OATMEAL PUDDING COOKIES

I am always fascinated how some things work out. 
Back in August I shared a recipe for Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies during my first-ever Amish Week. I had discovered the recipe(s) in one of my Amish cookbooks. I say "recipes" because I didn't just find one recipe but about 4 of them...each different in one way or the other. I chose one of the recipes and produced one of the best chocolate cookies I have ever made. (I took some of them to the guys next door and they later told me how much they had liked them.)

Last week I decided to straighten up my pantry in the kitchen. I hadn't done it in a while. On one of the shelves I have my wooden recipe box and my mother's red metal one. On top of both were some recipe cards that I had pulled out for whatever reason and had just never got around to putting them back. Imagine my surprise when I picked up a piece of paper with printed recipes that I had taken from the grocery store. It was advertising Jell-O instant pudding mixes and had two recipes on the back - one for chocolate chip pudding cookies and one for oatmeal pudding cookies. (The chocolate chip recipe was like one of the recipes from the cookbook, but not the one I chose to share here.) Since everyone liked the ones I made and my husband likes oatmeal cookies so much, I set the recipe "card" aside to make them soon.

I substituted craisins for the raisins because I am still out of raisins. I need to write it on my grocery list. Well, with just one bite, my husband pronounced them "good". Actually he used stronger words than that. That should tell you something if you follow my blog.

OATMEAL PUDDING COOKIES

1-1/4      cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1             teaspoon baking soda
1             cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4         cup granulated sugar
3/4        cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1             pkg (4 serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix (I used a sugar-free one)
2           eggs
3-1/2    cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1            cup raisins or craisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix flour with baking soda. 

Combine butter, the sugar, and pudding mix in large mixer bowl; beat until smooth and creamy. 

Beat in eggs. 

Gradually add flour mixture,

then stir in oats and craisins. Batter will be stiff. 

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. (I used my cookie scoop. If you don't want round cookies, turn the cookie dough over before placing it on the cookie sheet so that the flat side is up - or flatten the dough slightly with your fingers before baking them.)

Bake 10 - 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.