This vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookie recipe has been a favorite in my family for years! The addition of vanilla pudding mix makes these cookies super soft and chewy in the middle. They’re loaded with chocolate chips and don’t require a mixer to make.
If you like chewy, soft cookies, then these cookies are for you. They’re super moist and bursting with vanilla flavor and chocolate chips! They are also slightly puffy, giving them a unique texture that I just love — I call them little vanilla clouds. Heavenly little clouds. And I mean, just look at them.
Why add vanilla pudding mix to cookies?
If you ever searched for a soft cookie recipe online, you probably encountered one that contains cornstarch, which makes cookies extra soft. Adding even as little as a teaspoon can make all the difference. Too much and it will affect the taste by making the cookies bitter. Cornstarch is the hidden ingredient in the vanilla pudding mix, which really brings the softness of these cookies to a whole new level. It also adds a delicious vanilla flavor that isn’t overly powerful!
How to make vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies
As I said, making this recipe is very simple. You don’t even need a mixer!
- Combine the dry ingredients, including flour, baking soda and salt.
- Melt the butter in the microwave.
- Whisk the melted butter with both sugars. Then combine with the egg and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix together until the dough comes together.
- Mix in chocolate chips.
- I highly recommend chilling this cookie dough for at least 30 minutes before baking to help prevent the cookies from spreading.
- Bake rounded balls of cookie dough on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 8-10 minutes.
- Cool before eating.
Tips for making perfect vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies
- Don’t over mix your cookie dough. As soon as the flour mixture is mixed, stop. Otherwise you will end up with tough cookies.
- I recommend chilling the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or even up to three days if you want to make these ahead of time). If you don’t have the time, you can skip this step. While the batter is in the fridge chillin’ (literally), the flour absorbs the liquids, eventually resulting in a thicker cookie that won’t spread out while baking.
- After you let your cookies chill, if they are too tough to handle, just leave them in room temperature for a few minutes before you start to scoop them onto your cookie sheet. You can use a medium ice cream scoop or just a tablespoon.
- I always bake my cookies for less time than what other recipes suggest because I like them slightly under baked (another secret for soft cookie centers). From my experience the most you should bake a cookie is 8-10 minutes and that’s it! (Unless, of course, if you make bigger cookies). They will appear as though they aren’t fully baked and that is ok. You will notice that by this point, the edges will have started to get a brown color.
- Once out of the oven, leave cookies to cool for 10 minutes and then move them to a wire rack. If you touch them while they are fresh out of the oven, they will break.
More of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes:
- Soft, Chewy, Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies: Moist, chewy, and delicious.
- White Chip Chocolate Cookies: Rich, chocolatey cookies combined with melty white chocolate chips.
- Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies: Soft chocolate chip cookies with a secret ingredient – an entire Oreo!
- Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies: With a hint of cocoa powder, these delicious cookies not only taste amazing, but they look gorgeous.
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies: For those late night cookie cravings.
- 1 3/4 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (80g) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
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In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
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Place the melted butter in a large bowl and whisk in granulated sugar, brown sugar and pudding mix. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips.
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Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days). You can skip this step if you want.
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Preheat oven to 175C/350F degrees. Line pans with parchment paper.
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If the cookie dough is hard to handle, leave it on the counter for a few minutes.
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Drop rounded balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet using heaping tablespoons or a medium (about 1.5-tablespoons) ice cream scoop, leaving about 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) between each cookie.
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Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until cookies just begin to brown at the edges. Cookies will appear undone but will continue to bake on the warm baking sheet. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Cookies can also be frozen for up to a month.
85 Comments
Freedom
December 12, 2013 at 10:54 pmThank you. I just made these and they are delicious.
Shiran
December 15, 2013 at 12:52 pmThank you for letting me know! Glad you like it! 🙂
Susan
March 20, 2014 at 10:53 pmI, too, use vanilla pudding. And, if they last long enough for it to be an issue, the vanilla pudding helps to keep them softer, longer. Great recipe and love the pictures!
