Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe with Vanilla Pudding
Who knew vanilla instant pudding could be such a killer secret ingredient to THE perfect, MOST chewy, absolutely softest chocolate chip cookie?!
These ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding are easy, soft and chewy, and they will quickly replace your current go to recipe. One batch makes about 24 cookies in under 30 minutes.
The Best Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Made with Vanilla Pudding)
I made these cookies for church and they were a HUGE hit! I’ve been playing with this recipe for a few months now and wish I could say it only took me a couple of tries to create an easy, foolproof chocolate chip cookie recipe that was addicting. Well, it didn’t.
I have attempted these cookies at least 5 or 6 times with different techniques, like cold butter versus room temperature butter versus melted butter (melted butter won, BTW). Or 2 eggs versus 3 eggs, and different measurements of flour to even out the additional dryness of adding instant vanilla pudding. Well, I’ve finally figured it out! Phew! Are you ready to try them now?
I read TONS of recipes and reviews on chocolate chip cookies during the process. Since each cookie recipe is slightly different, I wanted to figure out what most of them had in common. Two instructions show up in almost every single one: don’t over-bake, and the butter temperature DOES matter. Both are built into this recipe, and you’ll find them in the steps below.
I’ve been bombarded with requests for this recipe. These really are THE best cookies, and I hope they’re as successful for you as they were for me!
Why You’ll Love These Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Super soft and chewy. Instant vanilla pudding keeps the centers tender for days.
- Tested until perfect. Butter, eggs and flour were adjusted over 5 or 6 batches.
- Quick to bake. Just 8 to 10 minutes in the oven, about 25 minutes start to finish.
- Crowd pleaser. About 24 cookies per batch, perfect for church, parties or the cookie jar.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter: Melted just barely, so it is mostly liquid with a couple of solid chunks floating in it. It should not be hot or bubbling. Barely melted butter gives a chewy, dense cookie, while hot butter makes the dough greasy and the cookies spread flat. Unsalted lets you control the salt.
- White sugar and brown sugar: White sugar helps the edges set and turn lightly golden. Brown sugar has molasses, which adds moisture, a caramel note and extra chew.
- Eggs: Three eggs, added one at a time. The third egg was one of the tested changes, and it balances the extra dryness from the pudding mix and keeps the cookies tender.
- Vanilla: Rounds out the buttery flavor and doubles down on the vanilla from the pudding.
- All purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure. Sifting it with the pudding mix breaks up lumps so the dough mixes evenly. Spoon and level your flour so you don’t pack in too much.
- Vanilla instant pudding mix: The secret ingredient. One 5.1 ounce box. The starch in instant pudding holds onto moisture, which keeps the centers soft and chewy long after baking. Use instant pudding, not cook and serve, and use it dry, straight from the box.
- Baking soda: Gives the cookies a little lift and helps the tops crackle and brown.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and makes the chocolate taste richer.
- Chocolate chips: One cup of your favorite. Semisweet is classic, milk chocolate is sweeter, and dark chocolate gives a more grown up cookie. Mini chips spread through the dough more evenly, while regular chips give bigger melty pockets. Save a small handful to press onto the tops of the dough balls before baking for bakery style cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Pudding
- Heat the oven and melt the butter. Preheat to 350°F. Microwave the butter for about 30 to 40 seconds if it is cold from the fridge, or 20 to 30 seconds if it is at room temperature, JUST until it is barely melted with a couple of solid chunks remaining. Microwaves vary, so work in 10 second bursts.
- Cream the butter and sugars. In a stand mixer, beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. While beating, add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Beat for an additional 10 to 15 seconds ONLY, until mixed well.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt. Add it to the mixer and mix until a soft dough forms, then mix in the chocolate chips.
- Shape. Roll the dough into 2 inch balls and place them evenly spread out on a baking sheet so they have room to spread.
- Bake. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the tops are BARELY golden brown, really just a little kiss of color. The centers will look soft and slightly underdone.
- Cool on the pan. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes. They keep baking from the heat of the pan while they slowly cool and set.
Kami’s tip: Do NOT over-bake! If you’re unsure about the color, err on the side of slightly under-baking these bad boys and go by your kitchen timer, 8 to 10 minutes only.
Ways to Customize Pudding Cookies
- Mix up the chips. Swap half the chocolate chips for white chocolate, butterscotch or peanut butter chips.
- Add some crunch. Stir in chopped walnuts or pecans along with the chocolate chips for a nutty bite.
- Finish with salt. Sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt over the warm cookies to make the chocolate taste even richer.
- Go bigger or smaller. Make smaller 1 inch balls for bite size cookies and check them a minute or two early.
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies FAQs
- Why add vanilla pudding to chocolate chip cookies? The starch in instant pudding mix traps moisture, so the cookies bake up extra soft and chewy and stay that way longer. It adds a subtle vanilla flavor too.
- Can I use cook and serve pudding? Use instant pudding mix. It is designed to thicken without heat, and it is what this recipe was tested with.
- Can I use a different pudding flavor? Other instant flavors work the same way. Chocolate or butterscotch pudding will change the flavor of the cookie, so expect a different result than the vanilla version.
- Why does the butter temperature matter? Cold, room temperature, melted and hot butter were all tested. Barely melted butter that is not hot gives the best chewy texture. Hot butter makes greasy dough and flat cookies.
- Why are my cookies hard? They were most likely over-baked. Pull them when the tops have only a hint of golden brown and let them finish on the warm baking sheet.
- How do I store these cookies? Once completely cool, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. A slice of bread in the container helps keep them soft.
- Can I freeze the dough? Yes. Freeze the rolled dough balls on a tray, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding mix baked in the dough for an ooey gooey, soft and chewy texture. Barely melted butter and a short 8 to 10 minute bake make these THE best cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted (just barely, not hot or bubbling)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5.1 ounce vanilla instant pudding
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Microwave butter in small microwave-safe bowl for about 30 to 40 seconds JUST until it's barely melted (almost completely liquid form with a couple chunks of solid butter remaining). It should not be bubbling or hot.
- In a standing mixer, beat together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. While beating, add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat for additional 10 to 15 seconds ONLY until mixed well.
- In a separate large bowl, sift together flour, vanilla pudding, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to the standing mixer and mix until dough forms. Add chocolate chips and mix well.
- Roll into 2 inch balls and place evenly spread out on baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes just until tops are BARELY golden brown (really... just a little kiss of golden brown). Remove and allow to cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes until cookies are cooled.
Notes
Do NOT over-bake! The cookie should only bake until there is a hint of golden brown and then removed from the oven. If you're unsure about the color, I would error on the side of slightly under-baking these bad boys and go by your kitchen timer (8 to 10 minutes only). Once removed from the oven, allow them to completely cool down on the baking sheet. This will allow them to continue to baking process from the heat of the baking sheet while slowly cooling down. Second, the butter temperature DOES matter! Like I mentioned, I've tried the butter cold, room temperature, melted, and hot. The butter needs to be melted (with still a couple chunks of solid butter floating in the liquid butter) and cannot be hot at all. I found microwaving cold, refrigerated butter for 30 to 40 seconds or room temperature butter for 20 to 30 seconds is about the perfect time. However, microwaves are also different for us all so I recommend melting your butter in 10 second increments to find the perfect timing for you and your microwave. Again, make sure you don't overheat that butter.
Made these cookies? Leave a star rating in the recipe card and tell me how they turned out in the comments below. I look forward to hearing your feedback, and it helps other bakers too.
