Baby Ruth Pudding Cookies from Fun with the Fullwoods

Baby Ruth Pudding Cookies - made dough November 1, 2023 from Fun with the Fullwoods

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1-2 cups Baby Ruth bars, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mix fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined, 1-2 minutes. Add dry vanilla instant pudding mix and mix to combine.
4. Add eggs and vanilla; mix to combine.
5. Add dry ingredients in two additions, beating on low speed after each addition, until just combined.
6. Fold in chopped Baby Ruth bars. Portion dough into golf-ball-size dough balls and flatten slightly. Evenly space on baking sheets. Bake 8-12 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Remove from heat and transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Back to recipes using up my leftover Halloween candy for the next few posts (I had a lot of leftover candy). These were really good. The dough was easy to work with and they didn't spread too much. The pudding mix adds a softer texture. The edges didn't get too crisp but the texture and flavor were good.

While I normally don't care for nuts in cookies, I forgave them in this cookie since nuts are part of Baby Ruth candy bars and that's what I was using up.

The hardest part of this cookie is the Baby Ruths melt and leak out of the cookies during baking. I did the swirling trick again to tidy up the edges but the hot nougat-caramel (what's in a Baby Ruth, btw? Never mind, don’t tell me) was sticky and clung to the sides of the metal cookie cutter I was using to swirl the cookies to more neat roundness. So these aren't as perfectly circular as they could've been. But still delicious nonetheless.