Shiran
March 22, 2014 at 9:19 amThanks Susan! The pudding does make the cookies extremely soft! It’s magic 🙂
Jeannette Rogers
September 8, 2020 at 9:43 pmWhen putting in the pudding mix do you mix the pudding like it says on the box first or just put the pudding mix in as is
Shiran
September 9, 2020 at 3:16 amYou need to use the powder, just as is 🙂
Jenn
April 14, 2021 at 5:12 pmI’ve used butterscotch pudding in this recipe too it’s fantastic.
rene
April 7, 2014 at 11:31 amAfter I made these cookies for the third time it’s about time i write to you and says who amazing they are! The pudding makes them moist and soft. Excellent recipe and amazing pictures
Shiran
April 7, 2014 at 11:36 amThank you Rene!
Kloe's Kitchen
April 26, 2014 at 3:19 pmPudding and cookies? I love it!
Amanda
April 26, 2014 at 7:31 pmDo you know if it has to be instant pudding or can it be the cook and serve type?
Shiran
April 26, 2014 at 9:57 pmHi Amanda! For this recipe it’s better if you don’t use cook & serve pudding. Instant pudding will give you the best result. These cookies are amazing so I suggest sticking to the recipe 🙂
Christy
April 13, 2020 at 11:31 amThese cookies are unbelievable. Probably the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had.. my friends were fighting over the last one so I had to make them a new batch!
Pat
April 27, 2014 at 10:01 pmok In all the recipes I see about adding instant puddings to cookie mix, pleae tell me do you mix the instant using their instructions once mixed do you add them to the cookie mix or do you just add without mixing it? Pat
Shiran
April 28, 2014 at 8:29 amHi Pat! All you need to do is add the pudding powder straight from to box to the cookie mix. You don’t need to prepare an actual pudding. Does that answer your question? If you need more help, please let me know 🙂
Nicole
June 24, 2014 at 2:38 pmI am making these today. I have seen this a lot lately and I want to see the difference between this method and the traditional method. You have a new food blogger friend in me!
Shiran
June 24, 2014 at 6:27 pmThanks Nicole! I love these cookies so much! They are the best. You have to try them and let me know what you think! 🙂
Sarah
August 19, 2014 at 12:59 amFirst time making these, and I just wanted to make sure…is it hard to get the actual chocolate chips to stick in the batter? The batter is not incorporating the chips. Help!
Shiran
August 19, 2014 at 6:46 amHi Sarah! Do you mean while baking or while mixing? There shouldn’t be any problem with the chocolate chips not sticking to the batter. Once the batter is ready, you need to fold the chocolate chips into the batter using a spatula or wooden spoon. They will be incorporated well with the batter. Does it answer your question?
Joanna
October 10, 2014 at 11:36 amThese cookies are amazing! This is now my go to recipe for cookies. My husband took some into work and everyone requests them for potluck day.
Shiran
October 10, 2014 at 6:00 pmThank you so much Joanna! This is one of my favorite cookie recipes! I’m glad that you and your husband enjoyed them 🙂
STELLA
April 22, 2015 at 4:10 pmCAN YOU USE SUGAR FREE PUDDINGL
Shiran
April 23, 2015 at 7:36 amHi Stella, I don’t recommend using the sugar-free instant pudding. It doesn’t have the same consistency like the regular one, and the cookies won’t turn out as tender and soft as they should be.
Elizabeth
June 22, 2015 at 3:54 pmWonderful cookies! How long can you keep the cookie dough before baking the cookies? We like the cookies warm so we only want to bake what we are going to eat right then.
Shiran
June 23, 2015 at 3:47 amThank you Elizabeth! You can make the dough, cover it with plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for about 2 months, then thaw it for a few hours in the fridge. Another options is to freeze balls of cookie dough, then bake it straight from the freezer. Baking time will take slightly longer in that case.
Amanda
December 21, 2015 at 5:01 pmFound your recipe via Pinterest! (Yay!) These taste Ahhh-maz-ing! However, I followed this recipe exactly and my cookies came out flat as a pancake! I’m so confused! I let the batter chill overnight after my first batch went terribly wrong and they were flat. But same result. It’s so sad! Ha. Just wondering what could possibly be the reason!
