So excited to be a part of my first holiday cookie recipe blog post series!
I am absolutely useless at baking. If you know me at all you know this. I absolutely love to cook but I have just never been a baker. I guess I shouldn’t say I’m absolutely useless at baking because this recipe and this Christmas cookie baking proves that wrong. I was useless until I tried this go around!
When my friend Laura Leigh posted on Instagram that she was looking for girls to help with her virtual cookie exchange I thought this could be a good for me! I’ll get out of my comfort zone. I remember reading Laura Leigh‘s blog posts each year and commenting on how delicious the cookie recipes looked. I also love that this is a way to bring together a group of girls who may not know each other except for on the Internet! There are 8 girls sharing in this series so make sure you head to Laura Leigh’s after this and from there continue to all the other girls to see all of their recipes!
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So before I get too carried away rambling on and on let’s get to the good stuff. Unlike me, my sister is a baker. She loves to bake. So when I decided to do this virtual cookie exchange, I asked her which recipe I should use. She sent me a recipe from her friend Sarah‘s blog that she uses as a go-to for cookies any time of year. My and my sisters notes will be in italics!
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Peppermint White Chocolate Pudding Cookies
by Chocolate Therapy
Yield: 15 large cookies Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 11 minutes Total Time: about 3+ hours, for dough chilling
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks) *30 seconds half power in microwave vs room temp
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (not sugar-free and not ‘cook & serve’), OR use 2 teaspoons cornstarch in place of pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
3/4 cup white chocolate chips (1/2 cup in the dough and 1/4 cup for placing on top of the dough mounds)
3/4 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch (1/2 and 1/4 cup for placing on top of dough mounds)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (not sugar-free and not ‘cook & serve’), OR use 2 teaspoons cornstarch in place of pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
3/4 cup white chocolate chips (1/2 cup in the dough and 1/4 cup for placing on top of the dough mounds)
3/4 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch (1/2 and 1/4 cup for placing on top of dough mounds)
*I couldn’t find the Andes peppermint crunch, so I used peppermint chocolate chips in the dough and crushed up the Andes peppermints for the top
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Directions:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes. *Four minutes, no stopping
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, pudding mix (or cornstarch), baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup of the peppermint crunch. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form 15 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.
- Add about a few white chocolate chips and peppermint crunch pieces to the top of each dough mound. This will make them look even better when they come out of the oven!
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (8-10 cookies per sheet depending on the size of your cookie sheet) and bake for 11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Please. please, tag me if you make these this holiday season! I am just now getting started with my cookie baking, I think and would love to see what you guys think!
NEXT!! My girl Laura Leigh is sharing her dark chocolate dipped chai tea cookie recipe and I have to say it looks DIVINE! Check out her blog post here.
Laura Leigh is one of my favorite people that I have e-met from my years of blogging and she shares her home, lifestyle, fashion and recipes on Louella Reese and her two instagrams, @louellareese and @lauraleighliving.
and FINALLY! To get you ready for baking, we’re excited to select 4 lucky readers to win $20 gift cards to shop for cookie supplies.
Entry is easy with the below giveaway form. You only have to fill the form out once and not on each blog that you visit today. Winners will be selected on December 17th and must be in the U.S. Winners will be notified via email. Your email and information will not be sold anywhere.
Yummy, these sound delicious! Adding to my must-bake list this season.
Alex
https://adoredbyalex.com
Yumm! You can’t go wrong with anything peppermint!
These look delicious!
xo Jessica
an indigo day
these sound so delicious! I’m pretty sure I could not stop eating these once I started! thanks for joining the fun this year – loved having you!!!
xo Laura Leigh
https://louellareese.com