Soft M&M’s Pudding Cookies — The softest, thickest, best M&M’s cookies ever! People love these big cookies loaded with M&M’s! Instant vanilla pudding mix keeps them super soft and pillowy!
Table of Contents
These M&M’s pudding cookies are thick enough to sink your teeth into, and they’re so very soft and moist. There’s a hint of chewiness at the base and edges, and it’s just enough to balance the softness and give me the mouthfeel I’m looking for in a perfectly baked cookie.
The texture is dense yet light, and they remind me a bit of the texture in the Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies, minus the cream cheese.
The crunchy candy coating shells of the M&M’s also breaks up the soft, buttery dough and is a perfect texture contrast to the smooth, melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.
These vanilla pudding M&M’s cookies get my vote as my new chocolate chip cookie dough base to beat, and that’s a big statement.
The Science Behind Baking with Pudding Mix
This is some of the best cookie dough I’ve ever made. The cookies are great, but the dough base itself, wow. Allow me to explain. If you don’t care about cookie science, scroll down to the recipe. But if you do, pour a cup of coffee and enjoy.
For nearly the past two years, when I make chocolate chip cookies, I use this recipe. It produces amazingly consistent chocolate chip cookies, and one reason the cookies always turn out beautifully is from the cornstarch in the dough. I’ve used cornstarch in about 20+ cookie recipes because it helps create softbatch-style cookies that are so soft, moist, and supple, without turning cakey.
However, for these chewy M&M’s cookies, rather than using cornstarch, I used 1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix. Pudding mix is mostly modified food starch (aka cornstarch) and some sugary flavorings. So it turns out pudding cookies and cornstarch cookies really aren’t that far apart!
Ingredients for the Cookies
To make these easy vanilla pudding cookies using M&M’s cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- M&M’s
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make M&M’s Pudding Cookies
The dough for these cookies comes together quickly! Here are the basic recipe steps:
- Cream together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.
- Stir in the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the M&M’s and chocolate chips.
- Shape the cookie dough into balls using a 1/4 cup scoop, then press more M&M’s into the top. Chill for at least 2 hours before baking.
- Once the dough has had time to chill, bake until the edges have set and the tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center.
Tip for Making Pretty Cookies
I added 3/4 cup M&M’s into the dough, formed the mounds, and then inserted another tablespoon of M&M’s onto the tops for a nice visual pop. I want to really knowing I’m eating M&M’s cookies.
Cookie FAQs
The pudding cookie craze is nothing new, but not everyone likes or has access to pudding mix. If that’s you, rather than using pudding mix, use 2 teaspoons cornstarch, which means you’re back at my gold standard dough base (which is still great!).
Note that this recipe calls for instant vanilla pudding mix, NOT cook and serve. You also can’t use sugar-free pudding mix.
Yes! As with all my cookies, I chilled the dough before baking. It’s absolutely crucial for thick, puffy, full cookies. If you bake with warm, limp dough, your cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter. Why bother? Plan ahead and chill your dough.
Yes! I made this pudding mix M&M’s cookie recipe for Valentine’s Day, but you can make them for another holiday by using different colored M&M’s!
Go for it! I didn’t use many chocolate chips, only 3/4 cup for the whole batch, but it’s just enough to boost up the chocolate profile. Since the M&M’s are milk chocolate, a little semi-sweet is nice, but use whatever kind you like.
Storage Instructions
Baked cookies: Will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Raw cookie dough: Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Video Tutorial
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Soft M&M’s Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cups milk chocolate M&M’s, divided, (3/4 cup for mixing into the dough + 1/2 cup for placing on top of the dough mounds)
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, pudding mix (or cornstarch), baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chips, 3/4 cup M&M’s, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form 15 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.
- Add about 1 tablespoon M&M’s to the top of each dough mound.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for 11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Cookies Made with Pudding Mix:
Soft Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies — These chocolate-dipped peanut butter cookies are SOFT AND CHEWY on the inside thanks to the addition of pudding mix in the cookie dough! Dipping them in dark chocolate makes for the PERFECT flavor combo!!
The Best Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies — One of my absolute favorite recipes for chocolate chip cookies thanks to a special ingredient! Just one bite and I think you’ll agree!!
Quadruple Chocolate Pudding Cookies — These pudding cookies are packed with cocoa powder, chocolate chips and chunks, and chocolate pudding mix to deliver seriously chocolatey flavor!
Double Malted Milk Cookies — Soft and chewy malted milk cookies loaded with Whoppers and chocolate chips! One of my favorite malted milk powder recipes!
Chocolate Chip Andes Mint Cookies — These quadruple chocolate Andes mint cookies are big, bakery-style cookies that are rich, not overly sweet, and loaded with chocolate and mint chips.
Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies – You won’t miss the butter in these olive oil chocolate chip cookies!! They’re soft and chewy, loaded with chocolate, and have a unique flavor from the olive oil but it’s not overpowering!