Shiran
December 22, 2015 at 4:51 amHi Amanda! I’m sorry to hear your cookies turned out flat, but at least they were delicious! The pudding mix should make them super thick, even without refrigerating. Maybe your oven temperature is off, did you preheat it? Or your baking soda may have expired. Next time you try it, when you shape the cookie dough balls, make them tall and not wide or flat, which should also help.
Tash
March 19, 2016 at 12:01 amHey Amanda, when you melted the butter did you wait for it to cool to room temp before whisking in sugar and egg? I did that once with a wholemeal choc chip cookie that asked for melted butter. I didn’t wait for it to cool, instead just dumped sugars in and mixed. It sprsead so much when baking, in some places it was just choc chip and no cookie! So maybe try waiting for your melted butter to cool if you didn’t do that the first time =)
Julie
January 2, 2020 at 3:01 pmSame thing happened to me. I’m guessing bc I skipped the parchment paper step. I’m going to try again this evening after a run to the store
Amanda
December 22, 2015 at 7:49 amThanks so much for the response! Baking soda definitely not expired. And not sure about the oven. I did preheat but maybe something is off. That could be an issue. Ah-not even sure how to check that. I am going to give them another go!
Shiran
December 23, 2015 at 3:26 pmBaking is all about science and accuracy so sometimes it’s hard to know what exactly went wrong. Just to make sure – you mixed the ingredients by hand and didn’t use a mixer, right? Because incorporating too much air into the batter can also cause the cookies to spread. Anyway, give them another go, they’re worth it 🙂 Also, read this article on flattened cookies.
B.
March 29, 2019 at 9:03 amI read on another receive that creaming your butter and sugar with a mixer helps create air pockets and will help with them being flat! I can’t give an account that it will work as I’m making them for the first time today. Hope it does I hate flat cookies lol
Al.G
February 7, 2016 at 9:11 pmI haven’t made this recipe yet, but when I do, I want to make a bunch, I like to treat the folks at work. If I double the recipe, do I also add another box of pudding mix? Or will 2 boxes make the cookies too soft?
Shiran
February 8, 2016 at 7:42 amIf you double the recipe, you’ll need to double all the ingredients including the pudding mix. Enjoy 🙂
Susan
February 13, 2016 at 6:52 amI would like to make these cookies but I’m in the UK and we don’t seem to have vanilla pudding. Is it a cake mix or something like Angel Delight?
Shiran
February 13, 2016 at 8:32 amHi Susan, I’m not familiar with Angel Delight, but from what I’ve read, it seems like this is the equivalent to instant pudding mix, so you can try that (or read what other people say, there are many threads about this subject). It’s not a cake mix, but a powder that is usually combined with liquid to create a pudding/mousse-like dessert (though in this recipe you only need to use the powder).
Susan
February 15, 2016 at 1:50 amHi Shiran
Thanks for getting back to me. It sounds like Angel Delight will do the job. I’ll have a go and see how they turn out. You’ve got some yummy sounding recipes on your blog so I’ll be coming back for more! ☺
Shiran
February 15, 2016 at 5:51 amThank you Susan 🙂 I’d love to hear how it turns out with Angel Delight.
Laura
March 14, 2016 at 12:50 pmI LOVE this recipe and use it for every kind of occasion. However, I’m wondering how you would suggest taking this and turning it in to a peanut butter cookie? I want it soft and moist and thick like these turn out!
Shiran
March 15, 2016 at 7:42 amHi Laura! Peanut butter cookies tend to have a different texture which is more heavy and crumbly than chocolate chip cookies. I suggest to try a different recipe for peanut butter cookies. This is my favorite classic one – it tastes amazing but it isn’t as soft as these chocolate chip cookies because there’s no pudding mix in there.
Shiran
May 4, 2016 at 2:20 pmHi Maddy, I’m so sorry to hear that. I know how frustrating it can be! This is a pretty basic cookie recipe with a common temperature of 350F, so I’m not sure what went wrong. Do you bake often using that oven? The temperature can be off/too high in some ovens. How long did you bake the cookies for? Did you use all the ingredients in the recipe without changing anything? Did you try to refrigerate the cookies first? It really helps in baking thicker cookies!
