This pudding cookie dough recipe is easy to make and can be used to make 4 delicious Christmas cookies: frosted cookies, sprinkle cookies, thumbprint cookies, and hidden kiss cookies.
That’s right, four cookies from one basic cookie dough!
Make incredible homemade Christmas cookies for your Christmas party, cookie exchange, or to leave out for Santa with this yummy pudding sugar cookie recipe.
The pudding cookie dough makes cookies that are so soft and full of vanilla flavor, they really are the most amazing melt-in-your-mouth cookies.
And while you could just go ahead and enjoy your vanilla pudding cookies as-is, we like to have some fun with these pudding cookie variations. They are perfect for holiday baking!
4 Christmas cookies, 1 dough
This vanilla pudding cookie dough may be used to make the following cookies:
Ingredients
For the basic pudding cookie dough you will need:
- Butter & shortening – I like to use a combo of butter and shortening for this recipe. The shortening helps prevent the cookies from over spreading in the oven while the butter gives the cookies that real butter flavor.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract if at all possible (not imitation).
- All-purpose flour
- Instant vanilla pudding mix – The smaller, 3.4 oz size box. Make sure you get instant pudding mix, not cook & serve pudding.
- Baking powder
- Salt
The different cookie variations will each call for one or more extra ingredients as well.
See what extra ingredients you will need here: thumbprint cookies, hidden kiss cookies, sprinkle cookies, soft frosted cookies.
Freezes Well
This Christmas cookie dough recipe makes enough for 5 dozen cookies, so feel free to separate the dough and bake some now and freeze some for later.
To freeze, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer baggie. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Need more Christmas cookie recipes?
For more Christmas baking inspo, check out: The Best Christmas Cookie Recipes!
Basic Pudding Cookie Dough
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Print Pin Save RateIngredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set them aside.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer and a large bowl, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- Beat in eggs, vanilla, and instant pudding mix.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture, a little at a time, mixing between additions.
- Finish preparing and bake according to individual directions for Soft Frosted Christmas Cookies, Hidden Kiss Cookies, Sprinkle Pudding Cookies, or Thumbprint Cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by a third party and intended to serve as an estimate only. The accuracy of nutritional information is not guaranteed.
This is brilliant! I’ll try this with my kids! Thank you for the recipes! So glad I found this!
My partner son and Grandkidd love this recipe we have made it all year round 😀❤️❤️❤️❤️