Old school Southern, these Crisco chocolate chip cookies can be made with shortening or butter to create the softest, chewiest chocolate chip cookie ever thanks to instant pudding mix. Say hello to your new favorite chocolate chip cookie!
We just had three and half days off of work/school in our house thanks to a few inches of snow. It was very much welcomed. So what did we do? Made way too many batches of chocolate chip cookies and conducted double-blind top secret taste tests with whoever came in and out of our house. There was only one difference in the first batch of cookies from the next: one was made with butter and the other...
Let me whisper it in your ear. That's right. Come a bit closer. Crisco in your chocolate chip cookies is so crazy delicious. That's a secret confession I'm happy to get off my chest. This recipe for Crisco chocolate chip cookies is really testing my motto of everything in moderation. That includes partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening that's solid at room temperature.
In the South, we love Crisco and use it for everything -- fried chicken, frosting on a cake, cornbread in a cast iron skillet, perfect pie crusts, you name it. Then there's the non-food uses for Crisco like moisturizing your skin, greasing a bundt pan, seasoning a cast iron skillet.
Crisco is like the Southerner's version of Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Crisco cures all your ailments...maybe not your arteries, but that's not exactly why we want a chocolate chip cookie in the first place.
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What Makes This CCC Unique
- They are extraordinarily fluffy. These chocolate chip cookies have a nice height to them thanks to the Crisco shortening.
- Delicious using butter or Crisco. If you don't like using shortening in your chocolate chip cookies, you can sub in butter while keeping the texture.
- No chilling of the dough required. This is like my least favorite thing about cookies ever. Ain't nobody got time to chill cookie dough.
- The texture is soft and chewy. They are crispy enough on the outside while being crazy soft and chewy on the inside. It's a winning combination thanks, in part, to instant pudding mix.
- Uses regular old pantry staples -- with one secret ingredient
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If you like these chocolate chip cookies, I also have some other chocolate chip cookies with some added pizazz like these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies that use bread flour and browned butter or a big Chocolate Chip Cookie Celebration Cake. The celebration cake is a great option for a birthday party or gathering.
What's Crisco?
Crisco is a brand name of vegetable shortening. It's a form of fat made from solidified palm and soybean oils. It was the first fat made from vegetable oil. Crisco basically replaced good old fashioned lard that was a popular form of fat to cook and bake with until shortening came along in 1911.
Crisco can be used as a substitute for any fat like lard or butter. It has a relatively flavorless profile, so it'll pick up the rest of the flavors it's cooked or baked with. The consistency of Crisco is similar to butter at room temperature. Crisco also has a much higher shelf life than butter. It can be kept in the pantry for a year or two as long as it's not too hot in your house. There's no need to refrigerate shortening.
Spectrum Organic apparently makes a shortening that's a non-hydrogenated shortening, but I have not seen this in any of my groceries stores or tried it out yet.
What Does Crisco Do To Cookies?
I grew up with Crisco in so many baked goods -- from cookies to cakes -- because the baked goods have such a nice texture with it. Crisco allows the chocolate chip cookies to get a nice crispy top to them while maintaining a very chewy and soft center. Butter doesn't get as crispy on the outside because butter creates softness.
In these cookies above, you can see that Crisco allows the cookie dough to hold its shape. There isn't a lot of spreading in Crisco chocolate chip cookies compared to cookies made with butter. Butter has a higher water content.
Crisco chocolate chip cookies don't spread nearly as much either, so they are a taller. When I stacked three cookies on top of each other, you can really see the difference.
The Taste Test
As I mentioned, we had everyone who came to our house try both the all-butter chocolate chip cookies and the chocolate chip cookies with Crisco to see which one they liked better. Everything else was the same about them.
The Crisco cookies won for both appearance and texture (people liked the pretty round shape with the mountain-like rise and the crispy outside and chewy inside) and tied with the all-butter for taste. It turns out -- both of the chocolate chip cookies are delicious. Most friends had a hard time choosing. The bottom line is you can't go wrong!
What You'll Need
Here are the ingredients you need to make Crisco Chocolate Chip cookies.
