Instant Pudding Mix Belongs In Your Cookies Too, According To TikTok

TikTok has come up with plenty of out-of-the-box ways to change up your favorite cookie recipes, from "boneless" chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips to cookies you can make in your waffle iron. And this time, TikTok users are now encouraging home bakers to add a sweet new ingredient to their cookie recipes.

It's instant pudding mix, and based on a quick internet search, it might be used more in other sweets than it is for its intended pudding purposes. This miracle powder can make whipped cream taste sweeter and even give Jell-O shots a creamy new twist. But according to TikTok, this secret weapon isn't limited to its role in making cakes, pies, and frosting taste even more luscious. On TikToker in particular says that adding just half a box of instant pudding mix to your cookie dough will transform the treats into their softest, moistest version possible — all without leaving a discernible added flavor.

You may have never imagined putting instant pudding mix into your cookie dough, but don't knock it until you've tried it. After all, it's the key ingredient in Magnolia Bakery's iconic banana pudding, responsible for its famously light and fluffy consistency.

TikTok and other proponents of instant pudding magic, the unexpected ingredient heightens the contrast between the soft interior and slightly crunchy exterior of your cookies. In other words, it affects the texture more than the flavor. If you'd like to taste the pudding flavor, though, you could always opt for a more detectable flavor like chocolate or pistachio.

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It's not difficult to incorporate instant pudding mix into cookies, so it won't disrupt your usual baking process too much. Whether you use a boxed cookie mix or make your dough from scratch, just add one packet of pudding mix before you blend all of the ingredients together — then have fun asking your friends to guess the secret addition.

How exactly does instant pudding mix give your cookies that gooey center that makes you want to dig in? It's all in the science behind this underrated baking ingredient.

Instant pudding mix contains an ingredient called tetrasodium pyrophosphate, according to Quirky Science. Although this chemical has a complicated name and an even more complicated formula, its purpose is simple: It absorbs water. This means it's able to thicken when combined with wet ingredients, which is why instant pudding transforms from a powder to a thick, gooey treat when you add liquid to it. Since cookies often contain eggs, it's easy for this response to occur when you add instant pudding mix to your cookie dough. In turn, these cookies are more likely to come out gooey in the middle than the ones you'd make with a "thinner" cookie batter. It turns out TikTok was right about putting instant pudding mix in your cookies — it's a science-backed way to make them practically melt in your mouth.