These chocolate chip pudding cookies are such yummy chocolate chip cookies. Adding dry vanilla pudding mix to the cookies keeps them extra soft and gooey in the middle. Perfect served warm with a cold glass of milk!
This chocolate chip pudding cookie recipe is fail proof. It’s so easy to make, and the cookie dough can be made in one bowl, in only a few minutes.
I first had chocolate chip pudding cookies when my friend Ali was my roommate many years ago. I never got the recipe directly from Ali, but I found another recipe and these pudding cookies are seriously perfection. This recipe was inspired by this recipe I found on AllRecipes.
This recipe for chocolate chip pudding cookies has become one of my go tos, and I have made them so many times now. I make them when I’m craving soft chocolate chip cookies, when I need to take a plate of cookies to the neighbors, or when I need to bring a dessert to a potluck.
The vanilla pudding mix adds another dimension to these cookies, giving them a little boost in extra flavor, and keeping them extra soft and moist, with perfect chewy centers. They are so good! (Just as a reminder you don’t make the pudding as per the directions on the box, you’ll just use the dry instant pudding mix directly from the box)
Ingredients Needed:
- unsalted butter
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- box of instant vanilla pudding mix – the secret ingredient to these cookies, it makes them the softest chocolate chip cookies. You just want the powdered mix, not the prepared pudding.
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking soda
- salt
- chocolate chips
How to make Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies?
These cookies are made similar to most traditional chocolate chip cookies. You’ll start by creaming together your butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cream them together for a couple of minutes. Then add in the eggs, and vanilla extract, and the dry pudding mix. Mix until they’re just combined.
Then add in the dry ingredients, add in your flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix it all together until you have a nice soft dough.
Then fold in the chocolate chips. You can use your favorite chocolate chips (milk chocolate, semi sweet, white chocolate, or even butterscotch, peanut butter chips, or cinnamon chips).
Scoop the dough into balls that are about the size of a golf ball and roll them into little balls. Place a couple extra chocolate chips on top of the cookie dough balls to make the cookies look extra nice.
Place them on a prepared baking sheet and bake them in the oven until they are just set and the tops just start to turn golden brown. It’s okay if they look a little under baked as they will continue baking on the pan as they cool for a few minutes, and that keeps the middle of the cookies nice and soft.
After they’ve cooled and set for a few minutes on the cookie sheet transfer them to a cooling rack to continue cooling, or enjoy them now nice and warm! Perfect served with a glass of milk!
Tips and Tricks:
- Try adding white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or any of your favorite cookie chips to this recipe instead of the milk chocolate chips as listed in the recipe card.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough before baking if you want a slightly thicker cookie.
How to store Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies?
Store your extra cookies in an airtight container or ziplock bag for 3 to 4 days at room temperature.
Can you freeze Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies?
You can also freeze the baked cookies. Let them cool completely then place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment to freeze until frozen solid. Once they are fully frozen transfer them to a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
‘Remove them from their freezer bag to avoid any condensation and place them on a dish or cookie sheet to thaw at room temperature. You can also place the frozen cookies on a cookie sheet and bake them for a few minutes at 300 degrees Farenheit to warm them up quicker, and to enjoy them closer to how they were the first time.
These chocolate chip pudding cookies are perfectly gooey and soft in the middle. They’re the perfect melt in your mouth cookies, especially when you eat them warm!
They’re the perfect dessert for your inner cookie lover. And so great when you need an easy dessert, for enjoying at home by yourself, or sharing with friends or family. They’re the perfect afternoon pick me up.
Looking for more chocolate chip cookie recipes?
- Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Levain Cookie Recipe
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3.4 oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars. Beat for about 2 minutes. (A stand mixer, or hand mixer works great)
- Add in the dry pudding mix, eggs and vanilla and stir until just combined.
- Add in the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir them together till you have a soft dough.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the cookie dough into 2 Tablespoon sized balls, and roll them into balls about the size of a golf ball.
- Top each cookie dough ball for 4 or 5 chocolate chips to make the cookies look extra nice.
- Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown and the middle is just set. The middle may look a little under done.
- Remove cookies from oven and let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and enjoy warm or continue to cool.
Nutrition
These chocolate chip pudding cookies were first posted on Aug 19, 2012. Photos and text updated on August 24, 2020.
Diane Feinstein says
I have not tried this yet but I am wondering if you can use the regular pudding instead of the instant pudding.
Please let me know if that could be substituted.
Thanks.
Aimee says
I haven’t tried a cook & serve pudding mix for this recipe, I would think there would be extra ingredients so I can’t say how it would work. Sorry. Let me know if you try it.
Judy slominski says
I AM A Master Baker and these are totally the best. I make them often. Try the pistachio pudding with pistachios and the butterscotch pudding with butterscotch chips.Choc,pudding with choc. or white chips. Have fun and let the kids help.
Meryl says
These are soft and chewy. Delicious
Tara says
I have a really good cookie recipe it’s very easy & basic. If you don’t have a mixer this is the best recipe there is.In large bowl add your dry (except for morsels),set aside.In medium pot add egg,sugar either white or brown,on low heat (for sugar cookies or that you use white sugar for) or high heat ( for any other recipe using brown sugar) keep whisking til everything is completely melted now the egg will not curdle as long as you keep whisking.You can do this too for making a lemon curd.Now add to dry ingredients.Wait til cooled then add morsels.Since this is using a pudding add this to the dry ingredients & whisk all together.Also if you want a fluffy cooking add an acid to the baking powder such as lemon juice.Add this when you take the butter & sugar off the stove.This really does work & I find it alot easier & the flavor is the same.
Josephine G says
I have been putting pudding in my chocolate chip cookies for years. I find that the instant french vanilla works perfectly.
Aimee Berrett says
I usually just grab plain vanilla, but french vanilla sounds great! Thanks!
Larry J. says
How they must taste with chocopate pudding mix!
Aimee Berrett says
I bet they would taste fabulous! I’ll definitely have to try that sometime!
catherine says
how did u think to use pudding mix? seems so creative!
Aimee Berrett says
I wish i could say i came up with the idea, but One of my roommates in collage made chocolate chip cookies with pudding mix and I got the idea from her. So tasty though!
Joselyn says
this a good a recipes cause i ry them all
Cindy W. says
Chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips is amazing, too!
Wes says
I made two batches of these cookies over the weekend and they turned out great. For the second batch I used gluten free all purpose flour (plus zanathan gum) and pistachio pudding mix. My niece has celiac and she really enjoyed them. There was no real difference between the two in terms of texture or taste. I used Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. The pistachio pudding mix was just to change things up a bit.
Martha Roggenbaum says
I used a similar recipe (butterscotch pudding and a mix of butterscotch, white and chocolate chips)….everyone wanted the recipe, The pudding really makes these moist and chewy!
Jesseca Hallows says
I use a slightly adapted version of this! I love using pudding in my cookie recipes. Great photos!
Megan Robinson says
these look so amazing!! I need to try them. I need a good chocolate chip cookie recipe 🙂
aimeeberrett says
These are some of my favorite chocolate chip cookies ever! You should definitely try them out!