Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Total time: 21 minutes
5 from 6 votes

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Soft and chewy pudding cookies are always a favorite. While you probably expect pudding cookies to contain, well, pudding, what if I told you a secret? It turns out you can get the same delicious taste and texture of chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding, without the actual pudding. Get ready to bake a double batch, because your friends and family will eat these up in no time!

Chocolate chip pudding cookies with sea salt flakes on top, sitting on a blue plate with a blue and white napkin underneath

Chocolate Chip Cookies With Vanilla Pudding

I absolutely love the softness of chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding. It’s hard to eat just one! The problem, aside from that can’t eat just one thing, is that more often than not when I go to make them, I realize I do not have pudding mix.

Well it turns out that no pudding mix = no problem. You can get an even better pudding cookie without that box of pudding.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

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What Are Pudding Cookies?

If you’ve never made pudding cookies before, they are essentially a regular chocolate chip (or other type) of cookie recipe, that has a box of dry pudding mix added in with the dry ingredients.

Why Put Pudding In Cookies?

The pudding mix helps create a cookie that stays chewy for days. They are very similar to soft batch style cookies.

Can you make them without pudding mix?

Yes, yes you can. And you should. You CAN make chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding WITHOUT the vanilla pudding.

chocolate chip pudding cookie sitting on a cookie sheet

How To Make Pudding Cookies

So how do you make chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding, without the pudding mix?

Mary Younkin over at Barefeet In The Kitchen figured it out. And it’s one of 80 delicious dessert recipes is her newest cookbook, “The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook. 80 Irresistible Recipes With Only 5 to 15 Minutes of Prep” 

And she’s letting me share that recipe with you today. COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!

A blue plate of chocolate chip pudding cookies in front of The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook

To make these delicious chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding, without the pudding, Mary adds in cornstarch, extra sugar and extra vanilla.

Basically the ingredients you would use if you made pudding. And the result is utterly amazing.

To take them to a whole other level, Mary tops them with Maldon sea salt flakes, creating Salted Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies (Without The Pudding Mix!).

They are quick and easy to make. Less than 30 minutes from now, you could be eating one of these cookies, fresh from the oven. What are you waiting for???

chocolate chip pudding cookies on a baking sheet

The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook

I’m very fortunate to call Mary, who has been blogging over at Barefeet In The Kitchen for the past decade, one of my dearest friends.

She creates delicious, dependable recipes that everyone in my family loves. That’s no easy task with two picky eaters. Her previous two cookbooks are the only cookbooks that permanently live in my kitchen.

From her Sour Cream Coffee Cake for breakfast, to her Easy Sausage Pasta for dinner, to her Chocolate Chip Poundcake for dessert, her recipes are always knock out successes.

sour cream coffee cake

sausage pasta

chocolate chip bundt cake

All other cookbooks are out on a bookshelf, but not Mary’s. The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook and The Weekday Lunches & Breakfasts Cookbook remain in my kitchen full time.

Now The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook will join them. 

a plate of cookies next to a cookbook

The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook has something for every craving, from cakes to crisps, cookies to cobblers, bars to ice cream, and beyond. With this cookbook a made-from-scratch dessert is achievable even when you only have a few minutes to spare.

Some of my favorite recipes in the book include: 

  • Triple Chocolate Pound Cake
  • Chunky Monkey Snack Cake
  • Caramel Pretzel Cookies
  • Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies (seriously, the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had!)
  • Gooey Rocky Road Brownies
  • Walnut Toffee Bars
  • Brown Sugar Peach Cobbler
  • Best And Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Fully-Loaded Monster Cookie Dough Cups
  • Berry Swirled Cheesecake Mousse Bars

You can order a copy of The Weeknight Dessert cookbook online from retailers such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Trust me. You want this cookbook in your kitchen. 

a plate of Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies With Vanilla Pudding

Without the pudding!

Chocolate chip pudding cookies with sea salt flakes on top, sitting on a blue plate with a blue and white napkin underneath

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

5 from 6 votes
Servings 14 cookies
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 11 minutes
Total: 21 minutes
The magic of a classic pudding cookie is in how chewy the cookies are. These Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies give you the same great chewy cookie, but without using a pudding mix!

Ingredients
 

  • 6 tbsp butter (softened )
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup, plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • sea salt flakes, such as Maldon (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Slowly add in the flour, cornstarch and baking soda, making sure it is well incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and stir to mix throughout the dough.
  • Scoop out 2-tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Place each ball on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven when the cookies are puffy and barely cooked through – do not let them brown. The cookies should be round and pillow like (and not browned at all) when they're ready to come out of the oven.
  • Sprinkle lightly with salt, if using, as soon as they're out of the oven. Let the cookies cool for 1 minute on the tray and then transfer to a wire rack. As they cool, they will settle into the dips and ridges that you see in the photos. Store the completely cool cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.

Notes

Fee free to swap the chocolate chips with the add-ins of your choice equaling 1 cup total. 
Take care not to overcook these cookies. For a perfectly chewy pudding cookie, you want to remove them from the oven when they’re puffy and not at all browned, and then let them cool on a wire rack. 

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 92mgPotassium: 101mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 159IUCalcium: 18mgIron: 2mg

The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American

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Meet Christi, Love From The Oven

I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.

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5 from 6 votes (1 rating without comment)

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7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These turned out great! Easy to make and delicious! Kids are raving about them. Make sure to refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes or so before baking. Great recipe!

  2. Hello, i was curious if you can use Tapioca Starch in place of Corn Starch, I am allergic to Corn and I use nothing but Tapioca starch in all my recipes but i know that sometimes you cannot substitute one for the other, so please let me know, thank you so much and God Bless

  3. 5 stars
    I’m so glad I found this recipe! As someone who never keeps pudding mix on hand, I can still enjoy these pudding cookies without relying on a store bought mix. I’m making some more right now as a gift to our neighbor for plowing us out last week. These have become one of my favorite cookie recipes. Thank you for sharing.

  4. 5 stars
    I’m so happy that you’re already enjoying the cookbook! I love these cookies so much. Your photos are making me want to make them again now!