Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Pudding Cookies
Every fall, I like to bake goodies using Jell-O’s Pumpkin Spice Pudding. Every fall, I’m frustrated when Walmart doesn’t carry it until later in October, and not for long.
This stuff is like a secret weapon if you love autumn flavors. Pudding mix of any kind creates extra softness and a lovely texture whether you’re making cookies or bundt cake; this version adds delicate pumpkin and spice flavors, plus a lovely shade of orange.
This cookie dough doesn’t need to be chilled. Just whip it together and bake. The resulting cookies are plump, soft, and downright pretty to behold. Oh yeah–another advantage of using pudding mix is that the cookies stay soft and fresh for upward of a week.
Other Bready or Not recipes featuring both pumpkin flavor and pudding mix:
– Pumpkin Pudding Snickerdoodle Cookies (pumpkin spice mix)
– Pumpkin and Pudding Mix Pound Cake (vanilla pudding mix)
Modified from Boys Ahoy.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3.4 oz Jell-O Instant Pumpkin Spice Pudding 1 box
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars. Beat in pudding mix until blended, followed by the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips until just combined.
- Using a cookie dough scooper, place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cooking rack. Store in air-tight container. Makes two dozen.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Double Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Chewy. Dense. Loaded with peanut butter in the dough and in the candy morsels. These cookies have it all going on.
I used creamy-centered peanut butter M&Ms for this (yay, clearance shelf) but you can also use tried-and-true Reese’s Pieces, or mix of peanut butter and chocolate chips. Just having a slight touch of chocolate in these cookies really makes the peanut butter flavor pop.
You’ll need to smash the dough balls flat before baking; these won’t spread at all, really. They will likely be even denser if you use all rolled oats. I like to use a mix of oats. That way some blend, and some stay chewy.
If you’re not in the mood for oatmeal cookies, I have a recipe for regular double peanut butter cookies, too–and these are a favorite because they are great to ship!
Modified from Crème de la Crumb.
Bready or Not: Double Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup oats rolled or quick (or a mix)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup Reese's Pieces or similar candy, or mix of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and oats. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until they are fluffy. Mix in the peanut butter, followed by the egg and vanilla. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Fold in the Reese's Pieces.
- Use a scoop to dole out the dough onto a cookie sheet. The dollops stay fat, so flatten them by hand or with a glass. Bake teaspoon-sized scoops for 11 to 13 minutes.
- Let them cool on the sheet for about 10 minutes, then move them to a rack. Store in an airtight container.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
As you might have noticed, I am gradually reposting all of my Holy Taco Church recipes here on Bready or Not. I knew I needed to move this cookie recipe forward in the queue when I was emailed by a woman who was dismayed the HTC website was gone and she needed this recipe again.
She described them as by far the best chocolate chip cookies she had ever made. There’s just something magical about the combination of bacon and chocolate. I’ve worked that alchemy in some other recipes like chocolate-covered bacon toffee (aka BACON CRACK).
Here, the combo plays well together in cookie form. The addition of the bacon fat infuses dough with savory flavor. It’s amazing that the single tablespoon of fat makes such a huge difference.
These are not cakey, soft cookies. They are crisp and chewy–more like the old Fanny Farmer recipe cookies my mom used to make me when I was a kid. Except with added bacon.
Try this out. Maybe you’ll join the club that thinks these are the chocolate chip cookies of all time!
Modified from the recipe at Something Swanky and originally posted at the Holy Taco Church.
Bready or Not: Bacon Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tb bacon fat solidified
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet
- 1/2 cup bacon cooked and chopped, about 4 thick strips
- additional sea salt for tops
Instructions
- Beat together the butter, bacon fat, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
- Add the flour, salt, and baking soda to form the dough. Gradually mix in the chocolate chips and then the bacon.
- Chill the dough for a minimum or two hours, covered with plastic wrap, up to a few days.
- Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Use a teaspoon scoop to dole out dough onto a pan and sprinkle a little extra sea salt over the tops to add some savory oomph. Bake for 10-12 minutes; let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transition to a rack.
- Recipe will make 55-60 teaspoon-size cookies.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Double Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies
It’s been like a month since I posted a hardcore chocolate recipe on here. Chocoholics have NEEDS. Therefore, here are Double Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies.
Choice adjectives: Dense. Chocolaty. Rich. Luscious. Pillowy.
Seriously, these are thick in the best kind of way. Pair these cookies with a tall glass of milk or some hot coffee.
Cream cheese is magical when it’s mixed into cake batter or cookie dough. Some past examples include Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound cake and Philly Snickerdoodles.
Modified from How Sweet Eats.
