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!!
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies…With Pudding!
These really are my new favorite soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies. Now, that’s a big statement because I haven’t cheated on this recipe in years!
I’ve used the base of that cookie recipe for Twix Bar Cookies, Snickers Cookies, M&M’s Cookies, S’mores Cookies, and many others when I want a hearty, but buttery dough base. Any cookie I’m going to stuff with add-ins or candy, that’s not a peanut butter cookie, I use that base.
But all good things eventually get knocked off their pedestal and something better, shinier, and newer comes along. Enter: these big, chewy chocolate chip cookies . Spoiler: these sot and chewy chocolate chip cookies are made with vanilla pudding mix!
The dough is buttery and moist with hints of vanilla, and it’s the perfect canvas for the melted chocolate chips.
So it’s ‘the best’ according to me and my family, and of course, this can change. Food bloggers, we change our minds, if you haven’t noticed. But for now, these gooey chocolate chip cookies are the top dog.
I can’t wait for you to try them and let me know if you agree.
What’s in These Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies?
These gooey chocolate chip pudding cookies are thick enough to sink your teeth into, with slight chewiness at the base and edges.
It’s just enough to balance the very pillowy soft centers and give me the mouthfeel I want in a perfectly baked, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie.
Here’s what you’ll need to make the absolute best chewy chocolate chip cookies:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make truly soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, you first need to cream together the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Beat the mixture for a good 4 minutes — don’t skip this step!
Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Note that you add the pudding mix like a dry ingredient. You do NOT actually make the pudding. Scoop the cookie dough into balls using a large cookie scoop, then place on a large tray and cover with plastic wrap.
I baked my chewy chocolate chip cookies for 11 minutes, but if you choose to make smaller cookies, you’ll need to bake for less time. How much less? I don’t know.
Tip: The secret to making the best chewy chocolate chip cookies is keeping them a touch underbaked. I think that’s the secret to most good cookies!
Can I Omit the Pudding Mix?
The pudding cookie craze certainly isn’t new. I’ve used instant pudding mix in my Soft M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, Dark Chocolate Chunk and Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies, and Quadruple Chocolate Soft Fudgy Pudding Cookies and I wanted to create a classic chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe with it.
This chocolate chip pudding cookie recipe is nearly a carbon copy of my old standby. The significant change is that I omitted 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and replaced them with one packet instant vanilla pudding mix.
If you don’t like pudding mix or can’t find it in your area, I recommend you use this soft chocolate chip cookie recipe because there are really no substitutions you can use in this chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Do I Have to Freeze the Cookie Dough?
As with all my cookies, you must chill the dough before baking these chewy chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding mix. It’s absolutely crucial for thick, puffy, full cookies.
If you bake with warm, limp dough, your chocolate chip cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter. Why bother? Plan ahead and chill your dough.
Can I Freeze Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Yes, although I actually recommend making the cookie dough and freezing it in balls rather than freezing baked cookies. You can bake the cookie dough straight from frozen, just note that you’ll likely need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
But if you’ve already made these gooey chocolate chip cookies and want to freeze some for later, just pop them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat them, leave them on your counter to thaw or reheat them in the oven.
Can I Make These Gluten-Free?
Without having tried it myself, I can’t say for sure. If you find a way to make these chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding gluten-free that works for you, please let me know in a comment below!
Can I Add Extra Mix-Ins?
I’m sure you can! These thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies can be loaded up with chopped nuts, M&M’s, chopped candy bars, and more. Just be sure to add no more than 2 cups of mix-ins total.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Cookies
These chocolate chip cookies with pudding can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 6 months. I like to reheat frozen cookies in the microwave or oven so the chocolate chips become gooey.
Tips for the Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tip 1: The big, chewy chocolate chip cookies are slightly larger than you may be used to baking. There are about 4 tablespoons of dough (1/4 cup) per cookie, and the batch makes just 14 large-ish cookies.
The cookies are still so much smaller than cookies I see for sale at bakeries and coffee shops, and eight comfortably fit on a baking tray.
I’d rather bake fewer bigger cookies because frankly, it’s less work. But also because the size and the related surface area does matter in terms of the final taste and texture.
Tip 2: Smaller cookies tend to dry out faster and relatively speaking, there’s more chewy edge than soft center.
