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With a rich, buttery dough that is loaded with irresistible morsels of chocolate, these Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies nail every delicious detail. And, bonus, they stay soft and chewy for days.
There’s something about a crisp-edged, chewy chocolate chip cookie that calls my name. Okay, it shouts my name. These pudding cookies do exactly that. Much like my Grandma’s Monster Cookies, they’re pure nostalgia for me.
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
I have made this recipe more times than I can count, over the years. They’re perfect for potlucks and gift-giving. And, I get asked all the time how they are so soft and chewy.
The not-so-secret ingredient is instant pudding mix. It’s that simple. In addition to their incredible chewy texture, these cookies freeze beautifully, making them especially easy to have ready to go when you need them.
And, I happen to know that both the cookies and the dough taste awesome straight out of the freezer. Yes, I did admit that.
Why Add Pudding Mix to Cookies?
Perhaps you’re among the many bakers who’ve never tried pudding cookies before. Well, if you’re wondering why you might want to put pudding mix in cookies, let me tell you: the word you’re looking for is MOIST.
Pudding mix has several dry ingredients (such as corn starch) that help absorb and retain moisture, making its use in cookie recipes a neat little hack. A cookie recipe with pudding mix will result in moister cookies that stay chewier longer.
I just made these tonight and they came out perfect!!! So good, moist, and the perfect crisp on the edge and soft and chewy everywhere else. Finally found my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thank you!!
Ingredients & Substitutions
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- flour and baking soda
- granulated sugar and brown sugar
- one package instant vanilla pudding
- butter and eggs
- vanilla extract
- semi sweet chocolate chips
- Maldon salt for topping (OPTIONAL)
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
First I whisk together flour and baking soda and set aside. And then I beat the butter and sugars together until they’re creamy smooth. You’ll add the pudding mix to the butter and sugar mixture and beat that again until it’s light and fluffy.
I’ll add the eggs and vanilla now and beat until smooth. Next, we’ll stir in the flour mixture, making sure that it is well incorporated. Last, add the chocolate chips and stir to mix them throughout the dough.
Scoop into generous 2 tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 11-12 minutes. Remove from the oven when puffy and barely cooked through. You want these cookies to be super chewy, so don’t let them brown, okay?
While they’re still warm, sprinkle with Maldon salt as soon as the cookies are removed from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Expert Tip
I often bake about half of the recipe and then freeze the remaining dough. When I am ready to use the frozen dough, I set it on the counter for 20-30 minutes to thaw slightly and then scoop out the number of cookies I want to bake.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Toffee Coconut Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 eggs room temp
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- Maldon salt for topping OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour and baking soda and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add in the pudding mix and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Slowly add in the flour mixture, making sure that it is well incorporated. Last, add the chocolate chips and stir well to mix them throughout the dough.
- Scoop into approximately 2 tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 11-12 minutes. Remove from the oven when puffy and barely cooked through, do not let them brown. If desired, sprinkle with Maldon salt as soon as the cookies are removed from the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 6/30/11 – recipe notes and images updated 11/5/26}
Love it, pudding mix is such a great addition to cookies!
I want some right now…
when I freeze cookie dough, I portion it out with my scoop as if I were going to bake them right away. I put them on a cookie sheet to freeze them individually then when frozen they go into little freezer bags, a dozen at a time and then put them back in the freezer. it's a little extra work but then you can take out as many dough balls as you want to bake instead of thawing the whole container of dough. I can't resist eating raw cookie dough either, I haven't gotten sick from the raw eggs-ever!
Do you use both wheat and AP flour or just one of them???
I like to use half and half. You'll need a total of 4 1/2 cups of flour for this recipe. Enjoy!
This has to be the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe I have every made. I did cut it in half as it's just my husband and I..and it's a good thing or we would have eaten them till we popped!!
I am not a big lover of wholewheat flour but I love Multigrain flour.Would this work also??
I haven't tried that myself, but I think that would probably work, Shannon. Let me know how it turns out!
This is my favorite cookie recipe. The only thing I changed was adding some salt, 1 1/2 tsp. I also used 3 kinds of chips(white, milk and dark chocolate). They come out perfect every time. One of these days, I'm going to try using some different pudding flavors.
Can I store leftovers dough in the refrigerator overnight to finish baking tomorrow or do I have to freeze it just to use the next day?
Yes, I frequently store the dough in the refrigerate overnight.
They don’t turn out as nice
What can I use in place of the eggs and do I adjust other ingredients and cooking time?
can u use reg flour in place of wheat flour?
Yes, these cookies are great with all-purpose flour as well.
I have never been able to make chocolate chip cookies. Just made hockey pucks 😊but with this recipe I can!! Yummy
I have been looking for this recipe for years!! Mom got it from a Jell-O box and in their last move it got lost 🙁 We used chocolate pudding and butterscotch chips. I am excited to try this and see if it is the same. Thank you for sharing this!
I have made these all the time only using white flour and half the reciepe. You can change the reciepe using vanilla chips and macadian nuts, or butterscotch chips and pecans. If you want a crispy cookie just back a little longer, they stay so soft and chewy
Was wondering if you could use instant sugar free pudding instead?
That should work fine.
I didn’t have vanilla pudding so I used chocolate. They were very good. Could never tell I used whole wheat flour. Makes a huge batch. I baked two trays and froze individual balls for when we get hungry for a fresh cookie with the remainder of the dough. Very good cookie.
Always wanted a Chocolate. Chip recipe that would stay soft!! Thank you!!
Now I am totally craving cookies!! These look so good. Thanks for including my butterscotch cookies.
I made these cookies exactly as the recipe called for but they came out very flat, not as pictured.
I won’t be making these again.
Mime came out small. They didn’t spread out at all. They look like they did when I scooped them. I’m pretty disappointed.i was trying to show off to my in-laws that are visiting.
So are you using just the pudding dry mix or with the milk added ?
If I’m just going to use regular flour do I use 5 cups of flour I don’t have whole wheat.