This soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies recipe is my new favorite, go-to cookie treat. You’ll love how easy it is to make, everyone else will love how amazing they taste!
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I must confess something. I didn’t think I would like these Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies when I first came tried them. My kids were asking for chocolate chip cookies, and I felt like experimenting with a new recipe.
When you already have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, it’s hard to imagine enjoying anything else nearly as much.
But I took a chance with this pudding cookie recipe and it turned out very good! They are soft and moist with a hint of vanilla.
My kids ate them up super quick! Next time, I’ll double the batch. Apparently three dozen cookies just isn’t enough for my brood and their friends!
I did stash two cookies away for myself. Somehow I forgot about them for three days.
When I remembered them and finally got the chance to enjoy them, they were still so moist.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (or use a silicone baking mat).
STEP 2: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Add in the pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla paste and beat at medium speed. Slowly add in your flour, baking soda, and salt. Then stir in your chocolate chips.
NO NEED TO CHILL THE DOUGH!
STEP 3: Drop by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature before enjoying with a big glass of milk!
The Secret Ingredient—Vanilla Bean Paste
The secret ingredient to these cookies is the vanilla bean paste.
Vanilla bean paste is thicker than vanilla extract and gives these cookies a rich vanilla flavor. It also has tiny specks of vanilla bean, which adds to the cookie’s flavor and look.
If you can’t find the vanilla bean paste (<—on Amazon!), you can use fresh vanilla beans or vanilla extract as a last resort.
Don’t worry about not ever using vanilla bean paste again….I use it often in my recipes. Like in these Vanilla Bean Cupcakes and these Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles. A little bit in the frosting on these Banana Snack Cakes give them a rich flavor too!
Tips for making the Perfect Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Make sure you cream the butter and sugars well, removing any air pockets.
- Use instant pudding mix, not the cook and serve pudding.
- Slightly under-bake the cookies as they will continue to cook as they cool.
- Add extra chocolate chips to the tops of the cookies before baking for an extra chocolate flavor.
- Add a pinch of coarse sea salt to the tops of the cookies if you love a sweet and salty chocolate flavor!
Substitutions you can use for these Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Cookies are one of those recipes where you can use substitutions to personalize the cookie and give the flavor a spin! Try these different substitutions to make these pudding cookies your own!
Instant pudding flavor: This recipe calls for vanilla pudding flavor but you can switch that out for another flavor. Butterscotch, white chocolate, or chocolate pudding would all give these cookies a unique and yummy twist!
Mix ins: Instead of using semi-sweet chocolate chips, you could try peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips, whichever you enjoy the most!
Extracts: Swap out the vanilla and use lemon pudding mix, with lemon extract and white chocolate chips. So fresh and delicious!
You can also add pudding mix to your favorite Rice Krispie Treats recipe for a fun twist!
How to Store Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
These cookies stay fresh and moist for about a week in an airtight container at room temperature.
I like to make a big batch and freeze half of the pudding cookie dough to bake at a later time.
To do this, line a freezer safe baking sheet (like a metal sheet pan) with parchment paper. Drop your cookie dough scoops onto the pan and flash freeze for about 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the freezer and slide the cookie dough balls into a ziploc bag or airtight container. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake the chocolate chip pudding cookies, drop the frozen cookie dough balls onto a cookie sheet and bake according to the recipe. You may need to add a couple minutes of baking time for the frozen dough.
You can also freeze the cooked and cooled cookies. Just slide them into a ziploc freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw at room temperature overnight and enjoy!
What you need to make Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Bean Paste – on Amazon!
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
Tools
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Cookie Sheets
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- Baking mat or Parchment Paper
- Measuring spoons and cups
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MORE Cookie Recipes
- M&M Pudding Cookies
- Gooey Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
More Pudding Mix Recipes
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies Video
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
This soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies recipe is my new favorite, go-to cookie treat. You'll love how easy it is to make, everyone else will love how amazing they taste!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 box (3.4oz pkg) vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Bead in pudding mix, eggs and vanilla paste. Slowly add flour, baking soda and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Drop by tablespoon onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-14 minutes. Remove and cool.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
36Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 149Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 85mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g
*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.
Recipe originally published June 28, 2012, photos updated April 2019
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies stay soft and chewy with this easy recipe!
Aimee, you have become my favorite food blogger. I am just about ready to make these wonderful sounding cookies. I would like to know though – why instant and not cooking pudding? Awaiting your reply. Thank you, Glenda
Hi Glenda,
TO be honest, I never buy the cook and serve pudding mix. I just know that the Instant works perfect 🙂
Thank you for sharing valuable information. Nice post. I enjoyed reading this post.
The best homemade chocolate chips ever!
These really do look like the BEST cokies!
Adding the pudding makes these so soft in the centers! just perfect!
Using pudding mix in cookie dough is my favorite! Can’t beat how soft and chewy they are!
Add the pudding mix to any cookie or cake recipe..They turn out moist every time.
I neeeeed to start making some pudding cookies. After trying Dorothy’s almond joy version, I’m obsessed! These look so soft and perfectly chewy. Yummy!!
I love pudding cookies! They always come out just right!
I think we all have favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. These sound like a good contender, though!
These sound so easy and tasty! Yum!
These sounds so good, Im going to have to try them sometime!
I am so glad you tried the pudding cookies. They are so yummy and delicious!!! Pudding is one of my favorite add in to cookies now! I could go for a glass of milk and that bowl full of cookies right about now:-)
Me too!!
I love pudding cookies. I have so many versions in my brain. These look SO good.
funny that 3 dozen cookies went like hotcakes for you…that’s funny b/c most of the time I try to halve recipes b/c I want variety, not 3 or 4 dozen of one thing. Pudding cookies are so good and I’ve always eyed Maria’s, too!
Haha, with 4 kids in the house and all their friends a batch of cookies just never lasts around here! I probably bake cookies 3 times a week!
I’ve heard such great things about pudding cookies and I’ve never tried them! These are such great photos Aimee!!