Celebration Pudding Cookies

I don’t know if it is all the colors that catch my eye or the wonderful aroma that fills my kitchen when they are baking, but these cookies make me happy. And what’s that? M&Ms and sprinkles? I’m not a little kid anymore, but how can you not get happy for that combination? If you are making these for others, you just may want to double the batch and keep some for yourself. The “pudding” in this cookie is just the pudding mix itself. No need to worry about extra work. This recipe yielded 32 cookies for me. But I like making mine into one tablespoon balls. So if you are a two tablespoon cookie dough per cookie person, then you will get less than two dozen. And please note that the dough requires time to chill, but it will be worth the wait.

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 box instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sprinkles (jimmies)
3/4 cup M&Ms

DIRECTIONS:

Using a hand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
Next add pudding mix, baking soda and kosher salt. Then mix in the flour until all is combined.
Stir in sprinkles and M&Ms.
Scoop 1 tablespoon balls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Space the dough balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges just start to turn brown. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Can be stored in an airtight container up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.