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.
Excellent
So happy you enjoyed them, Cynthia :)
Delicious 😋
Cookies are delicious. We found we needed to bake 1-2 mins longer because the dough didn’t spread.
We will make them again!
So happy to hear you enjoyed them, Judy :)
Do you need to refrigerate the dough before baking? I’m mixing up a batch now, can’t wait to try one!
Nope, you don’t have to!
My family loves my Chocolate Chip cookies. While I agree that they are good, I have wanted them to stay as soft as they are when they come out of the oven. My family thought they were perfect as is. However, after 46 years of making my recipe I began researching suggestions on how to achieve a cookie that stays soft and came across this recipe. Needless to say, my family loves them, as do I. With the addition of two simple ingredients, vanilla pudding mix and cornstarch they have been elevated in taste. Thanks Jamielyn! I now have the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie!
This comment just made my day! So happy to hear you and your family loved the recipe so much. I do agree that the pudding mix makes them so soft and delicious!
How much cornstarch do you put in this recipe for the chocolate chip cookies?
Best cookies I have ever made and my family loves them would 10/10 recommend and would definitely make again!❤️
Love to hear this!! Thanks for your comment and review Kaitlyn :)
These are actually the best. I freeze them for a quick ready treat in my kid’s lunch boxes.
Love to hear that! Thanks for your comment and review :)
Hello! Can I used melted browned butter?
Whenever I use brown butter, I love to use this chocolate chip cookie recipe instead: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/brown-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Absolutely love this recipe! We’ve made it many times! My daughter has celiacs so we sub out the flour for King Arthur’s gluten free and the pudding keeps the cookies soft which is hard to find with gf recipes!
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for your comment and review, Rachel :)
I just made these. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe! 🍪
So happy to hear that!
Turned out super good!! New family favorite!
Yay, so happy to hear it was a hit with your family!
Made this recipe and am now making another batch. Is now my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thank you.
Yay, love to hear that! I hope you enjoy :)
I made these last week using what I had. I used 1 stick of butter, 1 stick of margarine, I had enough chocolate chips for 1 cup so I used 1 cup shredded coconut and the only pudding I had was white chocolate. These cookies turned out great!
So glad you were able to make them work with what you hand on hand! Thanks for your comment and review, Stella :)
This recipe is amazing, the only way I fix my cookies now and a huge hit at my family gatherings, thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that! It’s a favorite at our house too :)
Love the recipe very easy, I altered mine a bit using banana pudding and adding caramel bits, thank you very much for the help. 😊
Samantha Gentry
Your substitutions sound so delicious, Samantha! I’ll have to try that sometime :)
I have been making these since the 1980’s when I discovered the recipe on the back of a Jello pudding box. My Dad’s favorite cookie.
They are a family favorite at our house too! :)
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! This is the only recipe I use when I make chocolate chip cookies!
So glad you love them! These are a favorite at my house too :)
thxs for helping me for school backing thing but ur helpfull