Baby You're a Firework (Pudding Cookie)

I'm not really sure how it happened, but it's already July 1st. That means we'll be packing up after work Thursday and heading to the lake for a long weekend with friends and family. There will be fishing, boating, tanning, swimming, laughing, fireworks and lots of eating taking place. It also called for some patriotic baking on my end, naturally! I wanted something quick and easy that I could throw together one night after work this week, but it also needed to be something that doesn't need to be refrigerated as space in the refrigerator camper is limited. So while a  red, white and blue cheesecake cake would've been awesome, it just wasn't plausible (or practical) for this weekend.  Cookies are my specialty anyway and I have an arsenal of recipes tucked away, but I wanted something different. When I saw this recipe as I was scanning through Pinterest, I knew it would be perfect! After all, who doesn't love sprinkles? Especially when they're red, white and blue!!



Firework Pudding Cookies
(Recipe from Dorothy at Crazy for Crust)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 box (3.4 ounces) INSTANT Vanilla Pudding Mix (just the mix, don't make the pudding)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup red, white and blue sprinkles 
• 3/4 cup 4th of July M&M's

Directions:

1. Cream butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in egg and vanilla until smooth. Add pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined. Mix in flour, then stir in sprinkles and M&Ms.
2. Scoop cookie dough into 2 tablespoon balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes. (this may seem a little time consuming, but I just use the chill time to clean up my messy kitchen and let the oven preheat!) 
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chilled cookie dough balls 2” apart on cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes (ovens vary and I found that it took more like 15 minutes) or until the edges just start to turn brown. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to one month.

#America

Last night was really the only opportunity I was going to have to make these, so after baking and cooling, I put them in an airtight container and stuck them in the freezer! That way they won't all disappear they'll still be fresh come Saturday. These were the perfect cookie to fit my schedule this week, plus they were a tasty and easy cookie to make and could very easily be adapted to fit any holiday!

I hope everyone has a fun and SAFE 4th of July weekend. Happy Independence Day, America!!!