This past Sunday, my guy actually excitedly agreed to attend another Oakland A’s baseball game with me. (Yes, the man who avoids baseball!) As the one and only time the Yankees scheduled a visit, I really didn’t want to miss that matchup. With their big rivalry—half of it due to the teams’ opposite payroll extremes—any Yankees series always draws a huge crowd, and this one easily sold out weeks in advance. Derek Jeter, one of the greatest and most famous players of this era, plans on retiring after this season, so this was the last time for most of us West Coasters to watch him play.
If you aren’t a huge baseball fan, you just need to know two things today…
1) Fans either love or hate the Yankees. There’s no middle apathetic ground, minus one teensy tiny exception. When the Yankees play a team in your division—for me, that’d be the Angels, Rangers, or Mariners—Yankee haters secretly root for them to win so their own team gains an advantage in the division against the other teams’ records.
It’s like when you wanted chocolate cake for dessert as a kid, but your mom mandated that you needed to eat your carrots first. Then your dad chimed in and gave you the option of chowing down on peas instead. You may have hated both veggies, but you opted for the one you disliked just a little bit less. In my Oakland A’s baseball case, the carrots were the Yankees and the peas the Rangers.
2) Fans always want star players to do well when watching a game in person. Even if those phenomenal athletes wear the opposing team’s jersey. There’s something magical about a firsthand experience of seeing the player’s diving catch with their faded mitt outstretched for the ball, seeing him sprint around the base paths with speed you only dream about, or seeing him crush the pitch over the outfield wall and salute his lucky stars as he crossed home plate.
As long as the score stays in your team’s favor, you’ll love the show those athletes put on.
Both of those little fan facts came into play on Sunday. Although I hate the Yankees, I still wanted Jeter to do well in his last game in Oakland. After the first four innings, everything was going according to my plan. The A’s settled into their comfortable 10-0 lead, and the Yankees only managed a few harmless base runners.
But later in the game, my plan started unraveling… The Yankees somehow loaded the bases, just before Jeter slowly walked to the plate. My original gray area—Jeter should get some hits but the A’s should still walk away with the win—immediately shifted to a crystal clear black and white.
“Get Jeter out, get outta this inning, and close the game with a victory.”
My black and white prayer wasn’t entirely answered—Jeter hit into a force out, but a run scored in the process—yet since my A’s still finished the afternoon with a win, it was a very sweet end to my weekend!
Just like the ball game, these Cookies ’n Cream Pudding Cookies are black and white and irresistibly sweet! With their decadent chocolate chunks and rich vanilla flavor, they taste just like Oreos—only bigger, softer, and better. Plus they’re low fat and low calorie, a true cookie miracle!
This recipe is super simple to make; you don’t even need a mixer! And almost all of the ingredients are really predictable, except for one: instant pudding mix. It contains cornstarch, which makes the cookies incredibly soft. The cornstarch absorbs moisture in the dough, similar to how it absorbs liquids to thicken soups and stews, and prevents the cookies from drying out.
These are honestly the softest, thickest cookies you’ll ever taste!
To make them healthier, I removed the cream centers of the Oreos. The chocolate cookies themselves aren’t too unhealthy, and the instant pudding mix provides the cream filling flavor for a fraction of the fat and calories. It’s a fun little trick that makes these treats taste just like the classic ice cream flavor!
With very little butter and all that pudding mix, these cookies do NOT spread in the oven. You must flatten the cookie dough before baking. Press down on the cookie dough balls until they form circles, and remember that the diameter will be the same both before and after baking. If you squash them to be less than ½” thick, you may need to reduce the bake time by a minute or two.
When you remove the cookies from the oven, they should look and feel underdone. That’s okay! It’s my secret to extra soft cookies. The centers continue to cook through on the warm baking sheet as they cool without the outsides turning crisp and crunchy from too much time in the oven. If baked that way, the cookies will stay soft for an entire week—if they last that long!
With their tender texture and familiar flavors, these skinny Cookies ’n Cream Pudding Cookies basically taste like Mega-Stuf Oreos—lots of creamy vanilla with the perfect balance of dark chocolate chunks. They’re awesome for birthday parties, backyard barbeques, or kids’ (and even your) lunchtime dessert!
