Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Some recipes tell you exactly which era of American baking they came from, and a box of instant pudding mix tucked into cookie dough is a pretty good clue.
Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies belong to the long tradition of convenience baking that became especially popular in American kitchens during the second half of the twentieth century. Home bakers were finding new uses for boxed mixes, canned ingredients, and other supermarket staples, and instant pudding moved well beyond the dessert bowl. By the 1970s, recipes were already circulating for cookies made with dry pudding mix, including versions with butterscotch and chocolate chips. Similar pudding cookies continued appearing through the 1980s in newspaper food sections and community cookbooks.
This chocolate chip version is built around vanilla instant pudding, and the dry mix changes the dough in a few noticeable ways. Instant pudding contains starch along with sugar and flavoring, so adding it to cookie dough gives the finished cookies a softer, more tender texture. The vanilla also adds another layer of sweetness without turning the cookies into an overtly vanilla-flavored dessert.
The proportions are familiar to anyone who has baked a classic chocolate chip cookie. Butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, and semisweet chocolate chips are all here. The difference is the packet of pudding mix folded into the dry ingredients.
There is considerably more brown sugar than white sugar in this recipe, which contributes moisture and a deeper caramel flavor. Combined with the pudding mix, it produces a cookie that stays softer through the center than many traditional chocolate chip cookies.
Two cups of semisweet chocolate chips keep the cookie firmly in chocolate chip territory. Semisweet works particularly well here because the pudding mix adds additional sweetness to the dough. A sweeter milk chocolate chip would push the finished cookie in a much sweeter direction.
The dough can be baked immediately, although I usually give it about thirty minutes in the refrigerator when I have the time. Chilling firms the butter and helps control spreading, especially when the kitchen is warm or the butter was particularly soft when the dough was mixed.
At 375°F, these bake quickly. Start watching the edges around the ten-minute mark. They should have a little golden color while the centers remain soft. Leave them on the baking sheet for a few minutes after they come out of the oven so the middle can finish setting before transferring them to a rack.
There is a certain charm to recipes like this because they capture a very recognizable period of American home baking. A package of instant pudding, a bag of chocolate chips, and a few pantry staples could become several dozen cookies without complicated technique or specialty ingredients.
They also give you a noticeably different cookie from the classic version. These are softer, a little fuller, and especially tender through the middle, with the familiar combination of brown sugar, vanilla, butter, and semisweet chocolate underneath it all.
For anyone who remembers pudding cookies from a family recipe box, church cookbook, neighborhood bake sale, or well-used index card, this combination may already feel familiar. For everyone else, it is a good example of the inventive ways American home bakers have used supermarket ingredients to make recipes their own.
Until next time, thank you for spending a little time with me. I hope you find a recipe to make, a story to enjoy, and something new to take into the kitchen. ♥️
Chocolate Chip pudding Cookies
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
CHILL Time: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES
OVEN TEMPERATURE: 375°F
SERVINGS: 2 dozen
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (3.4 oz) box of Vanilla Instant Pudding Dry Mix
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl mix together the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, and instant pudding mix, set aside.
- In a separate bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar until smooth, then beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture, mix until combined. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Chill batter for 30 minutes (optional). Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare your baking sheet. Grease baking sheet, or use non-stick foil, parchment paper, or a Silpat liner.
- With a teaspoon or a small ice cream scooper, place a rounded teaspoon full of cookie dough on a prepared baking sheet, allowing room to spread. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, pulling cookies out when they are slightly golden brown around the edges.