- all-purpose flour
- Instant vanilla pudding mix - Just to be clear, make sure you buy the instant pudding mix. It will come in a 3.4 oz. package. I've accidentally used the regular pudding mix and it makes the cookies dry, which you don't want.
- baking soda
- salt
- Vegetable shortening like Crisco - There is a butter flavor Crisco, but I buy the regular stuff. I don't think these cookies need the butter flavor personally.
- granulated sugar
- light or dark brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
The exact quantities of each ingredient is listed on the recipe card, including detailed directions for making.
How to Make The Best Crisco Chocolate Chip Cookies
Maybe it's old school or maybe it's old fashioned Crisco chocolate chip cookies, but these cookies are my favorite cookie recipe hands down. I can make them in under 10 minutes.
- Step 1: Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
- Step 2: Beat the Crisco with both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or hand-held mixer until light and fluffy.
- Step 3: Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
- Step 4: Slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined.
- Step 5: Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Step 6: Scoop cookies to a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 9-10 minutes or until desired level of doneness is reached!
Tip: Add a few more chocolate chips on the top of your chocolate chip cookie dough mound before it goes in the oven. This will create a bakery-worthy beauty.
CCC Variations
- Make them nutty - Add ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the dough along with the chocolate chips.
- Mix up the chocolate chips you're using - Use a combination of semi-sweet, dark or milk chocolate. You can also make them with white chocolate or butterscotch chips.
- Make s'mores cookies - One of these days I'm going to add the recipe to the site, but I turn these cookies into s'mores chocolate chip cookies by taking them out of the oven 2 minutes before they're done, pressing half of a marshmallow into them, and baking them the remaining two minutes. Then I'll drizzle some chocolate on top and top with crushed graham crackers. The kids love these!
Storage & Freezing Instructions
To store: Store cookies in an airtight container once they are completely cooled. Cookies will stay fresh for about 3 days. I find the Crisco cookies stay fresher a tad bit longer.
To freeze: I recommend freezing the dough. Scoop balls of dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Place dough balls in a freezer-safe bag. Take dough out of the freezer and into the refrigerator overnight before you're ready to bake. Then bake as you would normally do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep. Butter works well. Use the same amount of butter as you would Crisco. They can be subbed 1:1.
Generally speaking, yes. But remember that Crisco is flavorless while butter adds flavor. It may not be appropriate depending on what taste you're going for.
I use the regular Crisco, not the butter flavored Crisco. You can certainly use butter flavored Crisco if you want that butter flavor to be extra pronounced.
Absolutely. Chopped pecans or walnuts would be delicious to add to these chocolate chip cookies.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
The Best Crisco Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3.4 oz pack instant vanilla pudding
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable shortening like Crisco or can use same amount of unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light or dark brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and vanilla pudding. Set aside.
- Cream the sugars and shortening on medium-high speed using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Slowly add flour mixture until just incorporated.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop, form 11/2" round balls of dough (or use a tablespoon cookie scoop) and place them on baking sheet about 2" apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes until slightly brown.
Kerry says
Is recipe supposed to be 1 3.4 oz box of pudding? 13oz sounds like too much 🥴
Kathryn says
There needed to be a space between the 1 and the 3. It should now read one 3.4 oz package of vanilla pudding. Thanks for catching this!
❤️ Kathryn
Lisa says
Quick question.... When you say "Just to be clear, make sure you buy the instant pudding mix. It will come in a 3.4 oz. package. I've accidentally used the regular instant pudding and it makes the cookies dry, which you don't want," what is the difference between instant pudding mix and regular instant pudding? What am I missing? Was it supposed to say not to use the one you have to cook? Or is it a sugar free thing?
Kathryn says
Oh Lawdy! That's my fault. It should read, "I've accidentally used the regular pudding mix" before. The regular pudding (cook-n-serve) has cornstarch that has to be activated my heat. The instant has cornstarch that is just activated by moisture. The instant pudding (3.4 oz package) is what you want!
Lisa says
Thanks! I'll give it a try!!
Connor says
BEST DESSERT EVER!!!!!
Kathryn says
Awww gee thanks, Connor! <3
Connor says
BEST DESSERT EVER