Pudding Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pudding Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies turn out the perfect minty and moist cookie dough into the most buttery and chewy cookie. If you love mint, these cookies have all the mint you desire with delicious chocolatey flavor from the chocolate chips.
It is great for St. Patrick’s Day’s celebration with its green color. But the flavors are universal, and the mint-chocolate combination even reminds me of Christmas! Check out my other recipes using this magical combination for truffles, cake, cupcakes, and fudge!
Ingredients needed:
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar and light brown sugar for the best flavor and texture.
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: Use mint chocolate chip pudding for incredible flavor. You can use any flavor you like but make sure it is instant pudding mix and not the stuff you have to bake.
- Unsalted butter: Cold.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips and chunks: Try Andes mint baking pieces. The Andes chips make them taste like mint chip ice cream.
- Large egg: At room temperature.
- Peppermint extract: Pure peppermint or mint extract for the best taste.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda: Not baking powder.
- Kosher salt
- Mint green food coloring: Optional.
How to make mint chocolate pudding cookies from scratch?
- Preheat oven: First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Prep the cookie sheet: In the meantime, cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Mix it up: Now, using a hand mixer and a large bowl or a stand mixer, cream together the sugars and butter. Next, add the egg and vanilla.
- Dry ingredients: Next, using a spatula, stir in the flour, dry pudding, kosher salt, and baking soda. You may have to use your hands to incorporate everything. The batter will be thick.
- Make it green: Then, add mint extract and food coloring until you get the desired color. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Shape the cookies: Now, use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to make rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet. Leave about three inches between each cookie.
- Chill: Chill them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- Bake mint chocolate cookies: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown on the edges.
- Cool and serve: Finally, remove from your oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, let them cool completely on a cooling rack.
Recipe variations:
- Make it chocolaty: Feel free to use other kinds of chocolate chips like white, dark, or milk chocolate chips. Or you can use crushed Oreo cookies.
- Use brownie mix: For a more chocolaty mint cookie, use brownie mix instead of pudding mix.
- More toppings: You could also add more toppings such as chopped nuts, mini marshmallows, M&M’s, or rainbow sprinkles.
- No mint: Leave out the mint extract for regular chocolate chip pudding cookies. Use a teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.
- More butter: For extra buttery flavor, add a teaspoon of butter extract to your mint chocolate chip cookies.
- Brown sugar: Use brown sugar instead of white sugar for an incredible flavor of richness.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the heat and serve pudding mix?
The recipe calls for instant pudding mix because it has the added ingredients for thickening without heating it on the stove. If you only have heat and serve, you can add some cornstarch to your cookie dough. Most instant pudding mixes have some kind of gelatinized starch to help it thicken faster.
Can I make these into cookie bars?
Yes, you can spread the mint chocolate chip cookie dough into a cake pan lined with parchment paper. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the pan. For an eight-inch pan, bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 17 minutes. If you use a nine-inch pan, it will only take about 12 to 14 minutes. To check for doneness, a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.
Do my cookies all have to be the same size?
If your cookies are different sizes, you will have some cookies that are overdone and others that are not done enough. That is why a cookie scoop is so handy to use. Each cookie is the same size, so they all cook the right length of time. You could use a spoon, but you will have to be more careful about measuring the size.
How to store leftovers:
- Store: You can keep your leftover mint chocolate chip cookies in the fridge in a ziplock baggie or airtight container for three to four days.
- Freeze: To store them longer, pack mint chocolate chip cookies in a freezer bag and they can be frozen for up to three months.
- Thaw: Thaw your chocolate mint cookies overnight for the best results.
More St. Patrick’s Day desserts:
Recipe tips:
- Do not overmix your cookie dough so it will be soft and moist.
- You can use two baking sheets, so you do not have to wait for the first one to cool off before putting in the next batch.
- Freeze dough balls for about an hour before baking for thicker cookies to eat.
- Be sure to use room-temperature eggs and butter.
Pudding Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free 1:1 flour
- 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 drops mint green gel food coloring optional
- 1 drop peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips milk or dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup chocolate chunks milk or dark chocolate
Instructions
- Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together sugars and butter, until creamy.
- Add egg, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Next, stir in the flour, dry pudding, salt, and baking soda, using a spatula (so you don't over-mix).
- Add mint extract and food coloring until the desired color is achieved.
- Fold in chocolate chips and chocolate chunks (leaving a few to place on top of the cookies).
- Use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches of space between each cookie. Top the cookies with a few chocolate chunks. Gently press them in.
- Refrigerate the raw cookies for 20-30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chilled cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, after which transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool.
Nutrition
