If you love a soft, classic chocolate chip cookie, these are for you!
I am quite sure that the sentence “these cookies have too much vanilla and are GROSS” has never been uttered in the whole of human history.
The limits of this theory were put to the test in this recipe, where the secret ingredient is instant vanilla pudding mix!
Yes! Pudding mix IN A COOKIE!!
I have had instant vanilla pudding mix in two baked goods prior to this recipe: in these pumpkin muffins, and in a rum cake which will likely never be featured on this blog unless I am making it for a party, because I do not trust myself to be home alone with an entire rum cake.
ANYWAY. Historically speaking, I’ve found the addition of instant pudding mix to baked goods doesn’t have much of an impact on the flavor, but makes said baked goods very pleasantly soft, and also acts as a kind of preservative so they stay fresh for longer. (This is good if you are a person with abounding self-control who eats a batch of cookies over, say, a week and not in 1.5 days.)
When I learned people use the vanilla pudding mix trick in their chocolate chip cookies, I had to jump on the bandwagon!
And it did not disappoint: These are the softest homemade cookies I have ever had.
They actually might be the ideal chocolate chip cookie. Their shape is perfect (they don’t flatten out, but also don’t get really puffy); their consistency is right at the midpoint between dense and fluffy; and their flavor is every bit as buttery and sweet as you would hope.
I did sample the cookie dough (a no-no, I am aware!), at which point I could distinctly taste the pudding mix, and was doubtful that the final product would be successful. But after baking, the pudding mix is completely undetectable!
I am a big fan of a secret ingredient. It makes it so fun when people ask what’s in you cookies, and you tell them vanilla pudding mix, and a lot of excitement and disbelief ensue!
Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies
Use instant vanilla pudding mix for the softest chocolate chip cookies!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until fluffy. Add pudding mix and beat until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips.
Place tablespoon-size balls of dough on cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, until edges just begin to turn golden brown. Remove from oven promptly. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes on cookie sheets, then remove to parchment paper to set.
Adapted from Allrecipes.
Trina and Tina says
Adding this to the must make list! Thanks!
Mandy Jackson says
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Bernice says
I love soft cookies – never thought to add pudding!
Mandy Jackson says
You’ll have to try these! They’re super soft!
Wendy says
I tried this today and the cookies are great! My 23 year old son loved them too! I also have decided to take a dozen to my son’s girlfriend house Christmas dinner and I’m meeting her parents for the first time. Thanks for this baking secret!
Sincerely, Wendy
Mandy Jackson says
So glad to hear that, Wendy! Hope everybody tomorrow likes these too! Merry Christmas, and enjoy your time with your family 🙂 xx Mandy
Hannah O'Donnell says
Do you make the pudding mix according to the box- or do you just add the dry mix to the recipe?
Mandy Jackson says
Just add the dry mix!
Mary Ann says
I always make an extra batch. Roll the dough into balls. Freeze them on cookie sheet and put them in freezer so we can make a few at a time or a whole batch without having the mess. These cookies are awesome
Mandy Jackson says
Love this! Never a bad idea to have cookies on hand.
Rikki says
I made a batch of these and my dough was very dry and cookies came out very small and didn’t flatten down, however, they still tasted good. I also ended up with a bunch of chocolate chips at the bottom of my bowl. Decided to make a smaller batch of dough to use up the chocolate chips. I cut my recipe down to 1/3 but because I can’t cut 2 eggs down into 1/3, I used 1 egg. My dough was much gooier but the cookies came out sooo good. Moral of my story, I think 1 extra egg and less chocolate chips on this recipe make for the perfect cookie!
MARLO says
Would French vanilla work with milk chocolate chips ???
Mandy Jackson says
I haven’t tried that combination, but I’m sure it would work!