Conversely, bigger cookies have softer, tender, juicy bites loaded with chocolate due to a greater interior surface area. Christina Tosi speaks very eloquently about this in her book.
Tip 3: You also need to make sure the butter is truly soft. If it’s not, cheat and zap it in the micro for 5 to 10 seconds.
It’s best to plan ahead and set your butter out 2 to 4 hours ahead of time, but it’s better to cheat with the micro than try to cream cold butter.
Your dough will seem overly dry and crumbly after adding the dry ingredients if your butter wasn’t sufficiently softened. I used Trader Joe’s unsalted butter.
A few more tips and tricks for making the best chewy chocolate chip cookies:
- You’ll want to use a high-quality flour like King Arthur. It has just a bit more protein (gluten) than other brands so your baked goods have more structure and will rise higher.
- As I’ve already mentioned, you MUST chill the dough so the cookies bake up thick and don’t spread as much.
- Underbake so the cookies are (almost) as good on the third day as they are right out of the oven.
- And bake on a Silpat because it provides traction so the cookies don’t slip-and-slide around a slippery greased baking sheet.
- Use a cookie scoop. I first portion out the dough with the scoop so all the mounds are the same size, and then I smooth them out with my hands so they’re perfectly smooth.
- Finally, you want to strategically re-positioning the chocolate chips while smoothing the mounds.
Obsessive? Yes, but I am asked all the time what my tricks and secrets are, and now you know.
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The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip 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
- one 3.5-ounce packet instant vanilla pudding mix, not sugar-free and not ‘cook & serve’
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- one-12 ounce bag, 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Trader Joe’s)
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, 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, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 14 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.*
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, 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) and bake for about 11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. 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
- *Tip – Strategically place a few chocolate chips right on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Pudding Cookie Recipes:
ALL OF MY PUDDING COOKIE RECIPES!
Cream Cheese White Chocolate Chip Cookies — These soft and chewy white chocolate chip cookies use two special ingredients to achieve their pillowy texture: instant pudding mix and cream cheese!
Soft and Chewy M&M’s Cookies — These big, bakery-style cookies are very soft, slightly chewy, buttery, and loaded with M&M’S and chocolate chips.
Quadruple Chocolate Soft Fudgy Pudding Cookies – For true chocolate lovers, these super soft cookies are loaded with chocolate!
Mounds Bar Chocolate Chunk Cookies — These big, thick, bakery-style cookies are pillowy soft in the interior, slightly chewy at the edges, and are loaded with chocolate chunks and hunks of Mounds Bars.
Oreos and Sprinkles Chocolate Chip Cookies — The cookies are loaded with Oreos, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and are adapted from my favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
Caramel-Stuffed Quadruple Chocolate Cookies — The cookies are thicker, bakery-style cookies that are bold and rich, and are oozing with melted chocolate and stuffed with Rolos.
Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies— You won’t miss the butter at all in these coconut oil chocolate chip cookies! They’re so soft and ever so slightly chewy. Dangerously good!
This is a repost of this 2014 recipe, and while I’ve made many other chocolate chip cookies since then, these particular cookies are some of my absolute favorites.
I made these exactly as written and even though they turned out great they tasted like they were missing something. Next time I’m going to use dark brown sugar and add pecans or walnuts.
Some people really need more salt to feel ‘complete’. I am super sensitive to it, but that’s one thing to ponder. I also despise nuts in cookies, so for me, that’s a deal breaker BUT it just shows how different tastebuds are! Glad you think they were great though! LMK what you try, and what you think improves a great cookie to superstardom!
I have been searching for a friends secret choc chip recipe for years and I think your coconut oil choc chip recipe is very close. I had a problem with the end product feeling like there were still sugar crystals present, almost gritty. Any suggestions?
I answered your comment on the next comment that you left me on the other post.
I just made these cookies, and they are awesome! Especially when the chocolate chips are gooey and the cookies are fresh out of the oven! I hate thin, crispy cookies, so I absolutely love these :)
I hate thin and wimpy and crispy cookies too! So glad you’re pleased with these! :)
I just baked these cookies with white chocolate chips! The cookies came out looking amazing. I baked for 11 min and let them cool for 10 BUT when I started eating them the outside was good but the middle seemed extremely undercooked! Tasted more like dough than cookie… Suggestions?!?!?
