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My hubby is a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur, and these soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pudding met his high standards. Soft, chewy with an extra boost of vanilla from the pudding, they’re easy to make and definitely easy to eat!

Well, these Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies are enhanced from the simple addition of a box of pudding mix! No one will ever guess why they are so tasty!

Overhead view of soft chocolate chip cookies on a white tray.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Reader Review:
3 Ingredient Notes:
4 How to Make
5 Expert Tips
6 Frequently Asked Questions
7 You May Also Like:
8 Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Why You Must Make

  • These chocolate chip pudding cookies are soft, buttery, and chewy.
  • The addition of pudding makes these extra moist plus gives a boost of vanilla flavoring.
  • They’re loaded with chocolate chips!
  • More than one of my friends raved about this soft chocolate chip cookie recipe with instant pudding as the secret ingredient, one being my blogger friend, Danielle, from Hugs & Cookies XOXO

At our house, chocolate rules! It’s a toss-up between decadent chocolate cookies and ordinary or jazzed-up chocolate chip cookies like these Layered Chocolate Chip Cookies. These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies were also a huge hit with my crew.

Reader Review:

From Claudia via the comments: I am telling all your readers that these are by far the best Chocolate Chip soft cookies I ever had! Baking the rest now and will post it tomorrow.. omg everyone TRY THIS RECIPE!!!!! IT’S AWESOME! THANKS, Liz! It’s a keeper! I hope I have a pan left to photograph! They are eating them faster than I can put them on the cookie sheet!

Ingredient Notes:

Chocolate chip pudding cookies ingredients on a sheet pan with labels.
  • Pantry Ingredients – Baking Soda, Table Salt, Granulated White Sugar
  • All-Purpose Flour – I use King Arthur Flour.
  • Baking Powder – Your can of baking powder will most likely expire before you use it all. PRO-Tip: Check the expiration date and if you’re uncertain, put a teaspoon in a bowl and add ⅓ cup of very hot water. If it’s still active, it will bubble furiously. If it doesn’t replace your can before continuing with this recipe.
  • Room Temperature Butter – I prefer name-brand butter since it has less added water. Watch for sales and store in the freezer.
  • A small box of Instant Vanilla Pudding – I use Jello brand.
  • Dark Brown Sugar – The extra molasses in dark brown sugar provides extra moisture making even softer, chewier cookies!
  • Room Temperature Eggs – they incorporate best when not cold.
  • Vanilla Extract – look for Pure Vanilla Extract on the label, not imitation. The difference in flavor is notable!
  • Semi-Sweet & White Chocolate Chips – I prefer Ghirardelli brand. If you like dark chocolate, Bitter-sweet Chocolate Chips are a delicious alternative to Semi-Sweet. Use just one kind instead of two, if desired.
  • Toasted Pecans – An optional ingredient, but always delicious in chocolate chip cookies. Make sure to toast your nuts before using them in a recipe to bring out their natural oils and flavors.

How to Make

Dry ingredients in a bowl
Whisk dry ingredients.
Process shots for soft chocolate chip pudding cookies.
Mix butter, sugar, pudding, eggs & vanilla.
Rest of ingredients other than chips added & mixed.
Mix in dry ingredients.
Chocolate chips added to cookie dough.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Place dough balls on pan.
process shots for soft chocolate chip cookies.
Bake, cool and eat!

Expert Tips

  • Make sure to purchase a small box of instant vanilla pudding. Buy instant, not cook and serve pudding mix.
  • PRO-Tip: Have your eggs and butter at room temperature for easy mixing and incorporation.
  • Stir in the dry ingredients or beat very slowly as once the flour is added, you don’t want to over-activate the gluten. This will keep your cookies tender and chewy instead of cakey. 
  • I used semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use chocolate discs or chunks if you’d like. Or try with other flavors of chocolate chips. 
  • PRO-Tip: Chill the dough for a couple of hours before baking. You can bake them immediately, but your cookies will be flatter.
  • Reserve some of the chocolate chips to press into the warm cookies after they come out of the oven. This will give a nice finished look to the baked cookies.
  • Use a medium-sized cookie disher to scoop out evenly sized cookies.
  • PRO-Tip: To keep them chewy, do not overbake. The cooking time range is dependent on the temperature of your dough and how your oven bakes. When the centers look almost cooked, pull them out. The very centers may look a bit glossy and not totally firm like the edges.
  • The cookie sheet will remain hot and continue baking the cookies for a few more minutes. I like my cookies a wee bit underdone so they’re extra chewy, but there’s a fine line between that and raw. So make a note of the time that works best for you and your oven so you’ll know the best baking time for your future batches.
  • PRO-Tip: Another one of my tricks is to use my spatula to shape the hot out-of-the-oven cookies into nice circles by tapping the edges into shape. Often a few cookies will be misshapen after they bake. If you’re making these for special guests, you might give this a try. Make sure to use a hot pad as this is done when the cookie sheet is still very warm.

I guess I’m going to have to keep a stash of instant vanilla pudding in my pantry from now on. P. S. I’ve just recently tried some Dark Chocolate Pudding Cookies which were also a huge hit with the family.

Pudding cookies on a white ceramic tray.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Store Chocolate Chip Cookies?

They can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, though these pudding cookies will last a couple of days longer.

Can You Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies?

YES! Once they’ve been out at room temperature for 3-5 days, it’s best to freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Can Other Ingredients be added to the Dough?

Yes, nuts or a combination of chocolate chips can be used. Just make sure not to include too many add-ins or there may not be enough dough to hold the cookies together.

Can the Dough Balls Be Frozen?

Yes, first freeze the dough balls on a sheet pan, then place the frozen dough ball into a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Freeze up to 3 months. These can be baked right from the freezer but will need a longer baking time.

Why Are My Cookies Flat?

There are a few different possibilities. The dough could have gotten too warm, your oven may be too hot, your baking powder may be too old (it often expires before you use it all), or you may have mismeasured the flour.

Overhead view of 3 pudding cookies on a square dessert plate.

You May Also Like:

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3 chocolate chip cookies with pudding on a square white plate
The Recipe:

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Yield 3 dozen

Soft, chewy and delicious chocolate chip cookies with a secret ingredient. Adapted from Hugs & Cookies XOXO

Ingredients

  • 2 ⅓ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 ounces)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1-2 cups chopped, toasted pecans, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream together the butter and sugars, Beat in the pudding mix, then stir in the eggs and vanilla.
  4. Blend in the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  5. Chill the dough if it gets too warm.
  6. Use a medium cookie scoop to dish out 1 ½ tablespoon mounds of dough onto your baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until barely golden brown

Notes

May use all semi-sweet chocolate chips if desired.

Make sure to buy Instant pudding mix not Cook and Serve.

Reserve some of your chocolate chips (or use more!) to press into the warm cookies for a professional bakery look!

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

2 cookies
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 128Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 1g

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies