Mmmm...Cookies!

I pinned these cookies a week or two ago (and posted about them) and I've been dying to make them ever since!  Anything with Reese's Pieces is good in my book! 

 Here is the original pin:

Source: foodgawker.com via Emily on Pinterest

I followed this recipe to a T except I omitted the peanut butter chips.  I figured peanut butter cookies with the Reese's Pieces was enough!  I also always try to substitute certain items with "healthier" items when baking.  I have yet to notice a difference!

You can find the original recipe at Sweet Pea's Kitchen.  

Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

Soft peanut butter pudding cookies bursting with milk chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and Reese's Pieces.

YIELD: 3 dozen cookies

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 10 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup reese's pieces
1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 35o°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and pudding; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla extract and honey and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beat to combine. Add chocolate chips, reeses pieces and peanut butter chips and mix until incorporated. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1½-inch ball between your palms and then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart (you should be able to fit 12 cookies on each sheet). Using your palm, gently flatten the dough balls until they are about ¾ inch thick.
Bake 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

The recipe says to roll the dough into 1.5" balls and then flatten the balls.  I used my cookie scoop instead of rolling and then flattened the cookies with my palm.  They seemed like big balls (that's what she said) but the cookies turned out perfectly sized!

Here's the end result.  YUM!  I love that they didn't spread at all, they're so thick and fluffy!

The recipe says it makes about 3 dozen.  I got 41 cookies out of this batch!  I decided to freeze some.  I placed them on a foil lined baking pan and froze them overnight.  Then I transferred them to a freezer baggie with the baking information (I usually add about 4 minutes to the original baking time).

I'm linking up with Stephanie and Katie again!