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.
Just finished making a batch and they came out delicious!! Perfect winter treat! The vanilla pudding mix gives the cookies a nice texture!! Thank you!!
I’m glad you liked them Aubry! Thanks for coming back to tell us how it went! :)
These are good! However, I just made them and my dough seemed a little dry and clumpy.. any suggestions? This is my first time ever making cookies from scratch.
You may have used a little too much flour…everyone measures flour differently. Next time I would add a little less flour and make sure that your butter is softened to room temperature! Good job making your first batch of cookies from scratch! :)
This is definitely my new cookie recipe. They are so soft and tasty. I made a couple of substitutions. I used jello sugar free white chocolate pudding (1 oz). I also used milk chocolate and peanut butter chips. The dough was a little dry, so I added a little bit of water. I chilled it between baking batches to make it easier to use in my cookie scoop. Thanks for the recipe :)
Thanks for leaving such a nice comment Heather! I’m glad these are your new cookie recipe! :) Yum, the peanut butter chips would be delicious too…I’ll have to switch it out sometime!
Has anyone made these with gluten free flour? If so, how did they turn out.
I’ve never made them with gluten free flour, but I’ve heard you can substitute it in cookies just fine. It is a 1:1 ratio, so you would use 2 1/4 cups of flour! Let us know if you end up trying it! :)
Made these and took them to work and everyone loved them. They are so moist and soft. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t personally like white chocolate, but my boys and husband said they are really delicious :)
I’m glad they liked them! :) Thanks for stopping by Jamey!
I made these cookies and took them to work and everyone absolutely loved them! Very moist! Love this thanks for sharing!
I’m glad everyone loved them! Pudding cookies are my favorite…they are always so soft and moist! Thanks for your comment Kayla!
How long do these last for before they dry out? A few days or do they have to be consumed by the next day?
They last about 2-3 days in an airtight container! :)
These are my first pudding cookies, but definitely won’t be my last! Love the texture! I only added mini m&m’s to this, in place of the other chips-yum! Thanks for the recipe :)
Yum, I love putting mini m&m’s in cookies! I’ll have to try that with this recipe! Glad you liked it! :)
they look yummy!
I can’t wait to try these. I always loved my recipe and have not tried too many others. I think this will beat mine hands down
Can’t wait to try
Hope you enjoy them! Pudding cookies are the best…I love how moist they get!
Oh my… just made these and I LOVE them! Cannot wait for the fiance to get home to try!
I’m so glad you love them! They are one of our family favorites! :)
These look great
They are so yummy! Hope you enjoy them!
I’m a bit of a choclate chip cookie connoiseur and these are awesome! I used 1 cup of milk choclate chips, 1/2 cup of white, and 1/2 cup of semi-sweet. I was kind of bored of my previous cookie recipe and fits the bill now! Next time I’m going to swap out some all-purpose flour for whole wheat – always adds a little bit of nuttiness. Its a keeper! (now if only that Orange Zucchini Bread from some other site turned out as well…)
I’m glad you liked these Erin! I am always looking for new chocolate chip cookie recipes but this one is one of my go to’s! :)
these were absolutely amazing!!!! made them yesterday & will definitely be making them again :)
what type of flour did u use?
I just used All Purpose White Flour!
These look great! Besides vanilla, have you ever tried any other flavor of pudding? I don’t have vanilla pudding on hand but I do have chocolate. Would that be too much chocolate flavor?
Mmmm, I haven’t tried it with chocolate pudding, but if you are a chocolate lover I’m sure it would turn out great! You’ll have to try it and let us know! :)
Well, I just tried making these. Followed instructions to the letter, but my dough was very gluey, which gave me gluey cookies as opposed to gooey ones. I usually use shortening instead of butter, but I tried butter with this. I think that might be where I had trouble. Or I didn’t pack the flour enough and had less than needed… I don’t know. I usually make the Nestlé recipe on the back of the bag to great success (using shortening of course). They taste okay, but not great.
Hey Erin! Sorry you had trouble with the recipe, they have always turned out great for us. I’m thinking that either the butter was too melted or there was not enough flour added. It could be an issue with humidity or altitude depending on where you live. But I would try adding a little more flour next time. Happy baking!
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