Home > Desserts > Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies April 2, 2018 | No Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies are ultra soft with an intense sweetness from the pudding mix. Add in some chocolate chips and toffee bits for the ultimate easy cookie recipe! If you’re looking for a similar recipe without any pudding mix, try these Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies It’s no secret with the hundreds of baked goods I’ve shared over the years that baking is a huge passion of mine. I love experimenting and working through pounds of butter, sugar, and flour to bring you the best-possible baked goods. And while a lot of what gets shared is from scratch, there are also a lot of recipes that use boxed baking products to add some ease and unique flavors. Like using a brownie mix for these Brownie Cookies, frozen whipped topping in these Brownie Oreo Ice Cream Bars, or a boxed cake mix to make these Bundt Cake recipes–sometimes getting a little help from our packaged friends results in a great-tasting treat! So today we’re using another fun product: pudding mix! It lends an unbelievably soft and chewy texture to cookies and adds a unique flavor. It adds sweetness to the cookies, so be prepared for an ultra-sweet treat when making Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies! What pudding mix to use While it would be nice if any boxed pudding worked in this recipe, this part of the recipe is very specific. We’re looking to use instant pudding mix and not the cook-and-serve type. We also want to ensure the pudding mix is not sugar-free or reduced-calorie — those varieties won’t work the same. The other thing to keep an eye out for is the pudding box size. There are typically two sizes — a larger and smaller one. We want to get the small 3.4 ounce (96g) box. When using the pudding mix in these cookies, use the dry mix — don’t prepare it according to package directions. And finally, for this recipe, I recommend vanilla pudding. If you’d like to play around with flavors, definitely do that, but we do like vanilla (or butterscotch) pudding best with chocolate chips. More on flavor variations below. Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies Variation Ideas If you’d like to completely change the flavor of these cookies, here are some ways to do that with different pudding mixes and add-ins. Cookies and Cream: Use cookies and cream flavor pudding mix with crushed up Oreo® cookies or coarsely chopped Hershey’s® Cookies & Creme bars Pistachio: Use pistachio pudding mix with coarsely chopped roasted pistachios and/or white chocolate chips Lemon: Use lemon or white chocolate pudding mix with white chocolate chips and the zest of 1-2 lemons (plus a touch of lemon extract if you’d like an even stronger flavor). Banana: Use banana cream pudding mix with coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans. More Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies Variation Ideas If you want to keep with the vanilla pudding, but still try something new, try adding different mix-ins. Below are some ideas for different mix-ins to add to this recipe. Be sure to keep quantities of add-ins consistent and the cookies will be great! Different types of chocolate: Pick your favorite or a combo of a few — milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. Swap chocolate chips for white chocolate chips. Use peanut butter baking chips and/or coarsely chopped mini Reeses®. Use regular or miniature M&M’s® baking candies. Add in some butterscotch baking chips. Mix in some jimmies sprinkles (like in these Funfetti cookies). Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies FAQs1What can you add to instant pudding?Instant pudding is a great springboard for super soft and chewy cookies. It’s the “secret” to this ultra-sweet and very soft cookie recipe. 2What makes cookies flat or fluffy?If the butter was too warm when you added in other ingredients, the cookies will likely end up a bit flat. Make sure to use room temperature butter, not melted or overly soft. These chocolate chip pudding cookies could also turn out flat if the flour was under-measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high altitude area. 3Can I use regular pudding instead of instant?Unfortunately, regular (cook-and-serve) pudding won’t work in these cookies. Instant pudding is the only boxed pudding that works. Do not use sugar-free or reduced-calorie pudding. 4What makes cookies soft and moist?White sugar will yield crispier cookies, while brown sugar will yield softer and more chewy cookies. Brown sugar contains more moisture (from the molasses in it). Cornstarch is another common ingredient to produce soft and moist cookies. And since instant pudding has a good amount of cornstarch in it, you can rest assured these pudding cookies will be ultra soft, moist, and very chewy! More cookie recipes Magic Cookie Bars with a graham cracker crust Maple Cookies with a maple glaze Salted Caramel Cookies with a cream cheese frosting and caramel glaze Cake Batter Cookies with sprinkles and white chocolate chips Peanut Butter Cookies dipped in chocolate FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies 5 from 1 vote - Review this recipe Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies are ultra soft with an intense sweetness from the pudding mix. Add in some chocolate chips and toffee bits for the ultimate easy cookie recipe! