M&M White Chocolate Pudding Cookies (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 1 cup salted butter, softened
02 - 3/4 cup brown sugar
03 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
05 - 2 large eggs
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda

→ Mix-ins

09 - 1 cup white chocolate chips
10 - 1 cup plain M&M's

# Instructions:

01 - First things first, let's get that oven warming up to 375°F. This temperature is perfect for getting those crispy edges while keeping the centers soft and chewy. While the oven's heating, you can start prepping your cookie dough!
02 - Grab a large bowl and your electric hand mixer - this is where the magic begins! Drop in your softened butter (make sure it's truly soft but not melted), brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Now here's the secret weapon - that box of instant vanilla pudding mix! This is what gives these cookies their incredible soft texture and keeps them fresh for days. Crack in your eggs and add that splash of vanilla. Now beat everything on medium speed until it's creamy and well combined, about 2-3 minutes. The mixture should look fluffy and slightly lighter in color.
03 - Switch your mixer to low speed (unless you want to wear your flour!) and gradually add in the flour and baking soda. Mix just until everything comes together - the key here is not to overmix. You want to stop as soon as the flour disappears into the dough. Overmixing leads to tough cookies, and nobody wants that! The dough should look soft and slightly sticky at this point.
04 - Time for the fun part! Put down your mixer and grab a sturdy spoon or spatula. Gently fold in those white chocolate chips and colorful M&M's until they're evenly distributed throughout the dough. Don't be afraid to use your hands at the end to make sure everything is well incorporated. The dough will be thick and packed with chocolatey goodness!
05 - Using a cookie scoop or a couple of tablespoons, drop generous mounds of dough onto your greased cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie for spreading. Pop those beauties into your preheated oven and set your timer for exactly 10 minutes. This is important - they might not look completely done when you take them out, but trust me, they are! The secret to perfectly soft pudding cookies is slightly underbaking them. They'll continue to cook a bit on the hot cookie sheet after you take them out.
06 - Here's where patience comes in (the hardest part!). Let those cookies rest right on the cookie sheets - no need to transfer them to cooling racks. As they cool, they'll firm up just enough while staying irresistibly soft in the center. This resting time is crucial for developing that perfect texture we're after. Once they've cooled enough to hold together, they're ready to enjoy!
07 - Pour yourself a cold glass of milk and get ready for cookie heaven! These M&M pudding cookies are at their absolute best when they're still slightly warm, with the white chocolate slightly melty and the colorful M&M's creating little bursts of chocolate throughout. They'll stay soft for days in an airtight container... if they last that long!

# Notes:

01 - The secret to these incredibly soft, chewy cookies is the vanilla pudding mix in the dough - it creates an amazing texture that stays fresh for days.
02 - Don't be tempted to bake these cookies longer than instructed! They may look slightly underdone at 10 minutes, but they'll continue to set up as they cool on the hot cookie sheet.
03 - Feel free to swap the M&M's and white chocolate chips for other mix-ins like chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or chopped nuts - the pudding cookie base works beautifully with many variations.
04 - These cookies freeze exceptionally well! You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months, or roll the dough into balls and freeze those to bake fresh cookies whenever a craving strikes.

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