I brought a batch of these to my guy’s event on Saturday too, and they disappeared only a few minutes after the caramel apple cookies. And my guy, the dessert-hater, was actually sad that he forgot to try one!
So pour a glass of milk and bake a batch of these cookies!
These cookies taste like Oreo sandwich cookies—just bigger, softer and better! They’ll stay soft for an entire week if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the brown sugar, smearing out any clumps along the side of the bowl. Stir in the instant pudding mix. Add in the flour, stirring just until incorporated. Reserve a heaping tablespoon of Oreo chunks, and fold the rest into the cookie dough.
- Drop the cookie dough into 22 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheets, and flatten to about half of their height. Press the remaining Oreo chunks into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: Not all sugar-free, fat-free vanilla instant pudding mixes come in a 1.00 oz box. Some are 1.34 oz; others weigh in between. As long as you add 4 servings of the powder, the weight doesn’t matter!
These cookies do not spread at all while baking, so however much you flatten them is however wide they’ll be. If you flatten them to be less than ½” tall, you may need to reduce the bake time by 1-2 minutes.
Aren’t pudding cookies THE BEST? I love that you made them skinnier. Then I can eat 4… 🙂
YES! I had to stop myself after 1 so that there’d be enough for my guy’s friends, and it was seriously impossible… Between the two of us, we could easily finish off the entire guilt-free batch! 😉
Gorgeous pudding cookies… I love the fact that this is a healthy version… have a bbq coming up this weekend.. will definitely make these delicious cookies… 🙂
Thanks Arpita! With how big of a cookie monster I am, I basically need to come up with healthy versions. 😉 I hope you have fun at your BBQ this weekend, and if you bake my cookies, I really hope you and your friends enjoy them!
Hi Amy, just wanted to let you know.. I made these cookies and they were amazing.. my friends loved it…. thanks 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that Arpita!! 🙂 Hopefully your BBQ was really fun too!
I puffy heart love big thick pudding cookies! Especially cookies and cream pudding cookies! 🙂 Yum!
Thanks Jocelyn! I think we’ve both had Oreos on the brain lately… I’m still not done, and I doubt you are either too! 😉
Hi Amy! I was just wondering whether it would make a difference if I used plain wholewheat flour instead of the all purpose flour?
Thank you!! xoxox
The cookies may turn out slightly drier and have a tiny wheat/nutty undertone from the whole wheat flour. If the dough seems too dry when you’re mixing it up, you can always add a few teaspoons of milk to help it come together. I’d love to hear how the cookies turn out for you Tu! 🙂
Can I leave the cream centre in the cookies? Just wondering why the centres have to be removed?
I omitted the cream centers to greatly reduce the sugar, fat, and calories in the cookies. You’re welcome to leave them in if you prefer Kim!
Thanks! I’m not afraid of a little extra fat in my cookies 🙂
Hi, these cookies look amazing, however can you substitute the (4 servings) sugar-free, fat-free vanilla instant pudding mix for something else?
Natalie 🙂
Thanks Natalie! There really isn’t a substitute for the instant pudding mix. It provides both the iconic flavor of the cream centers as well as an incredibly soft texture. If you don’t mind losing the cream center flavor, then I recommend using this recipe of mine and simply swap the Oreo cookies for the chocolate chips though!
Hi! I am so impressed with your blog! My hands are already itching to bake using your recipe!
Just a side note, is it alright to omit the Greek Yogurt and the skim milk? If not, what is it’s alternative? I’m planning to make this kind of cupcake for kids, and I find your recipe very easy and understandable.
Many thanks!
Thank you for your kind words Bevs! This recipe doesn’t use milk or Greek yogurt, so were you referring to another recipe of mine? I want to make sure whatever you bake turns out like you expected!
Hi! I’m really sorry to have posted this here… I was meaning to post that comment here https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2014/06/25/chocolate-cupcakes-with-cookies-n-cream-frosting/
I’ll copy and paste that comment over there. hihi… sorry. 🙂
Hello!! These sound fabulous, so excited to try! Quick question, can I sub coconut oil for butter, and truvia baking blend for brown sugar? Thanks!!
I haven’t worked with Truvia’s baking blend before, but I think both of those substitutions should work. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies Lyndsey!