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies 5 from 1 vote - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies are ultra soft with an intense sweetness from the pudding mix. Add in some chocolate chips and toffee bits for the ultimate easy cookie recipe! Course Dessert Cuisine American Keyword Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Total Time 30 minutes Servings 28 cookies Calories 132kcal Cost $4.12 Ingredients1 cup (16 tbsp.; 227g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature3/4 cup (120g) lightly packed light brown sugar1/3 cup white granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract2 large eggs2-1/3 cups (292g) white, all-purpose flour1 package (3.4 oz.; 96g) instant vanilla pudding mix (don't prepare) Note 11 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt1/2 cup toffee bits1-1/2 cups (245g) chocolate chips (use milk, semi-sweet, or dark -- whatever you prefer; we like milk best) InstructionsPREP: Pull butter out about an hour before using to get it to room temperature. Don't melt the butter in these cookies -- it will cause greasy/flat cookies. Line baking sheet pan(s) with parchment paper or a silpat liner (not foil).WET INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, add the room temperature butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Once incorporated, stop mixing, we don't want to beat too much air in. Add in the vanilla and 1 egg. Mix until incorporated. Add in the other egg and again mix until incorporated.DRY INGREDIENTS: In a different bowl, add in the flour, dry pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine.COMBINE: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Add in the toffee bits and chocolate chips. Fold these ingredients into the dough. Cover the dough tightly and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. This allows the pudding time to firm up the dough. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.ROLL COOKIE DOUGH BALLS & BAKE: Roll large cookie dough balls -- 2 tablespoons (40 grams) in size. Roll the dough balls taller instead of wider. (IF the dough gets overly warm being rolled out, place rolled cookie dough balls in the freezer for 5-10 minutes again to firm up; if the dough feels wet and soft it will likely spread a lot and become flat) BAKE: Add cookie dough balls to the prepared and lined baking sheet, about 6-8 cookies at a time (they spread a lot and need ample room!) Bake for 9-12 minutes (we like ours at 10 minutes) or until edges are lightly golden brown being careful to not over-bake (they firm up as they cool).OPTIONAL: MAKE 'EM PRETTY: Remove tray from the oven and within 1-2 minutes of pulling out the cookies, press a few more chocolate chips onto the tops of the cookies--this ensures even placement of chocolate and also makes them look pretty. Allow cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Repeat, baking the remaining dough balls until all the cookies are baked (see instruction #9).STORAGE: We like these cookies best on days 1 and 2 of being made. They are the softest and chewiest on day 1 and get more crunchy, less chewy every day after that. They last up to a week, but they begin to lose texture and flavor. To store: Place in an airtight container and keep at room temperature. Wait until cookies are completely cooled before adding to the container.FREEZING DOUGH: While freezing baked cookies works okay (there is some texture loss), I prefer to freeze the dough instead! Place the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen balls to an airtight container/bag separated by parchment paper (so they don't all stick together in one clump); freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: You can bake straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.) Recipe NotesNote 1: We're looking to use instant pudding mix and not cook and serve pudding mix. We also want to ensure the pudding mix is not sugar-free or reduced-calorie as those varieties won't work the same. The other thing to keep an eye out for is the pudding box size. There are typically two pudding box sizes -- a larger and smaller one. We want to get the 3.4 ounce (96g) sized box. When using the pudding mix in these cookies, use the dry mix -- don't prepare it according to package directions. Nutrition FactsServing: 1serving | Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.5g | Protein: 1.5g | Fat: 7.2g | Cholesterol: 31.1mg | Sodium: 10mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 8.6g We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
