I have been known to make a batch of these Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies and portion them out to keep in the freezer. They are easy to make, bake up in 10 minutes, and honestly everyone loves them!
Why we love this cookie
I’ve literally made hundreds of cookies using this recipe. I’ve played around with different sugars, omitting and including baking powder, butter vs. shortening, and so on. Once I settled on this one, we were hooked. Keeping frozen cookie dough around is convenient, but less dangerous than baking up the entire batch!
Ingredients and baking tips for these cookies
- This recipe uses unsalted butter as well as shortening. If you prefer to replace the shortening with butter, you can substitute equal amounts.
- Like with most cookie recipes, you will use both granulated white sugar and light brown sugar.
- While a standard chocolate chip cookie uses all-purpose flour, if you have bread flour in your pantry you can use that instead!
- What makes these “pudding cookies” is because you are adding a package of instant vanilla pudding mix to the dough.
- While we usually use semisweet chocolate chips, any other chocolate chip variety or flavor can be substituted.
Helpful Baking Tip for Success
- I’ve used chocolate chips, mint chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chunks, among others.
- You can substitute some of the flour with cocoa to make a chocolate version just like I did with my chocolate peanut butter cookies.
- This recipe makes 31 jumbo cookies using an ice cream scoop or 48-60 regular sized cookies, depending on the size of your cookie scoop.
- Softened butter does not mean the butter should be soft. Softened butter is butter that has been removed from the fridge and allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Enough to take the chill off.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a mixer bowl outfitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on low until bound together, then on medium-high until smooth and fluffy.
- Add vanilla, continue beating, then add one egg.
- Beat until combined, then add the other egg and beat until fluffy.
- In a large bowl, stir or whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix.
- Turn mixer to low and gradually mix the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until well blended.
- Use a wooden spoon or sturdy rubber spatula to stir in chocolate chips.
For regular sized cookies:
Makes 48-60 cookies.
- Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 8-11 minutes, until very light golden brown.
- Remove from oven; allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before removing them to wire racks to cool completely.
For jumbo cookies (4″ cookies):
Makes 30-32 jumbo cookies.
- Use an ice cream scoop to measure out dough.
- Roll dough ball in hands and flatten gently with fingers.
- Place 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 11-13 minutes, until very light golden brown.
- Remove from oven; allow cookies to cool 7-8 minutes on baking sheets before removing them to wire racks to cool completely.
To freeze cookie dough:
- Prepare cookie dough as directed in recipe.
- Measure out cookies as indicated above, and place unbaked cookie discs on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Position the cookies as close together as you can without them touching.
- Place the filled cookie sheet into the freezer and “flash freeze” for 2-3 hours. (Flash freezing allows the food to become frozen as individual pieces. This way when they are placed together in a bag they will not stick to each other in a bog blob.)
- Remove the frozen cookies from the cookie sheets and place them into a freezer bag.
To bake frozen cookie dough
- To bake, preheat oven to 350 F.
- Place frozen cookies onto cookie sheet and bake 11-14 minutes.
- You can allow the cookies to thaw on the sheet first if you like; then bake according to the original recipe instructions.
Fair warning, you will want to eat these cookies while hot. But lifting them too early will cause them to break apart. Allow them to cool enough that they will stay together before diving into that melty goodness. You’re welcome.
More Cookie recipes
- Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies
- My favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet
- Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
![stack of chocolate chip cookies](https://amandascookin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Chocolate-Chip-Pudding-Cookies-RC-240x240.jpg)
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup shortening butter flavored or regular
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3.4 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
- 12 ounce semisweet chocolate chips
Things You'll Need
Before You Begin
- I've used chocolate chips, mint chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chunks, among others.
- You can substitute some of the flour with cocoa to make a chocolate version just like I did with my chocolate peanut butter cookies.
- This recipe makes 31 jumbo cookies using an ice cream scoop or 48-60 regular sized cookies, depending on the size of your cookie scoop.
- Softened butter does not mean the butter should be soft. Softened butter is butter that has been removed from the fridge and allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Enough to take the chill off.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a mixer bowl outfitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on low until bound together, then on medium-high until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla, continue beating, then add one egg. Beat until combined, then add the other egg and beat until fluffy.
- In a large bowl, stir or whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix. Turn mixer to low and gradually mix the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until well blended.
- Use a spoon or sturdy rubber spatula to stir in chocolate chips.
For regular sized cookies:
- Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake in a preheated oven for 8-11 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from oven; allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on baking sheets before removing them to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 48-60 cookies.
