Occasionally you need to say thank you. Thanksgiving week seems about as good a time as any, right? Our lovely neighbors have really been there for us over the past few weeks. Sometimes just as a face appearing over the fence to say howdy and make sure that we are still hanging in there, other times as an extra pair of hands to help B.O.B. Bob take some heavy-mother-f’ing metal shit off the back of his truck late at night. Lets just face it; Colleen lifting heavy shit just usually doesn’t work. My arm strength is pretty much non-existent, and I’m a complete klutz to boot. Me helping out would most likely end up with a not so fun trip to the emergency room at midnight. And as for Brenna, well she refuses to do manual labor in general. So I’m all about asking for help, and our neighbors have been absolutely willing to give it. So crazy, lovable, amazingly awesome neighbors…here’s the biggest thank you I can muster…with cookies.
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Pancake Mix
- 1 (3.9-oz) Box Instant Chocolate Pudding and Pie Filling
- 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Instant Espresso Coffee
- 1/3 Cup Unsalted Butter, Melted
- 1 Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 (10.5-oz) Bag Reese’s Pieces
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix the pancake mix, chocolate pudding, salt, coffee, and melted butter together on low-speed, until just incorporated.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until just combined.
- Use a spatula to mix in the Reese’s Pieces.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop rounded dough balls onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven, and flatten with the bottom of a glass.
- Allow to rest 5 minutes, before removing to a baking rack to cool completely.
Suggestions:
- Do not over mix this cookie dough; mix until just incorporated.
- Use whatever pancake mix you have in your pantry. I just happened to have this pancake mix from Stonewall Kitchen leftover from the basket of goodies we won in the Washington Capitals Silent Auction.
- After using the cookie scoop to form even dough balls, you will need to use your hands to squish the Reese’s pieces into the dough. Get in there. Don’t be afraid.
- Using less Reese’s Pieces will make the cookies easier to mold into balls, but won’t taste nearly as delicious.
Improvements:
- Replace the Reese’s Pieces with Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips of finely chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
- Substitute white chocolate pudding and pie filling for chocolate, and use mini semi-sweet chocolate chips in lieu of Reese’s Pieces.
