The Best Vanilla Pudding Cookies are loaded with two kinds of chocolate chips, M&M’s candies, and sprinkles. Adding a box of instant pudding keeps these pudding cookies so soft and chewy for days! Grab a few to enjoy with a big glass of milk.
Vanilla Pudding Cookies with M&M’s:
All you need to bake these pudding cookies is one bowl, a few ingredients, and a couple minutes. The dough comes together so quickly. There is no chill time, so you can bake the cookies right away.
The best thing about these pudding cookies is that you can make and bake them right away, and you can use whatever candy you have on hand. I had a few bags of Easter M&M’s candy in the pantry, so I decided to make pudding cookies for our kids.
These are the perfect cookies to make when you need a quick and easy dessert, need a fun treat for get togethers or picnics, or just want cookies.
What are pudding cookies?
Pudding cookies have a box of dry instant pudding mix added to the cookie dough. Adding instant pudding mix to cookie dough adds flavor and gives the cookies a soft and chewy texture.
Another great thing is that you can change out the flavor of the pudding and your mix-ins and create a completely different cookie every time you bake them. Pretzels and chocolate chips work very well together.
Recipe Ingredients:
- Butter – make sure the butter is soft when you go to make the cookie dough
- Sugars – a mixture of granulated and brown makes these cookies soft
- Eggs and Vanilla Extract – adds moisture and flavor to the dough
- Instant Vanilla Pudding – gives the baked cookies a soft and chewy texture, plus flavor
- Flour, Baking Soda, Salt – adds structure, lift, and balances out the sweetness
- Chocolate Chips, M&M’s, & Sprinkles – fun mix ins to add color and goodness
Pudding Mix Variations:
- Butterscotch – pretzels, chocolate chips
- Chocolate – Reese’s Pieces, peanut butter cups
- Vanilla – Oreo cookies and sprinkles
- Lemon – white chocolate chips, raspberry candy bars
- Pistachio – white chips and pistachios
- Coconut – shredded coconut and dark chocolate chips
Anything goes! Feel free to mix and match your favorite flavor of pudding with your favorite mix-in.
How to make Vanilla Pudding Cookies:
- Beat the butter and sugars until light and cream.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again.
- Stir together the dry ingredients and slowly mix everything together.
- Add the candy, sprinkles, and chocolate chips and stir gently.
- Scoop out 36 even dough balls.
- Roll each one into a ball and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake 10 minutes.
Recipe Questions:
How many cookies does this recipe make?
This recipe will make 36 medium sized cookies. You can also divide the dough into 24 dough balls and bake a little longer.
How do you store pudding cookies?
Store them in a tightly sealed bag or container on the counter for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze pudding cookies?
Yes, you can. Place them on a tray and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Place in a single layer in a freezer bag or freezer safe container and freeze for 2-3 months.
Remove cookies from the bag or container and thaw to room temperature. Place in the microwave for 7-8 seconds to warm them up.
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More pudding cookie recipes:
- Chocolate Pudding Cookies
- Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
- M&M Cookies recipe
- Butterscotch Pudding Cookies
- S’mores Cookies
Other easy dessert recipes:
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Vanilla Pudding Cookies Recipe
The Best Vanilla Pudding Cookies are loaded with two kinds of chocolate chips, M&M's candies, and sprinkles. Â Adding a box of pudding keeps the pudding cookies so soft and chewy for days! Grab a few to enjoy with a big glass of milk.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup Easter M&M's
- 2 Tablespoons spring sprinkles
Instructions
- Beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
- Stir together the pudding, flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add that to the butter mixture until everything is mixed in.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, candies, and sprinkles gently. Scoop out 36 even dough balls and gently roll into a ball.
- Place the cookie dough on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove them and place on a wire rack to cool all the way.
- Tap the top of each cookie with a flat spatula to flatten them out slightly. Store in a tightly sealed container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 158Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
*The post for Vanilla Pudding Cookies was first published on March 21, 2016. The photos and post were updated and republished March 22, 2021.
No baking powder or soda?
Oh, my goodness. Thank you for catching my mistake. I totally forgot to type the baking soda in the list. The recipe has been fixed!! I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Hi! I just made these last night and they came out so so delicious but mine didn’t flatten out like the picture :(. I’m not sure what I did wrong. They came out like fat nugget cookies. Any ideas?
I do sometimes tap each cookie with a flat spatula when they come out of the oven, so they are flatter. I usually put that in the directions, but I must have forgotten this time. Thanks for letting me know…I’ll add that to the recipe. I’m glad you like the cookies though.
I love a good pudding cookie! These are so perfect for Easter!
The baking deadlines are always so annoying. Baking cookies just because they’re good is such a good break. These look so good!
These cookies look amazing! I love the m&ms… and sometimes baking for FUN is super important 🙂
So many smiles in this post, Jocelyn! To get away from baking deadline stress, you relaxed by baking?! I get that. You reached into the cabinet and pulled out “a few random bottles of sprinkles” that needed using up?! Not everyone gets the concept of a sprinkle cabinet! Now I don’t feel so alone. Finally, those chewy, colorful pudding cookies are bound to cause lots of smiles!
I love the colours of these Easter M&M’s! These sound great: I’ve never used pudding in cookies before 🙂