Soft and chewy chocolate chip pudding cookies are gooey and flavorful thanks to vanilla pudding mix. This twist on chocolate chip cookies is a fail proof favorite!
Soft cookie recipes are the best! Other favorites include pudding cookie recipes like butterscotch pudding cookies or pistachio cookies and these cream cheese cookies.
Table of Contents
Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
These pudding cookies are my all-time favorites! They taste similar to my best chocolate chip cookie recipe, but have a softer texture like chocolate chip sourdough cookies.
One of my friends made this chocolate chip pudding cookies recipe for a church activity a few months ago and shared it with me. Unlike a flat, more crisp original Toll House cookie recipe, they have a gooey middle like my double chocolate chip cookies and stay soft and chewy for days!
The Secret Ingredient: Vanilla Pudding Mix
Powdered vanilla pudding mix is a magical ingredient that makes these the best chewy chocolate chip cookies!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: You only need to use the dry instant pudding mix and no added ingredients. This secret ingredient makes the chocolate chip pudding cookie recipe extra soft.
- Salted butter: I like to use salted, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.
- Sugars: I love to use a mix of light brown sugar and granulated sugar for extra sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: Even more vanilla to amp up the flavor.
- Eggs: This helps bind everything together.
- Baking staples: All-purpose flour for structure and baking powder and baking soda to make the cookies a little lighter.
- Kosher salt: I like to add a little extra to enhance the flavor.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: The chocolate chips help balance the flavor, you can use a mix of milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet or even white chocolate chips.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Cream together the butter and sugars using an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients.
- Slowly combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients until mixed thoroughly.
- Fold chocolate chips into the cookie dough and stir to combine.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown. For soft cookies, the centers will look a little underdone. Rest on the pan for a few minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Pudding Cookies Tips and Variations
- It must be instant pudding mix (not cook & serve). Don’t make the actual pudding!
- You can do a mix of milk chocolate and white chocolate chips, make a white chocolate chip cookies recipe or even try butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips or dark chocolate chips.
- My preference is using instant vanilla pudding mix, but chocolate would work too.
- This recipe calls for the smaller box of instant pudding mix (3.4 oz). If you can only find the bigger one, add in a little more than half a box! It will be fine if it is not exact.
- Add chocolate chips on top of the cookies right out of oven for the perfect touch!
- Make them mini sized like my favorite mini chocolate chip cookie.
Want more chocolate chip cookie recipes? Try brown butter chocolate chip cookies, triple chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Other Favorite Cookie Recipes
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Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter , softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (just the dry mix)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips , plus more to taste (can do a mix of milk or white)
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth and fluffy. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and 2 eggs one at a time until combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/3 cups flour, 3.4 ounce dry pudding mix, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Slowly stir into the wet ingredients until well combined. Fold in the 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.
- Scoop. Using a medium cookie dough scoop, portion the dough onto the baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown; you want the center to look a little underdone. Let sit 2 to 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!
Notes
- Add it in dry…don’t make the actual pudding!
- This recipe calls for the smaller box (3.4 ounce). If you can only find the bigger one, add in a little more than half a box! It will be fine if it is not exact.
- It must be instant pudding mix (not cook & serve).
- You can substitute other flavors of pudding mix (i.e. chocolate, butterscotch, etc.), however vanilla is my favorite.
- Dough: Freeze the cookie dough in balls until solid and then store in a freezer bag up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, place cookie dough balls on a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and let sit at room temp while the oven heats up. Add 1 to 2 minutes to the original cooking time.
- Baked cookies: Let cool completely, then add to a freezer bag. Store in freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
You won’t believe how moist these soft chocolate chip cookies are, and it is all because of the pudding mix. Dry pudding mix contains cornstarch which helps absorb and retain moisture which results in softer cookies. It also adds a really nice flavor, which you can mix up depending on what type of cookie you want to make.
Vanilla is my favorite type of mix to use in these chocolate chip pudding cookies, but you can substitute other flavors too. Chocolate pudding, white chocolate pudding, banana pudding or even cheesecake pudding could be used.
Yes! The cookies won’t bake the same and the texture will be different if you use a cook and serve pudding mix. Stick with the instant.
