crushed butterfinger chunks
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Mix until fully combined after each addition. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. With the mixer on slow speed, slowly add the dry ingredients.

Turn the mixer off. Add the crushed butterfinger and chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula until combined.

With a medium sized ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown along the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Mini Snickers Stuffed Snickerdoodle Bites

I guess you could say that I like stuffing candy and other treats into my cookies. I just love when there is a hidden surprise inside of a cookie. First, I made these Caramel Apple Milkyway Chocolate Chip Cookies that were a big hit at a birthday in the fall. I followed those up with Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies, as well as Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt, both which were instant favorites. I really don't see an end to the stuffed cookies anytime soon.

The best part about this recipe is that it does not require any baking. Start to finish you can make these cookie dough bites in just 20 minutes. Simple and delicious- those are definitely my favorite recipes. Even if you don't have snickers bars on hand, you can make plain snickerdoodle bites. Everyone loves  snickerdoodles. Also just a note- I preferred eating them slightly chilled out of the refrigerator, but that it is just my personal preference. 

Mini Snickers Stuffed Snickerdoodle Bites

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
28 mini snickers bars
3 tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugars and cream of tartar until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the heavy cream and the vanilla extract. Mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar and cinnamon.

Scoop out one tablespoon of cookie dough at a time. Roll the cookie dough into a ball with your hands and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Chill or serve immediately. The remaining snickerdoodle bites should be stored in the refrigerator.

Yield: 28 snickerdoodle bites

Brown Butter Sprinkle Cookies

I had this recipe ready to post last friday morning, but given what was going on in my hometown of Boston, it just didn't seem right to do so. As much as I love sharing recipes, there were a lot more important things going on just miles away from my own apartment. And to be honest, I would have had a hard time pulling myself away from the television even for just a little while that day. There are times when I complain about living in Boston, really just during the cold and snowy winter months. But the truth is that Boston is my home and I could not imagine living anywhere else. My heart brakes for all of the victims of the Marathon bombings. But I am also glad that the worst is behind us and our city can finally move on.

That being said, I am really excited to share these Brown Butter Sprinkle Cookies with you today. They are really fun cookies because they are full of color from both the mini M&M's and the sprinkles. I love sprinkles. Oh, and there is also brown butter in these cookies. I may have mentioned my love of brown butter once or twice in the past.  One additional note about these cookies- I found that the cookie dough was a lot more crumbly than what I am used to working with. Although I was unsure of how these cookies would bake in the oven, they ended up turning out just fine. 

Brown Butter Sprinkle Cookies

Recipe from The Sweet Life

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mini M&M's
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles

In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook butter until it becomes it bubbly and brown in color. Be careful not to burn the butter. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

 In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the egg, followed by the egg yolk, beating until fully incorporated after each addition. Add the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Turn off the mixer. Add the mini M&M's and sprinkles. Gently fold with a spatula until combined.

Scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown in color. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. 

Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

As if starting a new job was not enough, I also moved into a new apartment just over a month ago. It has certainly been a busy month. Throw in a friend's wedding in Virginia and Easter weekend with the family, and you can see why there haven't been many blog posts recently. It's not that I have stayed out of the kitchen completely, just that I haven't had as much time to photograph and share the recipes that I make. But now that everything is starting to slow down, I finally have more time to dedicate to my blog and my love of sharing recipes. I wanted my first recipe back to be a good one and these cookies are just that. In fact, I have already made them three times since I first came across the recipe just a few weeks ago. That should come as no surprise given that brown butter is in the title. I just love the stuff. Can you blame me?

Brown butter, in addition to the nutella and sea salt, give these cookies so much flavor. I love the pairing of ingredients so much that I cannot help but make this recipe over and over again. It also might be the best smelling cookie dough that I have ever made. Seriously, I love the smell of brown butter just as much as I love the taste. If there was a brown butter scented perfume, I would probably buy it. Bath and Body Works, have your people call my people and we can make something happen. Until then, guess I can live with making these cookies everyday. 

Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats (originally adapted from Ambitious Kitchen)

1/2 cup Nutella

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top of cooled cookies

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp plain greek yogurt

1 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Fill a small plastic bag with Nutella. Seal the bag and snip off one corner. Pipe small dollops of Nutella onto the baking sheet, about 1 1/2 tsp each. Repeat until you have about 20 dollops of Nutella. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and allow the dollops to set for at least 2 hours. 

