Make the best chocolate chip cookies ever with one secret ingredient: vanilla pudding mix! Easy, chewy, and foolproof recipe.
Everyone has that go-to cookie recipe. Chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding are dearly beloved in our house. I have the recipe memorized I've made them so often over the last 12 years. This recipe WORKS besties.
This is a no chill cookie recipe, ideal for large batch baking because they make between 40-50 cookies and don't need frosting or anything special on top. They're easy to cool, stack, and transport easily, making them fantastic for parties, bake sales, cookie exchanges, or cozy nights in. Some people like their cookies crispy, I do not. I like mine chewy and soft, and not dried out or crunchy with too much flour. That's where the pudding mix comes in!
It's similar to its dark and handsome cousin, Chocolate Pudding Mix Cookies which are also soft and delicious.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: You can actually taste the salt in these cookies which is why they're so addicting. They're soft, with a nice vanilla flavor from the pudding mix.
- Ease: Beginner friendly. Creaming the butter and sugars, adding the eggs & vanilla, then the dry ingredients. Bake bake bake and you have delicious cookies!
- Time: Takes 10 minutes to mix, and 10 minutes to bake per pan, 3-4 pans. So 45-50 minutes to bake all of the cookies.
Why Add Vanilla Pudding to Cookies?
Instant vanilla pudding mix adds cornstarch and stabilizers that create a soft, pillowy interior while still allowing crisp edges-it's the easy way to get a "bakery cookie" texture at home. I don't add pudding mix to my frosted heart cookie but I do add cornstarch for a similar result. Perfectly soft cookies!
🛒 Key Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Pudding mix - I usually use vanilla or french vanilla, but white chocolate and cheesecake pudding mix are AMAZING in these cookies. Just make sure it's instant pudding mix, and don't prepare the pudding with milk! We're just using the powder for this recipe.
- Chocolate chips - semi sweet is my go to, but you could also use dark or milk chocolate, white or butterscotch chips. Chopped up melty chocolate is also lovely.
- Salted butter - I will ALWAYS use salted butter in my cookies, it tastes better.
- Salt - it is not too much salt. That is all. If you're really worried about it start with less and add more.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Add chopped pistachios and pistachio pudding mix for Pistachio Pudding Cookies!
- Butterscotch Chip Cookies are the same with pudding mix and butterscotch chips.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment combine butter, white sugar, and brown sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Step 2. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Step 3. Add salt, baking soda, and pudding mix . Mix well.
- Step 4. Add flour a cup at a time and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in chocolate chips on low speed last. The cookie dough should be the texture of soft playdough and pull away from the sides of the bowl. It should not be stiff or crumbly at all.
- Step 5. Using a 1½ inch scoop (1.5 Tablespoon), drop 12-13 cookies onto prepared baking sheets.
- Step 6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, do not over bake. The bottoms/edges of the cookies should be barely golden brown and tops beginning to crack.
Expert Tips
- Time may depend on number of pans in oven and racks being used. I recommend rotating pans halfway through baking time if using a no-fan oven.
- Let cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. The bottoms of the cookies should be golden brown and tops will be barely golden brown.
- We love to bake a pan or two, then freeze the rest of the dough into balls for later!
📌 Troubleshooting
- Cookies too cakey: likely too much flour or overmixing; fix: reduce flour slightly, mix minimally.
- Cookies spread too thin: dough too warm or not enough flour. You can either chill the dough for 30-60 minutes or add a Tablespoon or two more flour.
- Cookies dry after a day: store properly (airtight) and add a slice of bread to the container for moisture retention; pudding usually keeps them soft longer.
- Grainy texture: make sure you mix the dough until it's soft, about 1 minute after you add the pudding mix and flour. Start with less flour and add more until it's no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
❄️ How To Freeze Cookie Dough
- Make recipe for dough as directed.
- Scoop onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper close together but so edges are not touching.
- Freeze 4 hours or overnight, then place into a freezer safe bag to use later.
- To bake thawed: Place cookie dough balls in refrigerator overnight and then onto prepared cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake as directed in recipe.
- Bake while frozen: Preheat oven to 350 F. Place frozen cookie dough balls onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are barely golden brown and the tops are beginning to crack. After 14 minutes check every minute until done.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Baked: soft for 3-5 days if stored in an airtight container. Pudding cookies often stay softer for longer thanks to cornstarch.
- Yes! Flash-freeze raw dough scoops on a tray, then bag-great for baking fresh cookies on demand. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Best served within 3 days of baking.
Yes, cornstarch helps with softness, but boxed pudding adds flavor and powdered milk/stabilizers that have been tested many many times in this recipe.
🍪 More Delicious Cookie Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Pudding
Ingredients
- 1½ cups salted butter room temperature
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 3.4 oz package instant french vanilla pudding mix (instant vanilla, white chocolate, and cheesecake pudding may be used)
- 4 to 4¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment combine 1½ cups salted butter, 1 cup white granulated sugar, and 1 cup brown sugar and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Add in 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 3.4 oz package instant french vanilla pudding mix . Mix well.
- Add 4 to 4¼ cups all purpose flour a cup at a time and mix on low speed until combined. The cookie dough should be the texture of soft playdough and pull away from the sides of the bowl. It should not be stiff or crumbly.
- Stir in 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips last.
- Using a 1½ inch scoop (1.5 Tablespoon), drop 12-13 cookies onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, do not over bake. The bottoms/edges of the cookies should be barely golden brown and tops beginning to crack. Time may depend on number of pans in oven and racks being used. I recommend rotating pans halfway through baking time if baking two pans at a time.
- Let cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. The bottoms of the cookies should be golden brown and tops will be barely golden brown. Enjoy!
Notes
How to freeze and bake chocolate chip cookie dough:
- Make recipe for dough as directed.
- Scoop onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat close together but so edges are not touching.
- Freeze 4 hours or overnight, then place into a freezer safe bag to use later.
- To bake thawed: Place cookie dough balls in refrigerator overnight and then onto prepared cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake as directed in recipe.
- To bake while frozen: Preheat oven to 350 F. Place frozen cookie dough balls Bake for 14-16 minutes or until edges are barely golden brown and the tops are barely beginning to crack. At 14 minutes check every minute until done.
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Alexandra says
As someone who has long struggled with flat cookies, these are heaven sent! They have always turned out perfectly plump and soft, no matter how much "help" my 2 year old gave me while making them 🙂 This is now my go-to for chocolate chip cookies.
Husband says
I rank these my favorite cookies of all time. I eat them for breakfast fairly regularly. Don’t tell my wife 🤫