For jumbo cookies (4" cookies):
- Use an ice cream scoop to measure out dough. Roll dough ball in hands and flatten gently with fingers. Place 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake in a preheated oven for 11-13 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from oven; allow cookies to cool 7-8 minutes on baking sheets before removing them to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 31 jumbo cookies.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared here on May 20, 2011. We’ve updated this post after re-testing (and eating!) this recipe and adding new photos and tips.
Amanda Davis
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Anonymous says
Hello, I was wondering what would happen if you used ALL butter & no shortening. I just made these today… they were great.. but I dont like to use shortening. WOuld all butter have an impact on the recipe
Amanda N
Mags @ the Other Side of 50 says
LOL! I love the definition and "judgement" regarding softened butter. Now I know why some of my cookies turn out and some don't!
MaryBeth says
This does seem to be the best recipe ever….I love chocolate ship cookies!
Maria says
I need to try this recipe! You know I am a cookie fanatic!
Jen says
Well Amanda, I bought the ingredients and made the cookies. My only problem was that they seemed to spread a lot and in the end came out rather thin and crisp. I made the jumbo size. Must say I have never made such large cookies! Yours look so lumpy but mine didn't have that effect at all. I wonder if using all butter made them too crisp or a tad overbaked maybe. I would put a photo but don't seem to be able to do that with a comment.
Will try again another day.I have no one to help me eat them so mustn't make them too often.
marla says
Amanda if you say these are the best, then I trust you! Wish I had right now :)
emily @ the happy home says
i'm coming over from funky junk interiors– these look SO good! i need a sweet this weekend, and i think this is it.
Sara @ Saucy Dipper says
I've never made cookies using pudding mix. Makes great sense! Wish I had a few of those frozen cookie dough circles in my freezer right now.
Amanda says
@Calogero Mira – quite the contrary! They are soft and chewy and they stay that way :)
Meaghan Luby says
wow, i love your pudding mix! what a great trick! thanks for sharing! i adore this :)
-meg
@ http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com
Calogero Mira says
They seem very crunchy. http://calogeromirafoodand.wordpress.com
Debbie says
Those cookies do look amazing Amanda. I am going to give them a try soon!
Maureen says
The pudding mix is clever. We don't have pudding mix in Australia like you have in the states. Now I can make this and pretend I'm back home. :)
I'll definitely be making these soon. They look delicious.
Katrina says
Um, yum! I was going to mention how nice and round they are. I use a cookie scoop, too, but some recipes still make what I call amoeba shaped cookies and it drives me nuts.
You know I'll have to try these, Sista. I have a new favorite butter substitute–Bestlife Butter, I just might try those. (They are more "healthy", endorsed by Bob Harper.) I've really liked them in the things I've baked with them so far.
The cookies do look great!
Amanda says
Hi Jen! I have used butter in place of shortening, but I purposely used half shortening and half butter in this recipe because it produces a better texture. i have read that substituting margarine for shortening works well, I haven't tried it with this recipe myself. I would be very interested in hearing your results if you try it!
Keep in mind your cookie dough should not be sticky. It should have bind together well (not too dry) and should not stick too your fingers (too wet). So with that in mind, you may want to follow the recipe, substitute margarine for the shortening, then add small amounts of flour at the end if it's too sticky.
Good luck!
Jen says
Hi Amanda,
Here I am again asking a question to try and use your recipe in Australia. I can't get shortening. Would you then say I should use all butter or maybe a margarine/butter mixture. The closest I can get to shortening is copha which is a hardened coconut oil. Quote from Wikipedia
Copha, a registered trademark of Peerless, is a form of vegetable fat shortening made from hydrogenated coconut oil. It is 100% fat, at least 98% of which is saturated. It also contains Soya Bean Lecithin. It is popular in Australia where it is used in many foods for children, such as chocolate crackles, made from Rice Bubbles, copha, and cocoa powder, can also be used to make Rocky Road
Copha is produced only in Australia, It is a necessary ingredient in traditional Australian treats such as Chocolate Crackles and White Christmas, and a "chocolate coating" on baked goods that amounts to a rather waxy form of compound chocolate.
I don't like that it is 98% saturated fat and has to be melted. So not sure that would work for the cookies.
When I have used other recipes that called for shortening I just use marg.
Nichol says
Yum they sound amazing. I have a favorite as well but never thought about adding pudding..I'm gonna try this!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
I make a cake at Christmas time that has pudding in the mix but I've never used it with cookies. However, I'm forever on the search for the best chocolate chip cookie and this is one ingredient I've not tried so think these are calling my name!
Randa Clay says
Thank you for clarifying the softened butter thing and for the vanilla pudding mix recipe! I've made a similar recipe with pudding mix and it is the secret ingredient I think.
Gloria says
Amanda these cookies look delicious! I love made in home cookies! gloria