I’ve been holding out on a good one for you guys. I’ve been patiently impatiently storing it in my back pocket, waiting for the perfect time. But then I realized, there’s never a wrong time to share this one with you. It’s without a doubt, my favorite cookie to date. It’s Cookies ‘n Cream Cookies, folks! I love a lot of desserts and have tried a lot of cookies, so for this to be my favorite is definitely saying something!

I think I came across this cookie while still in grad school and I haven’t looked back since. Whenever I need to bring a dessert to an event or am having people over, I know this is a guaranteed winner. None of that worry about whether it’ll turn out or if people will like it. It has Oreos in it. It has white chocolate chips spattered throughout. It has pudding and sugar in it. How can you go wrong? You can’t.

And because I always make it for people, everybody always asks for the recipe. Later I get a text or a call from them saying they made it for a group and everybody there raved about it, too. I’m sure this recipe has already made it into several hands already. But why not try for more?

Actually, now that I think about it, a lot of people have seen this recipe…everybody at my wedding, that is. Since I love food and baking so much (it kind of goes along with my job), I decided cookie cutters with some of Philip and mine’s favorite cookie recipes would make for great guest favors! It was fun being able to share some of our favorites. Of course, for me it was this cookie.

Alright. Enough talking about everybody who has the recipe already. Let me show you, too!

Here’s the line up:

This cookie is made pretty much like any other drop cookie. Contrary to what you may think when you see “cream butter and sugar together,” start by creaming the butter by itself first until it’s soft and creamy. This helps incorporate air into the cookies, making it light and fluffy. Then add in the sugars and cream those with the butter. Next enters in the instant pudding mix. This is what makes this cookie ultra chewy and soft—which is a must in my cookies. I’m not a fan of crispy cookies. I like them on the verge of being underdone.

Stir in the vanilla and eggs next. Once blended, add in the remaining dry ingredients: flour and baking soda.

Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and the chopped Oreos (or smashed if you’re making them with me). To crush the Oreos, just place the needed amount in a freezer Zip-Loc bag and hit with a rolling pin. It’s a great way to let out some aggression! If you want to be proper and polite about it, though, I suppose a quick pulse in the food processor would work, too. You just want it coarsely chopped, though, so don’t get too carried away!

The dough will be pretty thick (and also really tasty!), so don’t be alarmed. The most important tip I can give you is to not over bake (this is so important I debated on whether to write that in all caps, but decided that may be too harsh…but it is that important!). After being in the oven for about 10 minutes, they won’t look done, but that’s okay. The cookies are done just when the tops are beginning to brown. The less brown on the cookies, the better. The cookies will continue to cook and set up as they sit. Just trust me on this one!

The final result is a chewy, gooey cookie that is full of that cookies ‘n cream flavor. The cookies ‘n cream pudding mix really gives it that extra bit of flavor we’re after, but mostly, it makes it extra chewy and everything a cookie should be. Pour a glass of milk, try these cookies out, and keep this traveling recipe going!

Cookies ‘n Cream Cookies

Yields 3 dozen cookies
Slightly adapted from: Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 (4.2 ounce) package Cookies ‘n Creme pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 15 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add and blend in the pudding mix. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour and baking soda and blend until smooth.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips and crushed Oreo cookies.
4. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookie tops barely have a touch of brown. Do not over bake! The cookies will not look done when you take them out of the oven.
6. Let cookies cool on a wire cookie rack before storing in an airtight container.