Scrumptious Cookie Salad! It’s a side dish…it’s a dessert…it’s an extra-special, orange-shortbread cookie-pudding recipe! You gotta try this!
Only five ingredients and 10 minutes stand between you and this creamy, crunchy, fluffy, super-fun Cookie Salad recipe! Sweet vanilla pudding made with tangy buttermilk and frozen whipped topping, blended with mandarin oranges and fudge-striped shortbread cookies for one of the most unique and delicious side dishes (or desserts) you’ve ever enjoyed! Perfect for your next potluck or family gathering!
Cookie Salad as a Side Dish
Cookies in a salad? ABSOLUTELY!
If you grew up in the South or Midwest, Jell-O “salad” and Cranberry Fluff are practically staples! And we all love marshmallows on sweet potatoes and cinnamon sugar on baked apples. Some of us even indulge in candied bacon and chocolate gravy. How many times have we all enjoyed a milkshake with our burgers?
Sure, Cookie “salad” may fall a little “outside the box”, but don’t let that stand in the way of your total enjoyment of this quick and easy, surprisingly delightful side dish!
Other Recipes that Turn Sweets into Salads!
- Ambrosia Salad is another sweet, tangy crowd-pleasing side dish (or dessert!)
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad is a well-loved dessert side dish that works for every occasion!
Ingredients
Pudding: For the cookie salad fluff, we’re combining instant vanilla pudding mix with cold buttermilk and frozen whipped topping! Sweet, tangy, rich, and delicious!
Fruit: This side salad uses mandarin oranges – their citrus flavor perfectly balances the sweetness of the shortbread cookie. You could add other fruit if you wanted, like crushed pineapple or fresh berries.
Cookies: Fudge-striped shortbread cookies are the perfect cookie for this salad – lightly sweet with the perfect soft crunch!
How to Make Cookie Salad
STEP ONE: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the vanilla pudding mix with the buttermilk for 2 minutes. Fold in the whipped topping.
STEP TWO: Drain the juice off the oranges and gently fold the fruit into the pudding. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
STEP THREE: Just before serving, crumble the cookies and add them to the bowl. Stir everything to incorporate the cookies into the salad. Sprinkle some cookie pieces on top or add a couple of whole cookies as a garnish. I like to add a few orange segments on top, too.
Tips for Success
- Be sure to drain the juice off the mandarin oranges.
- Put the cookies in a plastic baggie to crumble them without making a mess.
- Don’t add the cookies until right before serving (unless you like soggy cookies!)
- You can make this salad in layers for a large dish, trifle, or a petite glass parfait!
- Pineapple chunks or berries can be substituted for, or added to, the oranges, if you like!
Can You Use Pre-Made Ingredients for Cookie Salad?
Yes! That’s the basis for this recipe – instant pudding, Cool Whip, and a package of store-bought fudge-striped cookies. They work wonderfully! Of course, you can always start from scratch with any or all of these elements if you so choose!
Can You Make Cookie Salad in Advance?
You can easily make this shortbread cookie salad recipe a day in advance; add in the crumbled cookies right before serving! We don’t recommend making this more than a day or two ahead of time, however, as the pudding can start to separate and become watery.
Other Sweet, Creamy Pudding Recipes
- Butterfinger Pudding Cookies
- Creamy Fruit Salad with Vanilla Pudding
- Eggnog Rice Pudding
- Banana Pudding Pops
- Lemon Pudding Pie
- White Chocolate Cherry Pudding Cookies
*This post originally posted on 04/24/2014.
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk cold
- 5.1 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
- 12 ounces Cool Whip thawed (or 3 cups homemade)
- 22 ounces canned mandarin oranges drained
- 11.5 ounces Fudge Stripes cookies coarsely crushed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla pudding mix for 2 minutes until it begins to thicken.
- Fold in the Cool Whip using a rubber spatula until evenly combined. Add the oranges and stir gently. (I like to reserve a few oranges for garnish later.)
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Add the crushed cookies just before serving and stir until incorporated. Garnish with a couple of whole cookies or some crushed cookies and a few orange segments.
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