Store baked cookies 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight container. You can also freeze baked cookies up to 3 months.
Flash freeze the cookie dough in balls until solid then keep in a freezer bag and bake straight from frozen! Place cookie dough balls on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet, let sit at room temp while oven preheats, then add 1-2 minutes to the cooking time.
Categorized as: American, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cookies, Desserts, White Chocolate Cookies
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I just made these yesterday, they were AWESOME! I featured them on my blog, thanks for posting this great recipe!!
Thanks Leslie! Glad you enjoyed them. They are my favorite! :D
Really!!!! A full cup of butter is correct? The pictures look awesome and I love cookies with pudding in the mix. I have another recipe with pudding but it uses oatmeal and they are wonderful. I just made these and, the flavor is great but they fell flat. After cooking the first pan, I refrigerated the dough for an hour and added another 1/2 cup of flour but to no avail – they still were as flat as a pancake. If I make these again I think I would cut the butter in 1/2. Any suggestions? Oh, I did double the recipe which means a full pound of butter!
Hi Cathy! Yup- 1 cup of butter. Only on special occasions do I make these. ;) I’m wondering if the butter was too soft. If I accidentally melt mu butter of soften it too much they will fall flat. The butter needs to be soft, but not flat. Also, you could try taking out some of the butter and see if that helps. Let me know how it turns out with less butter. :D
This is my go-to recipe. For some reason, if I double the recipe they turn out flat. But making the recipe as is, I get an amazing, perfect chocolate chip cookie.
I’ve heard that from one other commenter. Not sure why a double batch falls flat unfortunately! I’m glad you love these cookies! :)
I couldn’t sleep so am up too early and ran across you cookie recipe! Picking up granddaughter today and yes we are going to make these cookies! Thank you and God bless.
Let me know you you like them. They are my favorite! :D
U have some neat things
Thanks June! Have a great Sunday! :)
How many cookies does this make? (Sorry if this question shows twice……when I submitted it the first time, it never showed up)
Hi Jessica! It makes about 2-3 doz depending on how big you make the cookies. :)
Hi Jamielyn. I haven’t used pudding in a cookie recipe before, sounds really good! I’m going to try these for sure. I make a lot of gourmet cookies and CC is still my favorite. I saw this recipe was pinned a lot on Pinterest. Congrats!
Thanks for sharing this recipe and have a sweet day!
Heather
My-Sweet-Mission.com
Using pudding in recipes makes them so delicious! It’s like using sour cream or applesauce to make them moist and fluffy! Yum! :)
I’m going to make these cookies tomorrow and i was curious, do you use unsalted or salted butter? Thanks!
I use margarine or salted butter. Hope that helps. Let me know how you like them. :)
I also love your cookie recipes and look forward to following you. I hope you will take a moment to check out my Cookie Bouquet recipe on my blog: http://retireforthefunofit.wordpress.com. I’m a grandmom that loves to bake cookies for grandkid hugs.
Just baked the cookies and we give them two thumbs up! They are dangerously delicious! ;)
I made these last might and they were fantabulous! They were very soft and gooey! This recipe is another keeper!
These cookies look amazing, and I like mine nice and soft inside, too. I think I have everything I need to make them, so I might just have to try them this week.
Tracey at Girls to Grow linked to this post, and that’s how I found it.
Just featured the recipe on my Friday Finds post! These look great! Thanks for sharing!
http://lifewithleahy.blogspot.com/2013/04/five-fabulous-friday-finds_13.html
Thanks for the feature Sarah! xo
Oops! Had a little helper hit the button before I was ready… Those look delicious! Definitely got to get the husband to make those!
Well you know- I may have to give those a try. Hubs has been begging me to make my regular choc chip cookies that he loves so much. But I am ready for something new. These may be it for me. Thanks!
wow these look so good….love the combo of white & chocolate chips.
Those look wonderful. Thanks for posting and I can’t wait to try them.
Oh my gosh that is totally not fair. I get bigger hips as I drool over that stack-o-sinful cookies…oh how I WANT!
And, you have AMAZING photography on this site….kudos!
Well this is pretty much the best thing ever! I want one right now! Definitely have to make time to bake these. Thanks for the recipe!