Make the best chocolate chip cookies ever with one secret ingredient: instant vanilla pudding mix. This easy, chewy, and foolproof recipe delivers soft, bakery-style cookies every time.
Everyone has a go-to cookie recipe — this chocolate chip cookie with instant vanilla pudding has become ours. I’ve made it so often over the last dozen years that the method is memorized. These cookies are reliable, simple, and consistently delicious.
This is a no-chill cookie recipe, perfect for baking large batches — it yields about 40–50 cookies and requires no frosting. They cool and stack easily, so they’re ideal for parties, bake sales, cookie exchanges, or cozy nights at home. If you prefer chewy, soft cookies (not dry or overly crunchy), pudding mix is the trick: it keeps the interior tender while allowing the edges to set.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Taste: A balanced sweet-salty flavor with a noticeable salt accent that makes these cookies addictive, plus a pleasant vanilla note from the pudding mix.
- Ease: Beginner-friendly: cream butter and sugars, add eggs and vanilla, then fold in dry ingredients and chips.
- Time: About 10 minutes to mix and 8–10 minutes to bake per sheet. Plan on roughly 45–50 minutes total for the full batch.
Why Add Vanilla Pudding to Cookies?
Instant vanilla pudding mix contains cornstarch and stabilizers that help create a soft, pillowy center while still allowing slightly crisp edges — the secret to a bakery-style cookie at home. If you don’t want to use pudding mix, cornstarch can achieve a similar soft texture, although the boxed mix also contributes flavor.
Key Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Pudding mix: Use instant pudding mix only (vanilla or French vanilla recommended). Do not prepare with milk — use the dry powder in the dough. White chocolate or cheesecake pudding mixes also work well.
- Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet is classic, but dark, milk, white chocolate, butterscotch, or chopped chocolate are all great alternatives.
- Salted butter: Salted butter gives great flavor; if you use unsalted butter, increase the added salt slightly to taste.
- Salt: Salt enhances the cookie’s flavor. If you’re cautious, start with less and adjust next time.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and full instructions.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap in pistachio pudding and chopped pistachios for pistachio pudding cookies.
- Use butterscotch chips with the pudding mix for a butterscotch variation.
Instructions
- Step 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat 1½ cups salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
- Step 2. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Step 3. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and one 3.4 oz (instant) French vanilla pudding mix. Mix until combined.
- Step 4. Add 4 to 4¼ cups all-purpose flour, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed until combined. The dough should have the texture of soft playdough and pull away from the sides of the bowl — not stiff or crumbly.
- Step 5. Stir in 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. Using a 1½-inch scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons), place 12–13 dough scoops per sheet.
- Step 6. Bake 8–10 minutes. Do not overbake — edges and bottoms should be barely golden and tops beginning to crack. If baking multiple pans, rotate halfway through for even baking.
Expert Tips
- Oven time varies with pan count and rack placement. Rotate pans halfway if needed.
- Let cookies cool on the sheet 5–10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Scoop and freeze extra dough balls for quick baking later.
Troubleshooting
- Cookies too cakey: Likely too much flour or overmixing. Reduce flour slightly and mix minimally.
- Cookies spread too thin: Dough may be too warm or needs a bit more flour. Chill 30–60 minutes or add 1–2 tablespoons more flour.
- Cookies dry after a day: Store airtight and add a slice of bread to the container to help retain moisture. Pudding mix usually helps keep cookies soft longer.
- Grainy texture: Mix until the dough is soft and cohesive — about 1 minute after adding pudding and flour. Start with less flour and add until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
How To Freeze Cookie Dough
- Make the dough as directed.
- Scoop onto a parchment-lined sheet close together but not touching.
- Freeze 4 hours or overnight, then transfer dough balls to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
- To bake thawed: Refrigerate dough balls overnight, then bake at 350°F as directed.
- To bake from frozen: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place frozen dough on a lined sheet and bake 12–14 minutes (check after 14 minutes and then every minute until done) until edges are barely golden and tops begin to crack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baked: Cookies stay soft for 3–5 days stored in an airtight container. The pudding mix helps maintain softness longer than a typical cookie.
Yes. Flash-freeze raw dough scoops on a tray, then bag for up to 3 months. Bake within a few days after thawing for best texture and flavor.
Yes — cornstarch adds softness, but instant pudding adds both texture and flavor. If you use cornstarch, you may want to add a small amount of powdered milk or extra vanilla to boost flavor.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
-
White Chocolate Biscoff Cookies
-
Neapolitan Cookies
-
M&M Oatmeal Pudding Cookies
-
Maple Pecan Cookies
Did You Try This Recipe? Please leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card — feedback helps other readers and I love hearing from you. If you enjoyed it, share with friends and family.
Printable Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Pudding
Ingredients
- 1½ cups salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 (3.4 oz) package instant French vanilla pudding mix (instant vanilla, white chocolate, or cheesecake flavors may be used)
- 4 to 4¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract; mix on medium until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add salt, baking soda, and the instant pudding mix; mix to combine.
- Add flour a cup at a time on low speed until combined. Dough should feel like soft playdough and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop 1½-inch balls (about 1.5 tablespoons) onto prepared sheets, 12–13 per sheet.
- Bake 8–10 minutes until edges are barely golden and tops begin to crack. Rotate pans if needed for even baking.
- Cool on the sheet 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Makes 40–50 cookies using a 1.5-inch scoop. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze raw dough scoops on a tray for up to 3 months.
Freezing & Baking from Frozen
- Flash-freeze scooped dough on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag.
- To bake thawed: refrigerate overnight and bake at 350°F as directed.
- To bake from frozen: bake at 350°F for 12–14 minutes (start checking at 14 minutes) until edges are barely golden and tops begin to crack.
Nutrition (per cookie)
- Calories: 185 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Sodium: 158 mg
- Sugar: 12 g
Hi, I’m Sara!
Registered nurse by day and food blogger on weekends. I test every recipe thoroughly and share straightforward, reliable methods so you can make great food at home.