Recipe: Pistachio Pudding Cookies

I often scroll through the Cosmopolitan Twitter feed, and I came across a link that posted several recipes you could make with boxed cake mixes. I translated that to mean, "Really easy, really yummy desserts," so I thought I'd try one.

I chose to make the Pistachio Pudding Cookies, since I love pistachio pudding. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 small box instant pistachio pudding mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1.5 cups white chocolate chips
• (optional nuts)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 3/4 teaspoon almond extract. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
3. Add in 1.5 cups white chocolate chips and stir.
4. Measure out 1 tablespoon dough rounds and place on cookie sheet leaving space between each one. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.

Yield: about 30 cookies
Prep Time: 5 mins. Cook time: 12 mins.
Total time: 17 mins.

Recipe inspired by allrecipes.com Cake Mix Cookies IV

I will say that the cookies are good (soft texture), but they didn't actually taste too much like pistachio, which is the flavor I really wanted. But I do like the variety of cookies you could make with this basic recipe. You could use lemon cake/pudding/extract, or vanilla pudding and orange extract for a creamsicle-like taste. And note: I made them by rolling the dough into little balls with my hands, and they took closer to 16 minutes to bake, not 12.