Quadruple Chocolate Rolo Cookies — Soft and chewy cookies made with four kinds of chocolate and stuffed with Rolo candies! Ooey, gooey, and addictive!
The dough was extremely crumbly. That is odd to me
You probably over-floured it accidentally if you used a heavy hand measuring the flour.
I made these cookies with Christmas M&M’s and they are outstanding! Me and my son made them and we love them! So soft, so yummy, sooooooooo good! I loved this recipe!
I made these cookies with Christmas M&M’s and they are outstanding! Me and my son made them and we love them! So soft, so yummy, sooooooooo good! I loved this recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these were outstanding for you!
great
great
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I only have sugar free vanilla pudding. Will it still work the recipe states not to use it.
I never have but times are tough right now and if that’s all you have, maybe you want to try it. The reason I don’t typically recommend it is that baking with aspartame or other sugar-free substitutes can alter the final results in a variety of unintended ways, but…if you end up trying it, please LMK how things turned out.
Hi Averie – I haven’t tried this recipe yet but 1/4 cup sounds like a humongous cookie! Is there a way to make the scoops smaller to yield a higher number of cookies in the batch? Needed them for my team of 20+ at work – thanks!
1/4 cup of dough does make a big bakery sized cookie, like what you’d get at Starbucks or a coffee shop, so I don’t think ‘humongous’ but big. If you want to reduce the size and increase the yield, make smaller dough balls and bake for less time; all will vary on how big your dough balls end up being.
Hi Averie,
Just making my second batch of your valentine choco chip/M&M cookies….delicious!! Question…I left them in my fridge for about 4 hours before attempting to bake…they were a very hard dough upon taking out of fridge….could that effect the baking time? I measure them with a 1/4cup scoop, trying to stay within the size you suggested, but they were not done in 11 minutes.
Realize ovens can differ in their actual temps, but I have a very new Wolf oven …just wondering …
I ended up baking for a total of 13-14 minutes….again, curious about the dough hardness.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I too have a new Wolf! However this recipe was not posted/made with that oven. Bottom line, as you said all ovens vary and dough ball sizes so just bake until they are done and don’t worry about what the clock says if they are a few minutes over the baking time estimates given. And very cold dough is what you want!
Hi Averie,
Just making my second batch of your valentine choco chip/M&M cookies….delicious!! Question…I left them in my fridge for about 4 hours before attempting to bake…they were a very hard dough upon taking out of fridge….could that effect the baking time? I measure them with a 1/4cup scoop, trying to stay within the size you suggested, but they were not done in 11 minutes.
Realize ovens can differ in their actual temps, but I have a very new Wolf oven …just wondering …
I ended up baking for a total of 13-14 minutes….again, curious about the dough hardness.
Someone I bowl with brought in your cookies, all I can ssy, out of this world! Want to make them! Would one 3.5 oz instant vanilla pudding equal the 1/4 cup the recipe asks for? Thanks so much for your help!
3.5 oz is probably about 1/2 cup, just guessing, but you will not need all 3.5 oz if you’re using a standard size packet of pudding mix, just measure out 1/4 cup. Glad you loved the cookies!
AMAZING!!!! The best recipe I have ever found fo cookies. They are so thick, gooey, and the chocolate melts in your mouth! I received so many compliments on them. I will never use another cookie recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you will never use another cookie recipe!
AMAZING!!!! The best recipe I have ever found fo cookies. They are so thick, gooey, and the chocolate melts in your mouth! I received so many compliments on them. I will never use another cookie recipe!
Fabulous cookies…. made with Christmas M & M’s……
Glad to hear they turned out fabulous for you!
I am not much of a baker but made these for a cookie exchange and came out great. I doubled the batch but still didn’t make as many cookies as had hoped (may triple next time). I accidentally bought the wrong kind of dry vanilla pudding mix so used cornstarch instead, but didn’t read well enough and put in the pudding mix amount. Next time will use everything in correct amount.
Also, as I am not a baker, I used one stainless steel sheet and those cookies spread like crazy and were not puffy/soft like the others. Should I have used parchment paper or just waited for the non-stick sheets to be ready for another use? Thanks and looking forward to trying the other recipes.
I would definitely wait until you have the proper pans for baking them because if you bake them on the wrong type of pan, as you said, they’re going to spread. I would also recommend using a Silpat rather than parchment. It helps prevent spreading, they’re about $20.
I’m glad these came out great for you!
I am not much of a baker but made these for a cookie exchange and came out great. I doubled the batch but still didn’t make as many cookies as had hoped (may triple next time). I accidentally bought the wrong kind of dry vanilla pudding mix so used cornstarch instead, but didn’t read well enough and put in the pudding mix amount. Next time will use everything in correct amount.
Also, as I am not a baker, I used one stainless steel sheet and those cookies spread like crazy and were not puffy/soft like the others. Should I have used parchment paper or just waited for the non-stick sheets to be ready for another use? Thanks and looking forward to trying the other recipes.