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These chocolate pudding cookies are soft, thick, and deeply fudgy with layers of chocolate in every bite. They come together in about 15 minutes of active prep and bake up with melty centers and chewy edges that stay soft for days!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Jump to RecipePrep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
24 minutes
Total Time
39 minutes
Servings
24 cookies
Difficulty
Easy
Calories *
219 kcal per serving
Technique
Cream butter and sugar, mix in eggs, then add dry ingredients and melted chocolate before baking.
Flavor Profile
Rich, deeply chocolatey, soft, and fudgy
* Based on nutrition panel
I didn’t chill my first batch (impatient!) and they were still amazing, but the chilled dough baked up even thicker. The note about the centers looking underdone was spot on. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lauren
Why This Recipe Works
- Pudding mix keeps them soft. It adds moisture and structure so these cookies stay chewy for days.
- Multiple chocolate layers. Melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and chips create real depth instead of flat sweetness.
- Chilling builds texture. Even a short rest helps the cookies bake thicker with better flavor.
- Glossy centers mean the perfect doneness. Pulling them early keeps that soft, fudgy middle intact.
Table of Contents
I started making these after falling down a pudding-cookie rabbit hole and testing versions inspired by triple chocolate pudding cookies and quadruple chocolate soft fudgy pudding cookies. The idea sounded a little extra at first, but once you taste one, it makes complete sense. These remind me of my double chocolate chip cookies, but with an even softer, more fudgy center!
The pudding mix changes everything. It’s not just about flavor, it’s about texture. These bake up thick, soft, and just barely set in the center in the best way.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chocolate pudding mix: This is the key ingredient. The instant pudding mix is what gives these cookies their signature softness, and using dry pudding mix ensures the dough stays thick and easy to work with. For another soft cookie that stays tender for days, my cream cheese chocolate chip cookies use a similar moisture trick!
- Melted chocolate: Adds richness and structure. Let it cool slightly so it doesn’t scramble the eggs.
- Brown sugar: Keeps the cookies soft and adds depth.
- Cocoa powder: Reinforces the chocolate flavor without making the dough too wet.
- Chocolate chips: I like using bittersweet chips, semisweet chocolate chips, or even chopped chocolate chunks for bigger pockets of melted chocolate.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations for Chocolate Pudding Cookies
- Add extra chocolate. Try mixing in milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or dark chocolate chips for a fun twist.
- Make them double-sized. Roll larger dough balls and bake 1–2 minutes longer for bakery-style cookies. For a thicker, oversized version, you might also love my bakery style chocolate chip cookies!
- Swap pudding flavor. Try vanilla or even cheesecake pudding for a different twist on the base dough. This same method works beautifully for pistachio pudding cookies!
Professional Tips
- Don’t overbake. The centers should look slightly glossy when you pull them. The short bake time is what keeps the centers soft and boosts that signature chewiness!
- Scrape the bowl several times while mixing to avoid dry pockets of flour.
- Chill if you can. Even 1 hour improves thickness and flavor, but 3 hours is ideal. Even if you skip the chill time, you’ll still get delicious results!
- Let them cool on the pan first. They firm up as they sit.
How to Make Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Use these instructions to make the perfect chocolate pudding cookies every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, pudding mix, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Step 2: Cream butter & sugar. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Step 3: Add eggs & vanilla. Mix in eggs and vanilla until combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled, that’s normal.
Step 4: Incorporate dry mix. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in several additions, mixing just until combined each time. Stop and scrape the bowl as needed.
Step 5: Add melted chocolate. Slowly pour in the cooled melted chocolate with the mixer running. Mix until fully combined.
Step 6: Fold in chips. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Step 7: Chill dough. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight for the best cookies.
Step 8: Prep oven & pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 9: Portion dough. Use a cookie scoop to portion even cookie dough balls so they bake uniformly. Roll into ping-pong sized balls and place 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten the tops.
Step 10: Bake cookies. Bake for about 12 minutes. The centers should still look slightly glossy.
Step 11: Cool completely. Let cookies sit on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool.
Let the cookies cool completely on the counter before storing or transferring to the freezer.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
Bake on light-colored cookie sheets to prevent over-browning.
Recipe FAQs
Adding pudding mix to chocolate pudding cookies makes them softer, thicker, and more moist. The starches in the pudding mix help retain water during baking, which keeps the cookies chewy for days instead of drying out. It also adds a richer flavor and slightly denser texture.
No, you don’t need to chill chocolate pudding cookie dough, but chilling for 1–3 hours creates thicker cookies with better flavor and texture.
Chocolate pudding cookies are done when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly glossy. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
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If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate melted and cooled
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3.5 oz box instant chocolate pudding mix {I used Hershey’s Special Dark}
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ⅔ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, pudding mix, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Add dry ingredients in several additions, mixing just until combined.
- Slowly mix in melted chocolate.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Chill dough for at least 3 hours (optional but recommended).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the baking sheets.
- Roll dough into balls and place 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 minutes until edges are set and centers are slightly glossy.
- Cool on pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to rack.
Notes
- Yield – 24 cookies
- Texture Tip – Slightly underbaked centers create that soft, fudgy bite.
- Technique – Add dry ingredients gradually and scrape the bowl to avoid overmixing.
- Storage – Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze baked cookies.
- Freezing Dough – Freeze scooped dough balls and bake from frozen adding 2–3 minutes.
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed these rich, fudgy chocolate cookies. Check out our other cookie recipes for more bakery-style treats!
I didn’t chill my first batch (impatient!) and they were still amazing, but the chilled dough baked up even thicker. The note about the centers looking underdone was spot on.
The texture of these cookies is unreal! The pudding adds such a great flavor, and they are really easy to make. I want to try a strawberry pudding mix for chocolate strawberry cookies.
Fantastic! Easy to make, taste fabulous. Thank you for such a great recipe 😘.
Hi Sherry! Easy and fabulous is what we’re all about here at CLF! Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment, it means a lot.
Oh my goodness, these are so delicious. I used a cookie dough scoop and scooped the dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets, flattened out slightly and placed in the fridge until ready to bake. They are so good. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Yaaaaas! I am so happy you enjoyed them as much as we did! Happy baking!