Pudding cookies. As in, pudding mix mixed into the cookie dough. Brilliant.

I have been reading a lot about this pudding mix cookie thing for a while now and have been itching to try my own.

While perusing the grocery store aisles (AKA wandering around aimlessly and staring at every single product for at least 1 full minute trying to decide what I wanted to buy and eat for the week) I found myself in front of the pudding mixes.

Let me tell you, there are a lot of different types of pudding mixes, but the banana pudding mix caught my eye almost immediately and I thought, “umm, yes. Banana pudding cookies. Those would be amazing.”

And, of course, when you have banana pudding you need to have vanilla wafers. You have to. I’m pretty sure it’s some sort of rule somewhere in the world and I always (for the most part) abide by the rules.

So vanilla wafers are in and white chocolate chips are in too. Just for fun.

Also just for fun, I decided to take these cookies to the next level: I turned them into bars.

Literally. They have more than one level: vanilla wafer crust + white chocolate + banana pudding cookie dough.

So soft. So crumbly. So flavorful. So delicious. Thank you, pudding mix.

If you have never baked cookies/cookie bars with pudding mix try them now pleaseeeeee. They are so good.

Bake up a batch and bring them to a picnic this weekend.

Sometimes my evening plans don’t go quite as expected. But hey, that’s ok. When life hands you lemons…

Make lemon cookies.

Last night was the Medtronic TC 1 Mile. Or it was supposed to be anyways. But the weather was all like, “Nah, nah, nah. This 1 Mile ain’t gonna happen.” (You know, because that is obviously how the weather talks.) There was rain, booming thunder, lightening, tornado watches, and no 1 Mile.

Frown face.

It’s unfortunate, because the TC 1 Mile is such a great event. It caters to families, friends, co-workers, local competitive runners, and even to professional and Olympic runners. Spectators line the both sides of Nicollet Mall yelling and cheering people on. It’s such an insane and happy environment; I love it.

As a part of the Marketing Committee for Twin Cities in Motion I was supposed to head up the Cheer Zone at The Dakota. Here I would pass out various noisemakers and encourage people to have fun and cheer. Tough job. There are five total cheer zones located at bars/restaurants along the course. I did it last year and it was such a blast. However, for the safety of the volunteers, spectators, and runners they decided to call off the event. Unfortunate, but you do whatcha gotta do.

Then I found myself with an entirely open night, so I decided to bake some cookies. Because that is what happens when I have free time.

I instantly knew what cookies I was going to bake. I have been thinking about them ever since I read this recipe. I didn’t have lemon infused olive oil, but I did have basil infused olive oil. I thought it would combine perfectly with some lemon juice and zest in a delicious, sugary cookie. I was riiiiiighttt.

These cookies are so simple and quick to make – no mixer required! There are a few bowls involved, but I was able to clean up and wash all the dishes before they were even out of the oven (bonus!). They are light and chewy and taste like biting into summery, sunshiney day. They made me feel better about the cancelled race and raging spring thunderstorm that was occurring outside.

While I was in the middle of baking these cookies, my friends texted me to join them for wine. I couldn’t resist. So I finished up my baking, ate a quick salad, packed up the cookies, threw on my rain boots, and tra-la-la-ed my way to meet them at a cozy little restaurant. We had things to celebrate and things to complain about, stories to share, cookies to eat, and wine to drink. Although my evening didn’t go exactly as planned, it was still a wonderful night.

Are you doing anything tonight? If no, go bake these. You can bring them to your mama on Sunday.

Sometimes I just need to bake cookies.

And by need I of course mean want. There are about 5,093,782 other things that I need to do right now. Ok, maybe more like 5, but 5 is still a lot. It’s actually a whole hand’s worth of things! However, the only thing I actually want to do is to bake cookies. And then to eat them save them for other people.

So that’s precisely what I am doing right now, as I type, because multitasking is one of my strong points.

It has been quite the whirlwind of a week. As I mentioned in my last post, I spent last Thursday-Tuesday with friends in Boston. It was spectacular in every way. We celebrated my birthday, visited Sam Adams, explored the city, drank good beer, cooked Easter brunch, watched Disney movies, and participated in the Boston Marathon as spectators. There may have also been a game of Disney Trivial Pursuit followed by a dance party to Edward Sharpe’s Home with pineapple guitars and cat wand batons. I have the most amazing friends.

Here is a pictorial summary of food, drink, and fun sites from the weekend: Also, before moving on I must say that watching the Boston Marathon was truly inspiring. I yelled. I cheered. I shed a tear (or two). There were a handful of people from my run club, Calhoun Beach Run Club, and all of them did absolutely amazing. I was so proud to see them run by and screamed my lungs out for them. Unfortunately, with the already ridiculously loud and fantastic crowd I don’t think any of them actually heard me. But seriously, it was a truly wonderful and humbling thing to observe. It made me want to sign up for another marathon and train with my friends. Philadelphia in November, perhaps? We shall see…

From Boston I headed straight over to Buffalo, NY for work. It wasn’t too busy and it wasn’t un-fun. It was actually quite productive and successful; however, it just wasn’t home.

BUT now, as of a few hours ago, I am home. In my kitchen. Where I belong. Baking cookies.

Thursday nights are really good nights for baking. I don’t know why, but I feel like I tend to bake a lot on Thursday nights. Maybe because it’s just so close to Friday that it practically feels like the weekend, meaning I can stay up late and bake cookies. Or maybe it’s because I feel like I deserve a baked good (and perhaps a glass of wine) after almost successfully surviving another week. Or maybe because I want to bring my co-workers a Friday treat. Or maybe because it is just a random coincidence with no actual meaning behind it.

All of the above could be true. All of the above could be false. On this specific Thursday night I decided that I just needed to bake cookies.

The butter, sugar, eggs, and chocolate chips were calling my name: “Jenna, you have been gone for so long! Use us! Stir us up in a bowl and put us in the nice, hot oven so that we can turn into beautiful, delicious cookies!” Ok, ingredients. I hear you. I will grant this wish of yours.

Side note: I am not crazy, I promise.

Except that I am crazy… in love with these cookies. I didn’t stop with just chocolate chips. Oh no, not tonight. I also threw in some oats, corn flakes, and nuts. They are the perfect balance between crispy and chewy with the little hints of chocolate in each bite.

This recipe is a tried and true one that my mother has used for years. They are always present at our somewhat special-ish occasions: high school graduations, summer gatherings, road trips, etc. I once asked for a recipe and she sent me a pictures of it jotted down on the front and back of an old index card. This fact makes me love them even more. I did add a little bit more detail to the recipe, just for you.