Suggestions?!?!? <--- yes if they were too underbaked for your liking, bake another couple minutes. Easy fix!
Hi Averie! My mother and I are trying to bake your chocolate chip cookies. Unless we missed something the batter came out very dry. We added all the ingredients and its very dry.
Was the pudding mix meant to be mixed with water before being added? We just put the dry pudding mix into the batter and we even added another egg to try to make it moist.
Where did we go wrong?? Thank you!!
Did you compact the flour down too much? Flour should be measured with a light hand and very loosely piled in a measuring cup. Good call to add an extra egg but not, the batter is not dry for me and you don’t add pudding mix. I am thinking you over measured your flour and/or didn’t cream the sugar, eggs, etc properly. Sorry that you’re having trouble. I know the recipe works because I’ve remade it umpteen times and hundreds of others have had luck with great reviews. I am thinking your situation is the flour…LMK!
I got into the recipe only to discover that we only had pistachio instant pudding on hand. I’m happy to report that they were awesome :D
Well hey, that’s awesome that you just went for it and glad they turned out awesome! :)
I might be totally missing something that you already wrote, but I wanted to ask about the flour. In the old recipe, it looks like you use 2 cups of flour and it’s the same for this recipe. But earlier on the page, it says you reduce the flour in the new recipe. Did I use the wrong amounts?
I really liked this recipe. I’m not a baker at all, and in the past I’ve just used the Nestle Toll House recipe, but I always wanted a cookie that was softer/thicker and I saw this one. Very soft!
Great question and I can see where that would have been confusing. The flour amounts are actually the same in both versions but in the old version I used bread flour/AP flour combo, whereas the new I use only AP flour with pudding mix. I also have an old-old recipe that did use more flour, too. So many choc chip cookie recipes. But for this recipe and cookies, I altered the text in the body of the post to omit the discussion of flour. Just make the cookies as written and you will love them – I promise!
These are delicious. Hands down best cookie recipe I’ve ever tried! They taste better than store bought cookies. You are a miracle worker
Glad they’ve lived up to their title, ‘The Best’, in your mind! Thanks for trying them & sharing your thoughts!
I made double the recipe for my family get-together and these were so amazingly good!!! I love a good chocolate chip cookie and when I saw the picture of these awhile back, I knew I had to make them.
I ate two big cookies for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday…LOL! I couldn’t help it! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe. It is my new favorite!
Two cookies for breakfast is nothing :) I’ve had much worse – ha! So glad you loved them and thanks for the great feedback & trying the recipe!
I just made these cookies and they are amaaaazing! I´ve always wondered what the secret to the soft and chewy middle was, now I know. :) Trying really hard not to eat all of them this second! Love your blog by the way!
Thanks for trying them and glad you loved them!
I am not a baker. I just made these and holy mother of dessert, these are awesome! I almost hesitate to call them cookies. They transcend the description of cookie.
I did use chocolate pudding rather than vanilla since that’s what I had. Serendipity! This is a keeper for sure.
Thanks for the glowing report & glad you love them so much! :)
I am trying these tonight – they are already chilling in my freezer.
I love to freeze cookie dough. If you were to freeze this cookie dough already formed into the balls, would you suggest letting the cookie dough balls thaw out in the fridge for a day? Or just plop the frozen cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet and bake for a little extra time?
Also, I kinda forgot to smash the cookie dough balls. Do I need to smash them when they are done cooking?
Or just plop the frozen cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet and bake for a little extra time = YES, that. Maybe like 1-2 mins more, that’s it. Just put them on the cookie sheet while the oven preheats and then bake as directed, maybe 1-2 mins more is all I ever do!
Do I need to smash them when they are done cooking? = flatten them slightly with the heel of your hand before baking them.
Hey Averie Sunshine i am just curious on the exact amount of chilling time you recommend for The Best Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe?
I discussed it in the recipe section! :) At least 2-3 hours, up to 5 days in the fridge and re-read there’s more info!
I’m convinced! I MUST try pudding mix cookies! These look amazing, and I trust your judgement if you declare them the best yet!
Made these and they were great. I think they were even better the next day. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad to hear you loved them & they got even better for you the next day!
Hi, I was wondering if flan mix would work too. Thanks!