Brittany
June 25, 2016 at 11:32 pmHello! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I made it years ago and went looking for it. Question: how do you think adding food coloring to the batter? I’m thinking about making them for a gender reveal party.
Shiran
June 27, 2016 at 5:10 amHi Brittany! You can try it with small portion of dough to see if you like the result. Once dough is ready, add a little color with a toothpick and mix gently. Add more color if you want, a little bit at a time, until you reach the desired color. The color may look be a bit different after baking.
jwgmom
August 16, 2016 at 6:15 pmWill this work if If I add dried cherries?
Shiran
August 17, 2016 at 5:18 amYes, definitely!
Jen
September 22, 2016 at 8:28 pmCan I use oil or peanut butter instead of butter?
Shiran
September 29, 2016 at 8:01 amHi Jen, I haven’t tried it with oil, so I’m not sure what the result would be. Replacing the butter with peanut butter would make the cookies dry and crumbly, so I don’t recommend it.
Jess B.
October 17, 2016 at 6:56 pmThe hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe is over! I’ve baked these cookies more times than I can count and they are so dang delicious that I HAD to find this post again so I could comment. If anyone has a problem with this recipe it’s because the butter was too warm when added to the sugars. This recipe is so easy and turns out amazing EVERYTIME! Thanks for sharing!
Shiran
October 19, 2016 at 5:49 amThank you so much Jess! I’m so glad you like it 🙂
Angel
December 12, 2016 at 2:43 pmJust made these today. They are Amazing! Might try and make them with m&m’s also
Shiran
December 12, 2016 at 2:49 pmThank you Angel! 🙂
Bayan
January 18, 2017 at 7:58 pmHi shiran
I just found your blog today and I am so excited to do the recipe ,and thanks God its by grams 🙂
but I have a stupid question “instant vanilla pudding mix” this is something new on me and I google it but i want make sure if it is that powdery thing sold in cartoon packet?>>>> “My English awful :)”
Shiran
January 19, 2017 at 12:20 pmHi Bayan 🙂 Yes, it’s powder, and sold in a carton.
Ashley
March 6, 2017 at 4:07 pmThese are amazing! I’ve made them probably five times in the past three mon ths! Everyone loves them! The only time I’ve had an issue was when I accidentally hit the cancel button on my oven instead of set and they say for 10 minutes at probably 200 degrees and they were flat and burnt onthe bottom oddly! But the next batch, with the correct temperature, was perfection! I had been using a recipe with cream cheese that was delicious too but these are sweeter and fluffier(perfection)!
Galina
March 18, 2018 at 12:38 pmI made this together with my kids and they loved it. the preparation was easy and the result was yummy!
Elizabeth
May 14, 2018 at 5:14 pmThese are delicious the pudding makes them nice and soft for a while after they cool.
Miri
July 3, 2018 at 6:42 amThese are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. Thank you for all your delicious recipes!
Amanda Blaine
October 23, 2018 at 4:16 pmcan I use mini-m&m’s instead of choc chips??
Shiran
October 25, 2018 at 5:06 amSure, you can use 3/4 cup M&M’s.
Misty
October 26, 2018 at 6:33 amHi! So I tried the recipe last night and I know cooking isn’t my strong area but I don’t know what I did wrong. They batter was all crumbly, like too crumbly to where it didn’t stay in a ball. I used the measured amount a of everything so I’m not sure what I did wrong. Going to try again but of course I am out of pudding mix so I’ll have to wait.
Shiran
October 28, 2018 at 9:52 amIt can happen when measuring with cups instead of grams, because it’s less accurate. Next time, if the dough is too crumbly, you can add some milk.
Sapir
November 28, 2018 at 2:39 pmHi! Which chocolate chip do you use? milk / dark? mini or large one? what brings the best outcome? 🙂
Shiran
November 29, 2018 at 1:24 pmI use dark/bittersweet chocolate chips. Mini or milk chocolate would work if you prefer it.
