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Family-friendly meals made easy!
Make everyday family moments count, with easy recipes that everyone will love. Join our email community to receive tested recipes and tips.
Make everyday family moments count, with easy recipes that everyone will love. Join our email community to receive tested recipes and tips.
Inspired by Charlie Brown’s classic shirt, these easy thumbprint cookies bring Peanuts® nostalgia to your kitchen with just 4 simple ingredients. Filled with creamy vanilla pudding and topped with a playful chocolate zigzag, they’re a fun and festive treat for any occasion. Whether you’re sharing with family or enjoying a quiet moment, these cookies capture the warmth and joy of the Peanuts® gang. Quick to make and irresistibly delicious, this recipe adds a touch of whimsy and sweetness to your day. Celebrate the simple pleasures with a treat that’s as iconic and lovable as Charlie Brown himself—because the best memories are made one cookie at a time.
Here’s what you’ll need for these Charlie Brown bites.
Pillsbury™ Ready to Bake!™ Sugar Cookie Dough: Our classic refrigerated cookie dough is super convenient and makes baking quick and easy. No extra prep needed—just place on a cookie sheet and bake.
Prepared Vanilla Pudding: A shortcut that makes these cookies extra simple. It’s ready to use and easy to find—just look for it in the snack aisle or refrigerator section at your grocery store.
Yellow Gel Food Color: We like to use gel food color because it’s concentrated and gives a bright, bold color. Stick with gel rather than liquid for this recipe to avoid thinning the pudding.
Chocolate Chips: Semisweet chips melt smoothly and have just the right sweetness. Dark or milk chocolate chips will work too, depending on your preference.
Take a quick look at the steps below, then scroll down for the full ingredient list and detailed recipe instructions.
Place cookie dough rounds on a cookie sheet and bake according to package instructions. While the baked cookies are still warm, use the back of a rounded measuring spoon to gently press an indentation into the center of each one.
Let the cookies cool completely before adding the pudding—this helps keep the filling from melting or becoming runny.
Snip off a tiny corner of a food-storage plastic bag (start small—you can always trim more). Try a practice zigzag on waxed paper to get the hang of it, then gently squeeze to pipe the chocolate zigzag across the top of each cookie.
Here are the best methods we’ve tested for storing Charlie Brown bites. For food safety reasons, be sure to refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours.
Store cookies in a single layer in covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Store cookies in a single layer in a covered, freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Remove frozen cookies from container and place in a single layer on a plate or tray. Let stand uncovered for about 10 minutes or until thawed. We do not recommend thawing in the microwave or the oven as the pudding will melt before the cookies are thawed out.
Here are some simple twists to try for tasty variations.
Change the Cookie Dough: Use your favorite Pillsbury™ Ready to Bake!™ Cookie Dough like Chocolate Chip or Birthday Cake.
Roll Cookie Dough In Sugar: We love to roll the cookies in coarse sparkling sugar or colored decorating sugar before baking, for a festive touch.
Swap the Pudding Flavor: Try chocolate, butterscotch, or lemon pudding—use prepared pudding or make your own.
Add Fun Toppings: Sprinkle chopped nuts, candy pieces, or toffee bits on top, or drizzle with caramel.
Heat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies as directed on package. Immediately after baking, use back of round metal measuring tablespoon to make 1 1/2-inch-wide indentation in center of each cookie. Cool 3 minutes on cookie sheets. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
In a medium bowl, place pudding and yellow food color; stir to make yellow pudding. Spoon about 1 tablespoon pudding into center of each cookie filling indentation.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 seconds, stir. Continue heating in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Place melted chocolate in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; partially seal bag. Cut off tiny corner of bag.
Squeeze bag to drizzle melted chocolate in zig zag line over cookies. Let stand 15 minutes. Store loosely covered in single layer in refrigerator.
Use parchment paper to line cookie sheets for easy cleanup.
To easily spoon pudding in center of each cookie, spoon tinted pudding into small resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut tiny corner off bag, and pipe into center of each cookie.
| Food Component / Nutrient | Amount | % , Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 4&½g | 7% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 9% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Omega-3 | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 90mg | 4% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 16g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Soluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Insoluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Sugars | 10g | % Value Not Available |
| Protein | 1g | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin D | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Calcium | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Iron | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Potassium | 30mg | 1% |
| Vitamin A | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin C | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin E | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Thiamin | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Riboflavin | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Niacin | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin B6 | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Folic Acid | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin B12 | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Pantothenic Acid | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Phosphorus | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Magnesium | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Zinc | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Manganese | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Selenium | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Copper | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Beta-Carotene | Value Not Available | % Value Not Available |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | ||
