Chocolate Chip Cookies With Vanilla Pudding
This post may contain affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for details.
Two simple tricks make these Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies irresistibly soft and chewy. With crisp, crinkly tops, gooey centers, and tons of chocolate in every bite, I’ll tell you how to get perfect bakery-style cookies at home.
These Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies are the result of many test batches to nail exactly the right texture: soft and chewy centers, crisp edges, and no chilling required.
Instant vanilla pudding mix is the secret ingredient here. It adds sweetness, deepens the vanilla flavor, and keeps these cookies tender for days longer than a standard recipe.
The other HUGE trick I kept coming back to is shaping them right out of the oven while still warm, which creates crinkly ridges that set crisp on top while the centers stay soft and chewy.
Whether you’re packing these into lunch boxes, serving them after dinner, or just eating one straight off the cooling rack, they disappear fast, and now you’ll know exactly why they turn out right every time.
Why You’ll Love These Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft cookies with chewy centers and a crisp edge make these the best cookies ever!
- Vanilla pudding mix is the secret ingredient to add flavor and a little extra sweetness, but also helps keep these beauties soft for days!
- No mid-recipe dough refrigeration time!
- A favorite after dinner treat or lunch box dessert (my family devours these in days)
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Salted Butter – Softened, but not mushy. The butter should be soft enough to poke with a finger and leave an indent, but it shouldn’t be so soft that you can’t pick it up.
- Dark brown sugar – I like the extra molasses for sweetness, flavor, and a denser cookie.
- White sugar – This will work with the brown sugar to add the rest of the sweetness that the cookie needs, without it becoming too heavy.
- Eggs – I use large eggs straight from the fridge and don’t bother bringing them to room temperature. They work just fine. Unlike my white chocolate chip cookies, where I use one whole egg and one yolk, here I use two whole eggs. The pudding mix needs the extra water from the second egg white to do its job properly.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla is one of those ingredients I’d never leave out of a cookie recipe. It just makes everything taste warmer and more comforting, and these are no exception.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix (dry) – I use one 3.4 oz box. Be sure it’s “Instant” pudding and not the cook and serve variety. The pudding adds extra starch and reacts with moisture to make these cookies delightfully soft, chewy, and fudgy in the middle. The extra sugars in the pudding mix also give the cookies the best crisp exterior.
- All-purpose flour – All-purpose flour is my go-to for these. The pudding mix is already pulling extra moisture from the butter and sugar, so the lower protein in all-purpose flour means you still get a chewy cookie instead of a tough one.
- Baking soda – Baking soda is my choice for leavening. It tenderizes the cookie, without making it cakey and helps it brown. Baking soda will also contribute to the cookie’s spread, giving you a crisp edge and chewy center.
- Coarse Kosher salt – There is a lot of sugar in this recipe, so the salt will balance that out. I don’t find the salted butter and added salt to be too much for these cookies. However, if you’re sensitive to sodium, reduce the amount called for on the recipe card or use unsalted butter.
- Semisweet chocolate chips – Classic chocolate chips, that aren’t too sweet for this cookie recipe.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Pudding
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for complete recipe instructions.
Step 1
Preheat your oven and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2
Using a stand mixer with a large bowl and the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugars.
Cream the butter and the sugar for 3 minutes, until light, fluffy, and pale in color.
Add the vanilla extract and then the eggs one at a time.
Add dry ingredients (flour, pudding mix, salt, and baking soda).
Mix until mostly combined, then stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 3
Scoop cookie dough into mounds on the prepared baking sheets. Using two fingers (or the back of a tablespoon), lightly indent the center of the cookie dough. This will allow the cookies to spread evenly and cook evenly.
Step 4
Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes until puffed and just starting to brown around the edges.
Step 5
Remove the cookies from the oven and use the lid of a jar or a large round cookie cutter to mold the cookie edges into a circle. Do this immediately right on the baking sheet when the cookies come out of the oven. This is what creates the crisp edges and chewy center.
Repeat the scooping, baking, and molding process until all the cookie dough has been baked.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan an couple extra minutes until they are set enough to pick up.
Substitutions & Variations
- The pudding flavor can be swapped out for any instant pudding mix flavor you like. Try chocolate or butterscotch pudding. You can use pistachio for a Dubai chocolate variation or banana (a great addition for my Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies).
- Use dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or try white chocolate chips for soft White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Even peanut butter chips, M&Ms and Reese’s Pieces can be used instead of chocolate chips.
- Fold some chopped nuts into the cookie batter with the chips or sprinkle them on top of the cookie. Walnuts or pecans are great choices!
Tips & Tricks
- Cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes so that it’s light and fluffy, this helps the cookies to not be so dense and it helps them rise in the oven.
- Shape the cookies right after they come out of the oven. If they have a chance to cool first the edges won’t move. Shaping the cookies will give them crisp edges, crispy little wrinkles, and a super soft and chewy center. It will also make them look pretty and uniform.
- Make sure to use instant pudding mix, not cook and serve.
- To properly measure flour: use a spoon to fluff up the flour, then scoop it into the measuring cup, and level it off.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Cookies With Vanilla Pudding
- Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Baked cookies can be stored in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Raw cookie dough can be chilled in the fridge for up to two days before baking.
Tip: If you’re making cookie dough ahead to bake the next day, I recommend making the indent in each doughball before chilling. It will be easier to do before they’re rock hard.
Freezing Cookie Dough
Raw cookie dough can be prepared and frozen for up to 1 month. I recommend flattening the centers of the cookies before freezing to make it easier. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge before baking.
How to Serve
Enjoy these delicious cookies with a cold glass of milk or hot cup of cocoa.
Or try them with any of my Homemade Ice Cream Recipes for great cookie ice cream sandwiches. Perfect for the summer.
More Homemade Cookie Recipes
Save This Recipe
Just enter your email below and we will send this recipe right to your inbox, plus we will send more yummy recipes and ideas.
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened but not melty
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉, and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light, fluffy, and pale in color.
- Turn the mixer down to low, and add the eggs one at a time, along with the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, pudding mix, salt, and baking soda. Mix until mostly combined, but streaks of flour are still showing. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop cookie dough into mounds 1 1/2 tablespoons in size, onto the cookie sheets, spaced 2 inches apart.
- Next, using two fingers or the back of a tablespoon, lightly indent the center of the cookie dough. This will allow the cookies to spread evenly and cook evenly.
- Bake at 375℉ for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are puffed and just starting to brown around the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately use the lid of a jar or a large round cookie cutter to mold the cookie edges into a circle. Do this while the cookies are still hot. This will give your cookies crisp edges and a soft and fudgy center.
- Repeat the baking and shaping process until all the cookie dough is baked.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan until set enough to pick up. Store in an airtight container for 4 days.