Leah
December 18, 2018 at 10:30 amIs the butter used salted or unsalted? Can’t wait to try them!
Shiran
December 19, 2018 at 8:16 amHi Leah. It’s always unsalted butter.
Ashley
December 22, 2018 at 3:40 pmWhat do you recommend if I do not have a sifter?
Shiran
December 25, 2018 at 7:05 amYou can just whisk/mix the ingredients by hand.
Elaine Bareck
January 3, 2019 at 12:06 pmSo the flour, baking soda and salt do not need to be sifted together? How do you “sift” ? Do you need a sifter or is there a simple technique you can do using a mesh strainer? Also how long should you allow the melted butter to cool before using it? I think this is what I did wrong in the past resulting in thin flat cookies. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Janice
December 28, 2018 at 10:59 pmJust made these and they are delicious and chewy! Great recipe, thanks! Will definitely be making again.
katie
January 21, 2019 at 1:34 pmjust making these! is it normal for the batter to be very dry- mine is crumbly.
Shiran
February 6, 2019 at 6:40 amIt shouldn’t be very dry. Next time use a bit less flour until the dough sticks together.
Briklyn Kunzle
January 27, 2019 at 6:12 pmHello! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. They are very soft! One question….the cookies are a tad on the ‘grainy’ side, presumably from the pudding mix. Is this how they’re supposed to taste?
Shiran
February 6, 2019 at 5:28 amThey shouldn’t be grainy. Do you mean dry? If you feel like the dough is too dry, use less flour next time.
Michelle
March 15, 2019 at 10:00 pmThis is our goto cookie recipe. Never had an issue with it. We do cook them a bit longer though because of our altitude.
esty
June 6, 2019 at 3:37 pmso when i planned on making this recipe it was with the intention to get rid of some of the vanilla puddings i had. when i started pulling ingredients off the shelf i realized i only had choc puddings!! i decided to use the choc pudding instead and they came out so awesome i think i might have to make a double batch bec they wont last very long!!! so yum!!! thank you shiran!!
Laura
January 4, 2020 at 4:54 amI’ve made cookies with pudding before but lost the recipe. A search sent me here and glad it did. The tip to chill the dough was worth it. I will never make chocolate chips cookies any other way ever again!
B
February 24, 2020 at 6:38 pmDelicious! Will be using this one again for sure!
Liz
April 11, 2020 at 10:07 amI did a search for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that included vanilla pudding. My aunt always made them this way, but I never got her recipe. So, I’m so glad I found this one. I’m wondering though if anyone had an issue with the dough. My dough was very crumbly. There was no way I could have dropped them by rounded teaspoons or with an ice cream scoop. I had to use my hands to get the dough to stick together. The recipe calls for 2.8 ounces of the pudding, and my box was 3.9 ounces. I had first measured out the exact amount, but then I didn’t know what I would do with remaining ounce of pudding so I added it all. Baking is a science, so this may have been why the dough was crumbly. However…..the cookies are DELICIOUS!
Shiran
April 13, 2020 at 7:15 amHi Liz. Yes, it would definitely affect the result. These cookies can be a bit crumbly and thick, but if the dough is too crumbly I always add a little bit of milk or water.
Liz
April 14, 2020 at 8:45 amThank you Shiran. I’ll do that next time. Thank you again for the recipe.
Nancy
April 27, 2020 at 8:39 pmMy cookie dough also turned out quite crumbly. How much milk would you recommend adding.
Shiran
May 11, 2020 at 5:21 amUse a little bit at a time until you get a nice soft dough that’s not crumbly and easy to work with.
Molly
May 2, 2020 at 2:06 pmWe don’t have any chocolate chips–will this work just as sugar cookies?
Shiran
May 3, 2020 at 2:26 amYes, but you can add whatever you want instead – white/milk/dark chocolate (cut from chocolate bars), nuts, etc.
Stef
June 25, 2022 at 9:20 pmThe BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER. So easy and incredibly delicious. I get compliments every time I make them for friends, though I don’t usually make them for friends since my family and I can eat the entire batch ourselves. 😂 They are the best straight of the oven!