Reese's Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

When I eat Reese's Pieces it brings me back to being a kid and sitting in the movie theater. I would buy a box of them before the movie started and then sit back and relax and watch a chick flick on the big screen in front of me. When I grew up, something called Netflix was born. What we call today, Netflix and Chill, was an important part of my twenties. On rare nights when I wasn't hanging out with friends or working in a restaurant, I'd be at my apartment. I'd pop a DVD in and then snack on what I considered to be pretty incredible. Chocolate and popcorn together was my first into to sweet and salty. Reese's Pieces and M&M's do the trick just right. Just sprinkle some on top of your popcorn and snack away while you watch the movie. So super relaxing and oh, so tasty. I'm sure you've tried it and loved it, too. 

And if you're a Reese's Pieces fan like I am and you also love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, then you've gotta try these cookies. They are peanut butter cookies with a vanilla pudding mix added in for extra softness. Then both candies are added to the dough and you bake the cookies for ten minutes. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away from them, so right after baking I stuck half of the batch in the freezer. I'm also glad I have three boys to help me eat them. These cookies are basically triple peanut butter so if you aren't a peanut butter fan they may not be for you. If these sound good to you then I invite you to whip up a batch for your next movie night, or even just to share with the special people in your life. 

The only change I made to the recipe I found here was I didn't add the chocolate chips. I felt like three kinds of candy sounded a little overboard. It looks like I also forgot to cut the peanut butter cups in half. I see now how much better that would have looked. Oh well, because the cookies still taste yummy!

Reese's Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:

     3/4 cup butter, softened

     1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

     1/2 cup sugar

     1/2 cup brown sugar

     2 eggs

     1 Tablespoon honey

     1 teaspoon vanilla

     2 1/4 cups flour

     1 teaspoon baking soda

     1/2 teaspoon salt

     1 - 3.4 box instant vanilla pudding

     1 cup chocolate chips

     1 1/4 cups halved Reese's mini peanut butter cups, divided

     1 cup mini Reese's Pieces, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the butter until creamy. Add the peanut butter and sugars and beat again.

Add the eggs, honey, and vanilla and beat until mixed in.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix. Slowly add to the butter mixture until everything is mixed in.

Stir in the chocolate chips, 1 cup peanut butter cups, and 3/4 cup Reese's Pieces gently. Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to make 36 dough balls. Press the remaining candy into the tops of the dough balls. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let rest on the hot cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then gently move to a piece of parchment paper. Let the cookies cool completely before storing in a tightly sealed container.