For the Best Cookies, Add My Mom's Secret Ingredient

In my purely unscientific research, it seems to me that chocolate chip cookie enthusiasts tend to fall into one of two categories: There are those who like a flatter, crispier cookie with texture and crunch, then others, like me, who are all about a fuller, more tender treat. (It’s no wonder I used to wait in line for the giant, softball-sized cookies from Levain Bakery back when I lived in New York.)

Throughout the course of my baking life, I have tried countless chocolate chip cookie recipes to see which one deserves the spot as my official go-to recipe. For years, I have been on the prowl for one that satisfies my need for a soft cookie with chewy edges. It turns out that all I had to do was add a package of instant vanilla pudding mix in with the dry ingredients.

Why You Should Add Instant Pudding to Your Cookies

It is amazing how slight variations in the butter, sugar, or flour ratios can result in different cookie outcomes. Adding instant vanilla pudding to the batter gives me the exact chocolate chip cookie texture I had been searching for all along.

A package of the mix contains cornstarch, which absorbs moisture and helps create a denser, thicker texture and keeps the cookies from spreading out too much on the baking sheet. As an added benefit, cookies made with instant pudding tend to stay soft and taste freshly baked for days, rather than drying out too quickly.

How To Add Instant Pudding to Cookies

The exact recipe I use was passed down to me from my mom, where it holds a place of honor in the recipe box. If you want to use this trick in one of your cookie recipes, try swapping out about two ounces of the flour and two ounces of the sugar, replacing them with a 3.9-ounce package of instant pudding mix.

When I am making classic chocolate chip cookies, I use semi-sweet chocolate chips and instant vanilla pudding mix. However, with so many different morsels and puddings out there, the possibilities are seemingly endless—I’ve tried butterscotch chips and butterscotch pudding and loved the results, as well as white chocolate chips and cheesecake-flavored pudding.

It’s fun to play around with pudding's many flavors and colors. Perhaps you'll create your own combo this cookie season!