Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies (One Bowl made easy)
These Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies are soft, chewy, and full of rich vanilla flavor, with crisp edges and a thick, tender center. The instant pudding mix gives them an incredibly soft texture that stays delicious for days, and the melted puddles of chocolate throughout adds the perfect balance of sweetness.
They're the kind of cookies that work for everything from holiday cookie trays to everyday baking when you want something simple and reliable. Made with true pantry staples, this soft cookie recipe is easy to make and quickly becomes a favorite cookie for both kids and adults.
If you love recipes like our Pistachio Pudding Cookies or Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, these cookies have that same soft, bakery-style texture with a classic vanilla flavor.
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Ingredients
This recipe uses common cookie ingredients with one key ingredient that gives the cookies their signature soft texture.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- All-Purpose Flour: Creates the structure for the cookies while keeping them soft.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: The secret ingredient that gives these cookies their soft texture and rich vanilla flavor.
- Baking Powder: Helps create a thicker cookie with a light texture.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and creates tender cookies.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cookies and helps create lightly crisp edges.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and contributes to the chewy cookies texture.
- Egg: Helps bind the dough together.
- Egg Yolk: Adds richness and helps create a soft center.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the warm vanilla flavor throughout.
- Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers: I like how the wafers add pools of melted chocolate, but you can use any type of wafer or chip you prefer.
To make this recipe, get out a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or hand mixer), baking sheet, measuring cups and spoons, and a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop.
Variations
- Chocolate Swaps: Use milk chocolate or white chocolate chips instead of melting wafers; or mix it up entirely and try peanut butter chips!
- Festive Cookies: Add Christmas sprinkles for a festive version, or rainbow sprinkles for a birthday cookie.
- Extra Texture: Add chopped nuts or butterscotch chips for more crunch and sweetness.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies
Look at how simply hese vanilla pudding cookies come together.
Preheat oven to 350F and prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, instant pudding mix, baking powder and sea salt.
In the base of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) cream together the butter and sugars for about 2 minutes on medium-low speed, with the paddle attachment.
Add the egg, yolk and vanilla, and run on low until combined; be sure to scrape up the bottom to incorporate it all.
Mix in your choice of chocolate chips with the mixer or a spatula.
Drop or roll 3 tablespoon scoops onto prepared baking sheet and leave some room for spreading.
Bake for 9 minutes just before they start to get golden brown, then allow them to cool for before transferring to a wire rack.
Hint: Softened butter and room temperature eggs help create the smoothest dough.
Recipe Tips
- Don't Overbake: Remove the cookies before they fully brown to keep the centers soft.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: A medium cookie scoop helps keep the cookies evenly sized.
- Cool Properly: Let the cookies sit briefly before transferring to a wire rack so they set correctly.
- Smaller Version: For a more bite-sized cookie, I use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop and bake them for about 7-8 minutes.
For another soft and cozy dessert, our Cinnamon Coffee Cake is a great recipe to bake alongside these cookies.
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Storage Instructions
- Countertop: Store in an airtight container (between parchment or wax paper) for up to 3 days (if they last that long- mine don't!).
- Refrigerator: These cookies stay soft and delicious for days. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies or cookie dough balls in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. My husband loves eating these ones straight out of the freezer; he says it adds an extra element of chewiness!
- Make Ahead: Dough can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to bake.
Serving Suggestions
- Cozy Drinks: Caramel Mocha, Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Chai Latte are all per pairings.
- My Favorite Cookie Combos: Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies, Reese's Cookies, Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies, S'mores Cookies and my version of the Viral Taylor Swift Chai Cookie.
Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies Recipe FAQs
It helps create a softer texture and adds extra flavor and moisture to the cookies.
Sure! Butterscotch pudding or chocolate pudding both work well for variations.
You can freeze portioned cookie dough balls and bake straight from frozen with a slightly longer bake time. We love to keep a batch of these in the freezer for single-serving freshly baked cookies on demand!
Store them in an airtight container and avoid overbaking.
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Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment or Hand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 3 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop or 1 ½ Tablespoon Scoop, see notes
Ingredients
- 218.75 grams all-purpose flour (about 1¾ cups)
- 1-3 ounce pack vanilla instant pudding mix
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ sticks butter unsalted and softened
- 100 grams granulated white sugar about ½ cup
- 50 grams light brown sugar about ¼ cup packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4-6 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers or any preference
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, instant pudding mix, baking powder and sea salt.
- In the base of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) cream together the butter and sugars for about 2 minutes on medium-low speed, with the paddle attachment.
- Add the egg, yolk and vanilla, and run on low until combined; be sure to scrape the bottom to incorporate it all.
- Mix in your choice of chocolate chips with the mixer or a spatula.
- Drop or roll 3 tablespoon scoops onto prepared baking sheet and leave some room for spreading.
- Bake for 9 mins just before they start to get golden brown, then allow them to cool for before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- Don't Overbake: Remove the cookies before they fully brown to keep the centers soft.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: A medium cookie scoop helps keep the cookies evenly sized.
- Cool Properly: Let the cookies sit briefly before transferring to a wire rack so they set correctly.
- Smaller Version: For a more bite-sized cookie, I use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop and bake them for about 7-8 minutes.
- Smoothest Dough: Using softened butter and room temperature eggs provides the best texture.
- Countertop: Store in an airtight container (between parchment or wax paper) for up to 3 days (if they last that long- mine don't!).
- Refrigerator: These cookies stay soft and delicious for days. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies or cookie dough balls in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. My husband loves eating these ones straight out of the freezer; he says it adds an extra element of chewiness!
- Make Ahead: Dough can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to bake.
Nutrition
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