Chocolate Crunch Pudding Cookies

By srumbel

Chocolate pudding mix and cocoa powder give these soft cookies a rich chocolate taste. Chocolate chips and Nestle Buncha Crunch add a fun twist.
from insidebrucrewlife.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix (3.4 oz)
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's dark cocoa powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups Bunch a Crunch candy pieces (9 oz. bag)
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons shortening

Details

Servings 24
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 28mins

Preparation

Step 1

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again. Sift together the dry pudding mix, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Add slowly to the creamed mixture until a dough forms. Stir in the mini chocolate chips and candy crunch pieces by hand. The dough will be very stiff.
Press 2 Tablespoons dough into a whoopie pie or muffin top pan that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove the pan and let the cookies sit for 2-3 minutes before gently removing them to a wire rack to cool all the way. The cookies will be soft, but they will set up as they cool.
Place the white chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat. Stir until melted and creamy. Spoon into a plastic bag and cut one tip off. Drizzle over the tops of the cookies. Let set. Store in a sealed container. Makes 24 cookies.
Notes

*You can also roll the cookie dough into 36 dough balls if you do not have a whoopie pie pan. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 7-8 minutes. Tap the tops of the cookies with the back of a spatula when they come out of the oven.