Bready or Not: Double Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cube, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese 1 block, softened
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the cream cheese until combined; it's okay if there are still small clumps. Follow with egg and vanilla extract.
- Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. As soon as everything is incorporated, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for a few hours or several days.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Using a tablespoon scoop, dole dough onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let sit on sheet a few minutes to set before transitioning to a rack to completely cool.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: White Chocolate Lemon Blondies
Memorial Day weekend is coming up, so let’s do make something fresh and summer-y! How about chewy bars that taste like lemonade?
These bars are soft and chewy with a delightfully fresh flavor. White chocolate and lemon make for a wonderful pairing in both taste and texture.
I’d like to say that these kept well for days, but I really don’t know. They stayed yummy for one day, at least.
When my husband took these to work, a co-worker told him, “Your wife can make these any time she wants.” I always welcome that kind of encouragement to bake more!
Modified from A Kitchen Addiction.
Bready or Not: White Chocolate Lemon Blondies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar for top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking dish with aluminum foil and apply non-stick cooking spray.
- Cream together butter and both sugars. Add lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla extract, and beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mix into the wet ingredients.
- Stir in white chocolate chips; dough will be thick. Spread into the bottom of the ready baking dish. An offset spatula works well to smooth it out. If desired, sprinkle sparkling or turbinado sugar all over the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test.
- Set on a wire rack to cool completely, then use foil to lift contents to a cutting board. Cut into bars.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Pie
I attend the Nebula Awards in a few days. I don’t expect to win, but the whole thing is freaky and exciting and a cause for celebration. Therefore, I am sharing a special recipe for Snickerdoodle Pie.
That’s right. Snickerdoodle Pie. It happens to be a photogenic pie, too, so brace yourself for an onslaught of pictures.
In all honesty, it would be faster to make Snickerdoodle Cookies than to make this pie. The thing is… this pie is awesome. It looks and tastes like you made an extra effort.
It really does taste like a giant Snickerdoodle, too. I used my tried-and-true pie crust recipe, which is reposted below, but you can use a store crust or your own reliable recipe.
It’s kind of weird how perfectly Snickerdoodley this is, even for being so thick. It’s kind of magical, if magic involves cinnamon, sugar, and cream of tartar.
My husband adored this pie. The slices were great straight out of the fridge, but he experimented and found out it’s even better reheated in the oven. Wrap up a slice in some foil and warm it just enough to caramelize the sugar crust some more. Yum!
This is a special occasion pie. A birthday pie. A holiday gathering pie. A hey-I was-nominated-for-an-awesome award pie.
Plus, if you have pie, you’re a winner no matter what!
Modified from the Taste and Tell Blog and the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book 16th Edition.
Bready or Not: Basic Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, cold, cut into cubes
- 3/4 cup ice water
Instructions
- Make dough hours in advance or the night before. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add in the cold butter cubes, and either use a pastry blender or pulse the ingredients in a food processor until the butter is pea-sized.
- Pour in the cold water and pulse/mix together until the dough forms a loose ball. I like to use my hands at this point. The dough may be sticky, but it will firm up well.
- Pour dough onto a floured surface. Divide into two balls and fallen them into discs. Wrap each disc in parchment paper, then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour before placing in pie dish, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Roll out the refrigerated dough into a 12-inch round. Press it into a 9-inch dish, trimming the excess and pinching the edges. Wrap loosely with plastic wrap and freeze at least two hours before using, or keep frozen up to three months.
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Pie
Ingredients
- 1 single unbaked pie crust
- 1 Tablespoon raw sugar or coarse sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon divided
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract divided
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk or almond milk
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. In a bowl, combine the tablespoon of coarse or raw sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Brush the 1 Tablespoon of melted butter on the bottom of the pie crust, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter. Set aside on a cookie sheet.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, water, corn syrup, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the brown sugar. Let everything boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and set the pot aside to cool.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the 1/4 cup softened butter until it's creamy. Add the 1/2 cup of white sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar until it's just mixed. Beat in the egg and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Slowly beat in the milk. Add in the flour until it's just incorporated.
- Spread the cookie dough mixture evenly in the pie crust. Get the saucepan, and slowly pour the syrup over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Cover the edges of the pie with foil or a pie shield; bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil/shield. Continue to bake about 20 more minutes, until the top of the pie is puffed and golden brown--and looks like a snickerdoodle! Use the toothpick test in the middle of the pie to make sure it's done.
- Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. The leftovers are good cold, but are even better if warmed in the oven or toaster oven. Reheat a slice wrapped in aluminum foil at 375-degrees for about 10-12 minutes; it'll get warm through, and caramelize the top.
- OM NOM NOM!
