Vanilla Pudding Snickerdoodle Cookies

Vanilla Pudding Snickerdoodles - made dough January 1, 2013, recipe adapted from Something Swanky

My sweet tooth seems to be returning.  (Let's not kid ourselves, it was never lurking too far away.)  But I did have impetus to bake cookies since I was meeting my cousin Christine and her son, Vanilla King, for dinner last week.  One of Vanilla King's favorite cookies is Snickerdoodles.  He doesn't like chocolate but he likes white chocolate (we just call them vanilla chips - shhh, it's all in the perception).  So I decided to go with a combo of the two.  I didn't have the white chocolate instant pudding mix that Something Swanky's original recipe called for so I went with plain vanilla pudding mix since I already had it in hand.

The rest of the recipe is like a traditional chocolate chip cookie.  But the key difference is not only the pudding mix addition but also the teaspoon of cinnamon.  I loved this cookie.  When you eat it warm (give it at least 10 minutes out of the oven to cool slightly), the edges are crunchy and the middle is moist and light.  The cinnamon gives it a really nice flavor as does the cinnamon sugar coating.  At room temperature, it's almost even better,  The cookie is chewy and moist.  Definitely a good choice for Vanilla King.

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3.4 oz. package white chocolate instant pudding mix (I used vanilla pudding mix)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For coating
1/3 cup cinnamon sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350º (unless you're going to freeze the dough first). Prepare baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars.
3. Add eggs first, and mix in, then add remaining ingredients, except the cinnamon sugar. Mix well.
4. Scoop out with a cookie scooper (about 3 tablespoons worth) and roll the dough ball in the cinnamon sugar, coating completely.
5. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until slightly golden and just set in the middle. Do not overbake. Let cool on baking sheet.