If you love super chewy, flavorful cookies then these chocolate chip pudding cookies are for you! Made with chocolate chips and mini M&M’s, these vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies will be you new favorite homemade cookie recipe.
This post first appeared on Best Dessert Recipes where I’m a contributor.
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.
In this post we’ll go over everything you need to make chocolate chip cookies with a pudding mix, how to do it and the simple tools you’ll need.
What do I need to make pudding cookies?
Wet Ingredients:
- Butter – room temperature, unsalted butter is idea for baking 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.
Dry 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. Don’t leave this ingredient out.
Cookie Mix-In’s:
- 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.
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe. Thanks!
How do you make vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies?
- The first step to cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. It’s important to use room temperature butter – not hard butter right from the fridge and not nearly melted butter. The consistency needs to be soft to the touch. 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.
- Next, to the sugar mixture, 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. Batter should be smooth.
- In a separate bowl, 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. Stop your mixer on occasion to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- 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. For best results, use a rubber scraper or wooden spoon to fold these into the batter. Using a mixer is not recommended for this step, as the beaters can break apart the M&M’s.
- For best results, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. Refrigerating the dough will significantly help form the cookies and help them hold a uniform shape. Refrigerated dough also results in wonderfully chewy cookies with a crisp exterior and soft middle.
Rolling and baking the pudding cookies:
- Once dough has been refrigerated, you can now roll the cookie dough into balls. Rolling the dough into balls helps the cookies bake evenly and allows for a uniform shape. Dough balls approximately the size of a walnut (1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons) is ideal for the size of a single cookie.
- Place the shaped cookies on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat is helpful in cookies baking evenly and not sticking to the bottom of the pan. The pan will fit twelve cookies, spaced evenly. Top with a few additional chocolate chips and M&M’s, if desired.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. This is 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 will result in perfectly golden cookies crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
- Once the 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 cooling rack to cool completely.
Cookie Storage and Freezing Options:
- 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.
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions be sure to scroll down to the recipe at the bottom of the post. Thanks!
Frequently asked questions about making vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies:
What makes cookies puffy or flat?
Using room temperature butter helps the process of creaming together with the sugars. When beaten together, the room temperature butter creates air pockets, resulting in slightly risen, fluffy cookies.
What does adding pudding mix to cookies do?
Pudding mix enhances the flavor, texture and consistency of cookies. Using a pudding mix will create a more dense cookie dough, resulting in a thicker more chewy cookie.
What other pudding mixes and ingredients can be combined to make pudding cookies?
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.
Love baking with M&M’s? Check out some of my other treats that include M&M candies:
- Christmas M&M Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies – using Peanut Butter M&M’s!
- M&M Cookie Bars
- The BEST Monster Cookie Recipe
- M&M Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Rolo Reindeer Pretzels
- M&M’s® Spring Flower Pops
- Reese’s Pieces Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls with Mini M&M’s!
- Monster Cookie Bars
If you loved this cookie recipe, check out some of our other similar recipes:
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Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
If you love soft, chewy cookies, then these vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies are for you. Made with a simple vanilla pudding mix, chocolate chips and M&M's, these pudding cookies are a serious upgrade to any cookie recipe.
Equipment
- Silicone Baking Mats This OXO silicone baking mat is fantastic for making cookies that don't stick and bake evenly.
- Sheet Pan These USA stainless steel sheet pans are great for one-pan meals!
- Mixing Bowls These stainless steel mixing bowls are an essential cooking tool for every kitchen.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (3.4 oz. pkg.) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cup 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.
Notes
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 145mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13g
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