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 was introduced to browned-butter from your ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL blog! Since my first time using it, I’ve become something of an addict… Heh… I looked up some browned-butter chocolate chip cookie recipes, but they didn’t appeal to me. Because I already love this recipe so much, would it be possible to just replace the butter with browned-butter? Thank you.
This would be tricky because it calls for butter in a stick, not melted, and the results would change if you try to use melted butter.
Make these with browned butter! https://www.averiecooks.com/soft-and-chewy-peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Ms. Averie, I’ve been experimenting with different cookie recipes because I’m interested in starting my own business. I specifically liked your recipes because they gave me a little insight on different ingredients to use (cake flour, corn starch). I’m going to a family gathering on Friday and I plan to debut my cookies with your original chocolate chip and chunk recipe. Time allowing, I will report my results on your blog. By the way, I am also a chemist and what your last commenter missed was the fact that you added wet ingredients before adding dry. This is no different than knowing to add acid to water instead of water to acid. But unlike the lab, kitchens are suppose to have variation; that’s the beauty of cooking. I love the classy way you dealt with your hater…good luck to you and all your endeavors!
Thanks for your support and praise!
This was the worst cookie recipe I have ever made. First of all the directions are terrible. You always cream the sugar and butter. There is too much flour. You should recommend people add the pudding mix first then the dry ingredients. I ran a chemistry lab, if you were a person in charge of writing test procedures, you would blow the place up! If I could I would ask to be refunded for the cost of the ingredients I wasted.
You’re one of very few people out of hundreds over the years who have written to tell me they’ve made these cookies and that they didn’t like them. The directions aren’t terrible if so many other have made them with great success. And in baking, you don’t ‘always do…’ Sometimes you do, some recipes you don’t. Baking is both art and science and you don’t ‘always’ do the same thing for every recipe.
Running a chemistry lab is very different than running a blog. You may be an expert at that but you’re coming across as very hostile at a perfect stranger over something as trivial in life as a cookie recipe. Hope things get better for you!
I know this post is over a year old but it’s really annoying and I have to say something anyway. I have made plenty of chocolate chip cookie recipes successfully and this one was no different. First, it was super yummy once I got the timing right. Even without getting the timing right the first time they were delicious. Second, I have never seen a recipe use less than 2 cups of flour (for chocolate chip cookies)… Usually it is more if not the same. Lastly, you do NOT need to be a chemist to bake these. This is not a complicated recipe AT ALL and the directions were simple enough to follow. It is a bit sad that you messed up the recipe enough to have to deem the ingredients a waste and then blame it on the author of the recipe. So get off your high horse and find a recipe that better suits you. You are not the only one who has ever worked in a chemistry lab, and I’m glad I never had to work with someone as incompetent as you sound.
Great recipe though. My husband and I love them. :)
I’m glad you enjoy this cookie recipe, Vivian! And that you and your husband both love them!
Hi, I can’t wait to try these, they look so good. Do you know if they will be as chewy if I cut down on the choc chips, but add walnuts and cranberries?
I don’t think the type of add-in’s matters all that much in terms of if the dough will be chewy; I do have a couple really good cookie recipes with cranberries though if you’re specifically wanting one of those.
If you google ‘averiecooks cranberry cookies’ a bunch of ideas will pop up :)
I literally just finished baking these, I’m usually not much of a cookies kind of girl but I had a craving. It turned out very well for me however I think next time I’ll cut back on the chocolate chips (too much chocolate for me and my family’s liking). After looking through your blog I found lots of recipes I like to try out. Keep up the good work :).
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed them and yes, add chocolate as you prefer. We are chocolaholics here :)
I should explain that I’m using a tablet, and I couldn’t touch the screen without being redirected to an advertisement. And it didn’t matter where I touched the page. I was able to come back to the site and write this comment without it happening, so I’m assuming it’s been fixed. I’m not a complainer by nature, however I imagined that you would want to know what was happening.
There was a MASSIVE snag with Google Adsense for any blogs/websites running their ads combined with users accessing said sites via tablets or smartphones. It’s a google snag (you can google it if you want to read all the nitty gritty) and unfortunately until google fixes this at a systemic-wide level, it *could* be prone to happening again. Sorry for the trouble and if I could fix it 100% of the time, I would!
A person can’t even look at your site because of the advertising that keeps popping up.
Sorry for the inconvience. Not my intention and I passed your comment along to my tech support. Thanks for your patience.
Can i make it without the pudding mix cause it not available in my country
Yes.
I don’t know what’s best, since I’ve made cookies so few times and you have much experience. So doing it one at a time makes no difference? Also, how do you know when the mixing is done? When just combined, or when very combined? Any change in volume (fluffiness) or color? About 1 minute? I always had trouble with knowing when to stop.