Place the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt completely. Continue to cook the butter, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and becomes brown in color. Removed the brown butter from the heat and allow it to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and sea salt. Set aside.  In a stand mixer, combine the cooled brown butter and sugar. Mix on medium speed until light and creamy. Add the egg, followed by the egg yolk, mixing until fully incorprated. Add the vanilla and greek yogurt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stop the mixer and add the chocolate chips. Gently fold the chocolate chips into the cookie dough with a spatula. Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Scoop cookie dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons in size. Make a small indentation in the cookie dough to make a bowl shape. Place a dollop of Nutella in the center and seal the edges to form a ball of cookie dough once again. Place prepared balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Sprinkles the cookies with additional sea salt. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Mini M&M Pudding Cookies

TGIF. I don't know about you guys, but I am so happy that the weekend is finally here. As I mentioned earlier in the year, it has been a busy few months for me. After starting a new job just three weeks ago, I am finally starting to get into the swing of things. However, I have to wake up really early to catch the train into Boston every morning, leaving me really tired by the end of the end. I find myself going to bed earlier and earlier each night. Hopefully once I move into the city I will be able to get into a better routine. With my busy schedule, it has been hard to find time to bake as often as I would like. I can't go too long without baking though. Whenever it has been a few days I start to get the itch and inevitably find myself in the kitchen again. 

These cookies were the result of one of my recent baking afternoons. You all know how I feel about pudding cookies, so I could't wait to try out these Mini M&M Pudding Cookies. Like always, the pudding mix resulted in incredibly soft and delicious cookies. I love that these cookies are miniature in size, meaning that you can have more than one at a time without feeling guilty. Or at least that is how I choose to think about it. And with a yield of about four dozen cookies, you are certainly going to have a lot of cookies to eat. 

Mini M&M Pudding Cookies
recipe from Tracey's Culinary Adventures (originally adapted from allrecipes.com)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups mini M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add the vanilla pudding mix. Continue mixing until fully combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition. Add the vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Stop the mixer and add the M&M;s to the bowl. Mix with a spatula until combined.
Using a small scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Enjoy :)

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

Over the weekend I came across a really good candy sale at Target. So naturally I came home with a bag full of candy. Included in my haul was a bag of Rolos, a candy that I haven't eaten in several years. I immediately searched for a recipe to make with my Rolos and settled on these Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies. The title alone should convince you to make these cookies. But if not, just take a look at the pictures. 

I love how the Rolos melt completely, resulting in ooey gooey cookies out of the oven. I cut one of my cookies in half so you could see what I am talking about. How can you resist the caramel that flows out of these cookies as soon as you bite into them? You can also use small caramels, instead of Rolos, to create the same effect. 

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies
Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
18 Rolos, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside

Using a stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla. Continue to mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.

With a small cookie scoop, scoop one ball of dough and place on top of a Rolo. Take another scoop of the dough and place on bottom of the Rolo. Seal the edges together and roll in a small bowl filled with 1/4 cup sugar. Place cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are set. Allow to cool for a few minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

M&M Cookies

Is it still too early to be thinking about Valentines Day? I don't know about you guys, but I need something to get me through the month of January. It's just that January is somewhat of a boring month. There are no holidays to celebrate. The days are long and dark. And there is a lot of snow, at least in New England. So I obviously start looking ahead and baking festive desserts for Valentines Day. I started with these soft M&M cookies. I love M&M cookies, especially the giant ones you get at places like Panera.  Everything is better with chocolate and that is certainly the case with these cookies. 

These cookies use cornstarch, which makes them incredibly soft inside. If you have never tried using cornstarch in your cookies, you should definitely try this recipe. Trust me, you will be looking for other recipes to make using this secret ingredient. I made these cookies for Valentines Day so I used special pink and red M&M's for the occasion. Feel free to use regular M&M's or even chocolate chips instead. 

M&M Cookies

Recipe from Cooking Classy

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and diced into cubes
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (11 oz) bag M&M's

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk, mixing until combined after each addition. Add the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Stop the mixer and add the M&M's. Mix with a spatula until incorporated into the batter. Scoop out cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Gingerbread Pudding Cookies

Usually I know exactly what I want to bake each week. I have a huge archives of saved recipes that I sift through and decide what to make. I rarely walk into the supermarket without a game plan and a shopping list in hand. But these cookies? Well, they were a last minute addition to my Christmas baking list. I was walking around Roche Brothers last week and came across a box of Gingerbread pudding mix. After making my Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies a few weeks ago, I have been eager to try another pudding cookie recipe. And what is more appropriate for the holiday season than Gingerbread Pudding Cookies?

I cannot tell you how soft and chewy the pudding mix makes these cookies. And the best part? They stay soft for days and days. The gingerbread flavor in these cookies is present but not overwhelming. They are a great last minute addition to anyone's holiday party or gathering. I plan on bringing my leftover cookies to a Christmas Eve party tomorrow night. Well, I will bring them assuming that they are still around tomorrow.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve! 

Gingerbread Pudding Cookies
Recipe from Inside Brucrew Life

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 box instant gingerbread pudding mix
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cinnamon chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and milk. Mix until fully incorporated. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and gingerbread pudding mix. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until fully incorporated. Turn off the mixer. Add the cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula until combined.

