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Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Pudding

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Chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding are the ultimate soft cookie recipe! These classic chocolate chip cookies will become a fast favorite and have everyone asking for a copy of the recipe!
 
Chocolate Chip Cookie with pudding on a brown paper bag with a blue backdrop

Every good baker needs a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe in his/her arsenal. Honestly, I think every crappy baker needs one too. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie! But if you  really struggle with baking, you can always sign of for a cookie subscription!

I have made some pretty amazing desserts over the years, and I still get asked to bring these chocolate chip cookies most places! Which is definitely not a bad thing, because they make SO many that it’s great for parties or school functions.

Why Do You Use Vanilla Pudding in Cookie Recipes?

It keeps them fresh longer! This is a trick I learned many, many years ago and at first I doubted it. I had always followed the Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, so it was hard for me to stray from it.

But these chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding not only taste very similar to the Nestle version, but they last longer too. Which is great if you’re making them for a party or somewhere that you want to get them done a day or so ahead of time. 

I do want to be very clear, though, that you use the dry pudding mix straight from the box. You do NOT make the pudding as the box directs. I’ve had some people come back and tell me that’s what they’ve done and I have so much trouble not shaking my head right in front of them. DRY pudding mix gets added right to the cookie batter!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Pudding Mix

Start with softened butter (not margarine) in a large stand mixer. Add your brown sugar and white sugar and beat until light and fluffy. I beat the butter and sugars way longer than most people. I’m thinking probably 7-8 minutes. I think most people stop as soon as they can see the ingredients are combined. But I keep going until it’s really light and fluffy.
 
Then add your dry pudding mix in and beat that until it’s all combined well. Then add your eggs one at a time, beating the mixture well after each egg.
 
In a medium bowl, combine your flour and baking soda and give it a stir to combine them. Then just start adding your flour mixture gradually to the butter mixture.
 
You do NOT want to add the flour all at once! Ask me how I know… you will end up with flour all over your counter, floor, your body. It’s a mess and then I stand there and wonder how much flour I lost and whether it will make a difference in my final cookies. 
 
Just add your flour gradually, combining after each addition, and you won’t have to deal with that ridiculousness.  You do want to be sure, though, that you just beat until the flour is incorporated. If you beat too long at this stage, you’ll end up with a tough cookie. 
 
Then stir in your chocolate chips until they’re evenly mixed all through the batter.
 
There are 2 schools of thought on your next step:
  1. Refrigerate your dough for about 30 minutes before you bake the cookies.
  2. Start baking right away, because who has time for all that??

I’ve done both and honestly, the only time I notice a huge difference is when it’s really hot or humid out. The point of refrigerating your dough is because then it doesn’t spread as much when you’re cooking it. Your cookies will stay nice and fluffy. If it’s a hot, humid day, this can make a big difference so go ahead and plan on refrigerating the dough first. If it isn’t, I bake right away and take my chances.

You want to preheat your oven to 375 and use non-stick cookie sheets. Drop your dough by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets and then bake for 8-10 minutes. I like my cookies really gooey, so I nearly always remove them around 8 minutes. 

They’ll look like they’re just starting to get golden brown around the edges and might still look a little uncooked in the middle. I pull the sheet out them and let them finish cooking for a few minutes on the hot cookie sheet before moving them to a cooling rack. 

chocolate chip cookies with pudding mix stacked on a brown paper bag

Can You Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Yes, yes, 100% YES!!
 
They freeze so well which is awesome since this recipe makes like 7 dozen cookies!
 
You have two choices for how to freeze chocolate chip cookies:
    1. Place uncooked chocolate chip cookie dough on cookie sheets and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until frozen solid. After you flash freeze them, transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer bag. When you’re ready to cook them, you can just remove a few cookie dough balls at a time or bake the whole batch. Just set the frozen cookie dough batter on a cookie sheet, let thaw for about 20-30 minutes and then cook like the recipe directs.
    2. The second option is to bake the cookies according to the recipe. Once the cookies are completely cool, flash freeze in a single file on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag and then you can just pull one out at a time when you get a sweet craving!
classic chocolate chip cookies stacked on a brown paper bag with a blue background
 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Pudding

These cookies stay soft and gooey for so long! A classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that makes a huge batch and stays fresh for days!

  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 cups butter or margarine (softened)
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 3.4 oz. packs Instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 cups chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the flour and baking soda and set aside
  2. Cream butter and both sugars together. Beat in the pudding mix until blended.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the flour mixture gradually just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
  5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Tips: I always try to leave enough time so that after I make my cookie dough, I can refrigerate it for an hour or so before I bake the cookies. This helps the cookies stay more round and fluffy and they won’t spread out as much as a room temperature dough will. It’s not a necessary step, but can make a difference.

I take the cookies out at about 8 minutes. Sometimes they don’t look completely done, but just let them sit on the pan for a couple minutes and they’ll finish cooking a bit and firm up. They are so ooey gooey this way!

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Pudding Mix

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Joyce

Monday 9th of May 2022

Do you think I could use the white chocolate pudding mix instead of the vanilla pudding?

Sher

Thursday 17th of February 2022

Can you use sugar free pudding mix

David

Monday 3rd of January 2022

Ok, I am a middle aged single guy who doesn't bake allot and does not own a large stand mixer (which I am soon to purchase)... Making these with a simple hand mixer, which is all I have at the moment was like wrestling an alligator in quicksand! After multiple stoppages to clean the beaters I think/hope everything is mixed well together. I let the cookie dough refrigerate for 30 minutes and started the baking process, which was the easiest part of the recipe. I am pleasantly surprised at how good these turned out and will be making them again after purchasing my stand mixer!! I appreciate your step by step instructions and should have paid more attention at the heavy duty equipment needed to make this recipe.

Cheers to my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!

Sally

Friday 17th of September 2021

Can I chop recipe in half?

Bonnie

Sunday 29th of August 2021

Can you use sugar free pudding in the recipe?