You have a million questions :) and the best way to answer them is to go into your kitchen and experiment for yourself!! Have fun!
Hey Zeze, I’ve made these cookies probably 5 or 6 times now in the past 2 months, and even though I’ve made mistakes in following the directions, they always turn out well. As for the mixing, just follow the times Averie posted, 4minutes, then 1 minute, then mix in the chocolate chips, and it should be fine. Four minutes isn’t too long at all- the cookies don’t get tough. I would say mix until very combined. I’ve only noticed it become a tiny bit fluffy.
Hey Zeze, I’ve made these cookies probably 5 or 6 times now in the past 2 months, and even though I’ve made mistakes in following the directions, they always turn out well. As for the mixing, just follow the times Averie posted, 4minutes, then 1 minute, then mix in the chocolate chips, and it should be fine. Four minutes isn’t too long at all- the cookies don’t get tough. I would say mix until very combined. I’ve only noticed it become a tiny bit fluffy.
Hello Averie! May I just say that this recipe is the best thing I’ve ever found?? Chocolate chip cookies are my husbands favorite dessert and when I saw how thick these were, I thought I should try them. I doubt we will ever try another chocolate chip cookie recipe again!! (Except for the delicious recipes you have posted above.) I might cut back the chocolate chips as a personal preference, but my husband loves them and I wouldn’t change anything else. Thank you so much!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it comes out great for you and that it’s a family favorite now and you won’t cheat on it :)
Thanks for also chiming in about mixing and such. Nice to hear!
Hey, Avery. I’m just wondering why you mix the butter, sugars, and eggs all at once. Because all of the recipes I’ve seen and tried mix the butter and sugars first, then add eggs and vanilla extract. What happens if I mix the butter and sugars?
For cookies, I’ve mixed things every which way and in every order and if I thought it impacted results to do things more one-at-a-time, I would. But I don’t. And my method saves me time. Do what you think is best.
I plan on making these for my daughter’s college LaCrosse team..any experience with Ghiraldelli chips..I bought 3 bags last night???
Yes they’re wonderful and much more expensive than the Trader Joe’s I usually use. Enjoy!
Hi Averie, Just a quick update. I did use KAF & they came out lighter than my original batch with regular all-purpose flour. This is such an amazing recipe! I do like the lighter texture with the KAF so will continue to use. LOVE LOVE LOVE! Thank you!
Glad that the KAF made a difference. I really do think it’s the best AP flour for baking and I personally get the best results and glad it helped you as well! And that you’re loving the cookies!
Hey Averie! I’m so excited to bake these cookies for an upcoming community picnic. One problem though, I don’t have silpat for the time being, do you think they would turn out fine on a normal greased tray? Thank you so much! :)
DO NOT use a greased tray and expect thick and full cookies like I show.
Grease = slip-and-slide surface and cookies spread. It’s like a hockey rink for cookies.
Silpat = tacky surface and cookies have something to ‘grip’ and don’t spread. The taste will still be ‘fine’ but the overall texture and mouthfeel of flat cookies just isn’t like thicker cookies in my opinion.
This recipe is THE BEST!! I used regular all purpose flour & they came out great! Next time I will try King Arthur flour to see the difference. I chilled them in the frig about 2 1/2 hours…couldn’t wait to make them! Awesome recipe. Can’t wait to try a few more on your site. Thank you!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and if you try again with KAF, let me know how/if you notice any changes. Sounds like they were perfect for you just the way you made them though :)
Hi Averie,
I just made the mix and am I on the correct track if the mix is not dough-like, its very soft.. and also is it okay if i leave the bowl of mix in the fridge and then roll it into the pan later?
Thanks in advance!!!
Hello!
First off, amazing cookies. I make them so often because everyone eats them up so fast and wants more!
Iv decided to try to switch it up a little bit and make oatmeal chocolate chip, which I know you have a recipe for, but I’m in love with how this recipe turns out ( with the pudding mix to make them soft and amazing ) so how could I change this slightly to make oatmeal chocolate chip? Would just substituting one cup of oats for a cup of flower do the trick?
Thank you!
Would just substituting one cup of oats for a cup of flower do the trick? = probably not…you may need to add another 1/4 to 1/3 c of flour. I haven’t tested it so I don’t know but these posts, in the Related Recipes section, have oodles of oatmeal cookies I have made and the first link, ‘the best oatmeal…” those cookies are amazing. Honestly try them as written and then if you’re not in love, you can try doctoring up this recipe with pudding mix. But I would try those first! Soooo good!
https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/11/the-best-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
https://www.averiecooks.com/loaded-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/