With a medium sized ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

There are four different types of cookies in my kitchen right now. I had no choice but to eat cookies for lunch today. Is that bad? I have been having so much fun experimenting with new cookie recipes over the past few weeks, but I always have a hard time giving them all away. Other than my dad, no one in my family really eats my baked goods. At Thanksgiving dinner, my aunt asked my brother if he wanted a piece of pie and ice cream. He responded, "No, I don't really like dessert". Umm, what?? Are you even related to me?? I can't imagine ever saying something like that. Especially if it means missing out on these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles. 

These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles were one of the desserts I brought to the Boston College Basketball Christmas party last night. In my book, brown butter makes anything better. I just love the nutty smell and flavor of brown butter. These cookies puffed up quite nicely in the oven, resulting in thick and chewy cookies full of cinnamon flavor. This was the first recipe I tried from my newest cookbook, Baked Elements. I have the other cookbooks by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito and I cannot say enough good things about them. All of their recipes turn out perfectly- I can't wait to try more from this one! 

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Recipe from Baked Elements by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 cup + 3 tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 cup light brown sugar

In a medium sized skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook butter until it becomes golden brown in color and smells nutty in flavor. Pour the brown butter into the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat butter on medium speed for 5-7 minutes to bring it to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until fully incorporated. Set aside.
When the butter is cooled, add 1 cup of sugar and the brown sugar to the mixer bowl. Beat until light and creamy, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the milk and egg mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
In three additions, slowly add the dry ingredients, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary. Mix until fully combined.
Turn off the mixer. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or up to 24 hours).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough into balls. Roll each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Transfer balls to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cookies should be cracked on top and golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on sheets for a few minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy :)

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Our lights are up, a few presents are wrapped and I have already watched ELF twice. I still have a lot of shopping and baking left to do though. This time of year is just so busy, it is hard to fit everything in. Thank god for online shopping! I am also busy finishing up my classes this semester so sometimes it is hard to find the time to bake. I am glad I decided to make these cookies this week because they were a hit around here. 

I told you to expect a lot of cookies this month- so let's talk about these White Chocolate Peppermint M&M cookies. They are such a fun and festive cookie for the holiday season. I found the White Chocolate M&Ms at Target, but I probably didn't need to tell you that. By now you know that I find all of my fun holiday candy at Target, right? My boyfriend never knew there were so many different types of M&Ms. Peppermint M&Ms, Candy Corn M&Ms, Cherry Cordial M&Ms, Coconut M&Ms- the list goes on and on. I know my boyfriend loves when I take him on hunts to find all of these different flavors.

Find a bag of the White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms and bake up a batch of these cookies. They are soft and full of holiday flavor! 

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate peppermint M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Continue to beat until fully incorporated.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.

Turn off the mixer. Add the white chocolate chips and white chocolate peppermint M&Ms. Mix with a spatula until combined.

With a medium sized ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies

This past weekend, my boyfriend and I planned to have a cookie making night. I got really ambitious and decided that we were going to make four different holiday cookie recipes. I just love holiday baking. So we went to Target and picked out all of the ingredients we needed for the four cookie recipes. And then we got home to realize that I forgot the paddle attachment to my mixer. I had the stand and the bowl, but nothing to do the mixing. Such a bummer. But of course you can still make cookies without a stand mixer, it just requires a little more effort on your part. I definitely have gotten spoiled by my mixer since it does most of the work for me!

Anyways, we still made cookies but decided to try just two of the recipes. Don't worry, I will make my boyfriend take part in another cookie making night soon. I am sure he loves it just as much as I do.

It seems like I am the last person to jump on the pudding cookie bandwagon. For the past few months, I have seen them pop up all over the blog world. After making these mint chip chocolate pudding cookies, I can see why they are so popular. The pudding mix makes these cookies super soft and they are still soft days after you bake them. Now that I have made these cookies, the possibilities are endless-  vanilla pudding, butterscotch pudding, banana pudding- there are so many cookies to be made!

Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 3.4 oz package chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mint baking chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

With a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the pudding mix, eggs and vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated after each addition. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on slow speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Stop the mixer and add the mint baking chips. Gently fold with a spatula until combined.

With a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 11-12 minutes or until edges are set. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. I have the best dad in the world so I wanted to bake something extra special for him. A while ago he went to some function and raved about the White Chocolate Cherry Cookies that were served. He told me that I needed to recreate those cookies for him sometime. I thought that was a great idea but like many of the recipes I want to make, I put off making these cookies for a long time. My dad's birthday was the perfect opportunity to finally try them out.

