Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

If you love super chewy, flavorful cookies then these chocolate chip pudding cookies are for you! Made with a simple vanilla pudding mix, along with chocolate chips and mini M&M’s, these pudding cookies will be you new favorite homemade cookie recipe.

If you’re thinking that your standard chocolate chip cookie recipe could use an upgrade, you may be right. By adding a simple box of instant vanilla pudding mix to your cookie dough you can enhance the flavor and chewiness of cookies.

Ingredients

• All purpose flour – This is traditional in baking cookies and will render a fluffy, chewy cookie. This recipe hasn’t been tested with other flours.
• Baking soda – Baking soda acts as a leavening for cookies and is important to the recipe.
• Salt – When salt is omitted, a cookie can taste flat or unappealing. The salt will enhance the flavor of the vanilla and chocolate as well.
• Butter – Room temperature, unsalted butter is idea for baking pudding cookies. Using room temp butter will work best in creaming together with sugars, resulting in chewy, fluffy cookies.
• Brown sugar – Light brown sugar is ideal for homemade cookies. It has less molasses than dark brown sugar and lends to a lighter, more chewy cookie texture.
• Granulated sugar – Otherwise known as white sugar, this is a traditional ingredient in baking homemade cookies.
• Eggs – Large eggs, ideally room temperature are best for making a creamy, soft cookie dough.
• Instant vanilla pudding – One (3.4 oz.) package of instant pudding mix is used in this for this pudding cookie recipe. The vanilla pudding will act as a flavor enhancer and will also add to the dense, chewy texture to the cookies.
• Vanilla extract – Vanilla is another traditional cookie ingredient that lends to the flavor of the cookie dough.
• Chocolate chips – Semi-sweet chocolate chips are being used in this recipe, however you can also substitute milk chocolate, dark chocolate or even white chocolate chips in this recipe.
• Mini M&M chocolate candies – Mini M&M’s are most often found in the candy section of the grocery store. Mini M&M’s are an ideal size for chocolate chip cookies, but regular plain M&M’s can also be used instead.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

1. Cream butter and sugar. Cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. You can use a hand mixer, a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon. The texture should be light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, vanilla and pudding mix. Next add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Then, add in the pudding mix. Mix the dry pudding mix into the sugar mixture until it is well absorbed.
3. Dry ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda and salt. Be sure to whisk these together well to ensure there are no pockets of unsavory soda or salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a few spoonful’s at a time.
4. Add chocolate chips and M&Ms. Once all of the dry ingredients are well mixed and have formed a firm dough, add in the chocolate chips and mini M&M’s.
5. Chill dough. For best results, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
6. Scoop dough balls. Once dough has been refrigerated, you can now roll the cookie dough into balls and place on baking sheet. Rolling the dough into balls helps the cookies bake evenly and allows for a uniform shape.
7. Bake. Bake the cookies. You will bake them slightly longer than the standard cookie recipe, however, the cold dough will need a few extra minutes to bake through. It will certainly be worth it, as it results in perfectly golden cookies crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
8. Let cool. Once the pudding cookies are done baking, let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a baking rack to cool completely.

Storage and Freezing

• Storage – Cookies will keep for 4-5 days at room temperature, when stored in an airtight container. 
• Freezing – Cookies can be frozen. Store in an airtight freezer container or freezer bag. The cookies will keep frozen for up to three months.
• Freezing dough – the fully mixed cookie dough can be frozen. For best results, place the mixed dough on to a piece of parchment paper or press-and-seal wrap. Press the dough into a disk and wrap tightly in the paper or wrap. Place the wrapped dough into a freezer bag. The dough will keep for up to three months frozen. When ready to bake, thaw to room temperature before baking off the cookies.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies Variations

Vanilla pudding isn’t the only option for making pudding cookies. There are several combinations of pudding mixes and mix-in options to create amazing cookies are a few ideas:

• Double Butterscotch: butterscotch pudding mix, 1 cup of butterscotch chips and ½ cup of pretzel pieces mixed into the batter.
• White Chocolate Pistachio: pistachio pudding mix, 1 cup of white chocolate chips and ½ cup of chopped pistachios.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate: chocolate pudding mix, 1 cup of Reese’s Pieces candies and ½ cup of cocoa powder added to the dry ingredients. Note: for flour amount use just 1 ½ cups, instead of 2 cups to keep the dry ingredient ratio sound.

More Fun Cookie Recipes

• M&M Oatmeal Cookie Bars
• Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies
• Brownie Mix Cookies
• Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Edible Cookie Dough

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Super chewy and flavorful, these EASY Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies are made with vanilla pudding mix, chocolate chips and mini M&M's!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate chip pudding cookies, pudding cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Total Time: 24 minutes minutes

Servings: 36 cookies

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Erin Indahl-Fink

Ingredients

• ¾ cup butter room temperature
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3.4 ounce package, instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup mini M&M’s candies

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mixture should be light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine. Add in dry pudding mix and mix together until smooth. Set mixture aside.
• In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk together to combine.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients, a few spoonfuls at a time, to the wet ingredients. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated and smooth. The batter will be thick.
• Using a wooden spoon or rubber scraper, add the chocolate chips and M&M’s to the batter. Mix until just combined. Cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
• Once dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
• Begin rolling the cookie dough into 1” balls, placing the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Space the cookies evenly. Twelve cookies will fit on a single sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and center is set.
• Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
• If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 33IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg