These super moist and incredibly delicious chocolate chip pudding cookies are easy to prepare and can be made with either vanilla or chocolate pudding mix.

When it comes to the best chocolate chip cookie, everyone has an opinion. Some people are on team moist and gooey, and others are on team crisp and chunky. And even among these two factions, the teams are subdivided even more. Nuts or no nuts? Semi-sweet chips or dark chocolate?
I make these chocolate chip cookie bars all the time because they are so easy to bake and my family inhales them fast! For ice cream lovers, you should try my chipwich. It seriously is the best homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich I’ve ever had.
The delicious cookie recipe I am sharing with you today guarantees the most moist cookies you’ve ever had. And the secret ingredient is probably sitting in your pantry, right now. So let’s get to these amazing pudding mix cookies!
Jump to:
Why this recipe is so great
- Easy: These cookies are super easy to whip up!
- Texture: The pudding mix doesn’t just add extra flavor to these cookies, but it also makes them tender and moist.
- Versatile: You can add vanilla or chocolate flavor pudding mix to the batter. You can also switch up the chips and use white, dark or milk chocolate. Nuts or nuts – it’s up to you!
- Fudgy: You can underbake the cookies for extra fudginess. Even if you bake them completely, you still end up with a tender and soft chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients you need
- Butter: The fat base of this cookie is butter. Use unsalted butter.
- Instant pudding mix: You can use either vanilla or chocolate pudding mix – just be sure it is INSTANT pudding mix.
- Eggs: Large eggs are the standard for baking.
- Chocolate chips: You can use semi sweet, bittersweet, dark or milk chocolate chips. You can also use white chocolate chips.
- Walnuts (optional): If you like you mix in chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, peanuts or macadamia nuts.
- Pantry staples: Brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, all purpose flour, baking soda and salt.
Step-by-step directions
- Cream the butter. Whisk butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and whip up until creamy and light brown. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the pudding mix. Mix in instant pudding mix until well blended. The weights listed on the boxes vary over time. I have used 3.5-ounces and 3.9-ounces and both turn out great.
- Add the flour. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in dry ingredients into wet in two batches until fully incorporated. Do not over mix at this point.
- Add the extras. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts, if you are using them. I usually do this by hand with a rubber scraper.
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- Scoop. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls (1 generous tablespoonful) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Smooth the mounds if you want flatter looking cookies. They do not spread a ton so I usually keep them about 2-inches apart on the pan.
- Bake. Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 10 minutes if you want them slightly fudgy in the center. You can also bake them for 12-14 minutes until they are baked all the way through. Let cookies rest in the baking sheet for one minute, then using a spatula place onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQS
The beauty of these is cookies is that you can use either vanilla or chocolate pudding mix. Just be sure you use INSTANT pudding mix and not cook and serve variety. The ingredients in each is different and it’s the cornstarch in instant pudding mix that is so vital in this recipe.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. Or you can keep them in the refrigerate for up to a week.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze the baked cookies. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months. If you want to freeze raw cookie dough, it will keep for up to 2 months.
You can mix in chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans or peanuts. You can mix in any variety of chocolate chips from semi-sweet to dark to even white chocolate chips. Other fun things you can add to your cookies include Mu0026Ms, peanut butter pieces, dried cranberries or even chopped peppermints.
These pudding cookies should last about 5-7 days in a sealed container. You can also store baked and cooled pudding cookies in refrigerator or freeze them. The raw cookie dough can also be frozen and baked at a later date. You can freeze balls of cookie and then bake them right from the freezer. Just add a few more minutes in baking time.
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Chocolate Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 ½ oz box of vanilla or chocolate instant pudding mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Using a stand mixer, whisk butter and sugars until creamed and light yellow in color.
- Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
- Mix in instant pudding mix until well blended.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
- In batches, mix dry ingredients into wet until fully incorporated.
- Using a scraper, fold in chocolate chips and walnuts (if using).
- Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet or line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let cookies rest in the baking sheet for one minute, then using a spatula place onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!