Operation Baking Gals R6

Saturday starts a new round of Operation Baking Gals, so I'm stocking the freezer with a few types of cookies so that I'm all ready to pack my box early in the shipping period. As I've said in other posts, I love versitile cookie doughs. My favorite chocolate chip cookie dough (other than one that I've already posted) is one that I can do so many things with. Today I chose to make Valentine Sugar Cookies and Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies out of the dough.

Cookie Dough
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 pkg. instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp. vanilla (I really just do a few glugs)
1/2 tbsp. butter flavoring (the pantry has been out of this, as well)
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar for a few minutes. Add pudding mix and extracts. Beat in eggs until mixture is really light and fluffy. Add flour and baking soda and mix until well combined.

For the sugar cookies, I used vanilla pudding mix. I rolled tbsp. full of dough in sugar/sprinkle mix (the dough is soft and sticky, so you have to put it in the sugar first and then roll it) and then baked on ungreased cookie sheets for about 10 or so minutes, or until the edges just started to get golden. You can check the bottoms, too; they should just be light brown.

For the Andes Cookies, I used chocolate pudding mix and added 1 bag of Andes baking chips after my flour was combined. Then I just dropped tbsp. full of dough on ungreased cookie sheets and baked for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, though...I let a few go a little long. These don't look the most beautiful; if I weren't shipping them off to Iraq and had to worry about the "melting" factor, I would of melted more Andes chips and striped them.

I have done so many things with this recipe; added butterscotch chips and chopped honey roasted peanuts...coconut and white chocolate chips...there are SO many different things you can do, especially when you factor in the many types of pudding mix that are out there!

These cookies are INCREDIBLY good, but I have recently realized that if I go "cheap" and use margarine instead of butter, they are too soft and will stick to each other when stored.