These cookies were soft and delicious. Filled with white chocolate chips and dried cherries, they also make the perfect cookie for the upcoming holiday season. But the ultimate test of the these cookies was whether or not my dad liked them. Even though he is my dad, he has alway been my toughest food critic. He is definitely not afraid to tell me when he doesn't like a recipe that I make. Luckily I picked a good recipe for his birthday because my dad loved these cookies :) Happy Birthday Dad!

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Recipe from Add a Pinch

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and creamy.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Slowly add the flour, salt and baking soda. Continue mixing until fully incorporated.
Turn off the mixer. Add the white chocolate chips and cherries and mix with a spatula until combined.
Scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Enjoy :)

Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. Phew. There are a lot of flavors going on in these cookies. But that is a good thing. I brought these cookies to the birthday party of my boyfriend's mom this past weekend. Happy birthday to her and her friends :) Anyways, these cookies were a hit. No offense to all of the other cookies at the party, but everyone loved these cookies and they were gone before anything else. I even saw one kid take one and then come back for three more a few minutes later. Not that anyone could blame him. 

When people first take a bite, they assume it is just a regular chocolate chip cookie. But baked inside each one is a mini caramel apple milky way. Have you seen these in stores? I found mine at Target- big surprise there. I actually ran out of milky ways before I finished making the cookies, so there were a few plain chocolate chip cookies in the cookie tray. Hopefully no one was too mad if they ended up with one of the cookies without a milky way inside.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from Picky Palate

Yield: 5-6 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

10 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag caramel apple milky ways

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until combined and creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs and continue mixing until fully incorporated. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until fully combined. 

Stop the mixer and add the chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula until combined.

Using a small ice cream scoop or a teaspoon, place one scoop of cookie dough on top of a caramel apple milkway. Then take another scoop of cookie dough and place in on the bottom the milky way. Seal edges together and place on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Enjoy :)

Halloween Funfetti Cookie Sandwiches

Happy Monday! I have one more Halloween recipe to share with you before Wednesday rolls around. I absolutely love all things funfetti so this recipe was a no-brainer for me. Two soft funfetti cookies with a creamy buttercream frosting in the middle- what is not to love? The black and orange sprinkles, along with the orange tinted buttercream, makes it the perfect treat for Halloween. But this recipe can easily be adapted for all Holidays or special occasions. Just switch up the sprinkles and food coloring. 

As I sit here writing this post, we are waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit Massachusetts. The rain started yesterday afternoon, but there hasn't been any wind or other signs of a Hurricane yet. School was cancelled and buildings are being evacuated, so everyone must be expecting the worse. I hope that everyone in the Northeast stays safe throughout the storm! If you are stuck inside for the next few days but still have power, you can always make some cookies! Enjoy!

Halloween Funfetti Cookie Sandwiches
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod (Cookie recipe originally adapted from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body)

Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup black and orange sprinkles

Frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp heavy cream
Orange food coloring 

Cookies:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt. While the mixer is on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until combined.
Turn off the mixer and add the sprinkles. Mix with a spatula until combined.
Form cookie dough into small balls, about 1 tbsp in size, and drop onto the baking sheet. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Allow cookies to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Frosting:
In a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. While the mixer is on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
Add the salt, vanilla, almond extract and heavy cream. Beat for about 3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. 
Add the food coloring and mix until combined and desired color is reached.

Pipe small amounts of frosting onto each cookie one at a time and sandwich with another cookie.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate Cookies with Candy Corn M&Ms and Butterscotch Chips

October means that Halloween will be here before we know it. Do you have a costume picked out yet? Every year I always have so many costume ideas, but then I can never find exactly what I had in mind. I never use any of my good ideas and my list continues to grow! I still have a few more weeks to find the perfect costume for this year though. 

Even though I don't have a Halloween costume picked out yet, I already planned out all of the Halloween desserts I want to make throughout the month. Baking with Halloween decorations and all of the seasonal ingredients is so much fun. I wanted to start things off with these chocolate cookies with candy corn M&Ms and butterscotch chips. Have you seen the white chocolate candy corn M&Ms yet? I found them in Target a few weeks ago and they really do taste like candy corn. So much fun!

These cookies are soft and fudgy. Did I mention that they are packed full of M&Ms and butterscotch chips? I cut one open so you could see all of the white chocolate and butterscotch goodness inside. The yellow and orange M&Ms make these the perfect cookies for Halloween! Feel free to use plain M&Ms  instead if you can't find the candy corn ones :)

Chocolate Cookies with Candy Corn M&Ms and Butterscotch Chips

Adapted from Picky Palate

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup candy corn M&Ms

1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Using an electric or stand mixer, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. 

Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until well combined. 

Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until fully incorporated. 

Add M&Ms and chips, mixing for another 30 seconds or so.

Use a medium scoop to scoop cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Cookies should be about 1 inch apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes until cookies are baked all the way through.

Allow cookies to cool on pan before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Enjoy :)