Buddy the Elf Pudding Cookies
If you’re looking for a festive Christmas cookie to make this year, look no further. And if you’ve seen the movie Elf, you know as well as I do that Buddy would love these cookies.
These cookies are loaded with fun holiday flavors, like candy canes, chocolate, mini marshmallows, and even some red and green sprinkles to add a delicious, colorful touch! Every bite melts in your mouth and each bite is more delicious than the last. You’ll definitely want to grab one (or two) of these and some hot cocoa when you snuggle up to watch your favorite holiday movie!
The holidays are the time to indulge in sweet and festive treats, and these delicious Buddy the Elf Pudding Cookies hit the spot every time. They’re soft and chewy on the inside, with a slight crunch on the outside. The texture is everything a chocolate chip cookie should be, and the added candy ingredients just make it that much more fun to enjoy!
How to make pudding cookies:
- Cream together butter and sugar. This is the very first step, and perhaps one of the most important! Be sure to continue mixing for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is light, fluffy, and airy. This step is crucial in providing that chewy cookie texture that everyone loves.
- Add in vanilla, eggs, and pudding mix. Similar to step 1, be sure to let this mix for the proper amount of time, until mixture is cohesive, light, and airy!
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the candies last, so they don’t break up too much in the mixer.
- Drop cookies by 1/4 cup onto the prepared baking sheet and bake. These are large cookies, yes, but trust me, you’re going to be glad!
What’s the secret to giving these cookies the perfect texture? Instant pudding mix! The instant pudding mix works like magic and adds a delightful moistness and a sweet vanilla flavor that’s impossible to resist. Just add the dry mix right in with your raw batter, then shape the cookies and let the oven do the rest! It’s that simple.
Pudding cookie baking tips:
- Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature before baking. Do so by placing them on the counter about 30 minutes before you start baking!
- Shape the raw cookie dough into tall, skinny mounds when placing on the cookie sheet, as opposed to round balls. As they bake, the cookies will fall and flatten slightly, but they will retain more depth resulting in a thicker, chewier cookie!
- Refrigerate the raw dough for 15-30 minutes before baking. This also helps the cookies maintain that thick shape and delicious texture!
- Don’t overbake them! They may seem slightly soft still when transferring from baking sheet to the cooking rack, but they will continue cooking for a few minutes after you remove them from the oven, and will harden as they cool.
If you love these cookies, be sure to try out my other pudding cookie recipes below!
- Sweet & Salty Christmas Compost Pudding Cookies
- Eggnog Latte Pudding Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Pudding Cookies
If you make these Buddy the Elf cookies or any of the other recipes on my site, I’d love for you to post a picture. Be sure to tag me on social media (Facebook or Instagram) so I can see your creation!
Buddy the Elf Pudding Cookies
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 3.4 oz packet instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup mini marshmallows
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup crushed candy canes
- 2 Tbsp red and green sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer on high speed, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skip this step! Add pudding mix, vanilla, eggs, and continue to beat on high speed for 2-3 more minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Increase mixer speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add candy canes, sprinkles, chocolate chips, marshmallows, and sprinkles, and give it another good mix just until well incorporated.
- Drop cookies by 1/4 cup onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges and cookies are just set in the middle. While cookies are still warm, press more crushed candy canes into the tops of cookies if desired! Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then tcarefully ransfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store leftover cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months!