Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with a rich blend of butter, sugar, and sour cream, with instant vanilla pudding mix for extra softness and flavor. Fluffy cookies that taste like mint chip ice cream!
In our family, these Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies are always a favorite, especially because they’re made with simple ingredients like butter, sugar, sour cream, and instant vanilla pudding mix that give them such a soft, fluffy texture. The mix of mint extract and chocolate chips (sometimes with a few Andes mint pieces tossed in) makes them taste just like mint chip ice cream, which we all love.
We look forward to making these around St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas, but they honestly don’t last long any time of year. They’re one of those recipes everyone gets excited about, and they disappear almost as fast as we can bake them!
Recipe Highlights
- Soft, Bakery-Style Texture – Thanks to the instant vanilla pudding mix and sour cream, these cookies turn out incredibly soft, fluffy, and stay moist longer than your average cookie.
- Mint Chip Ice Cream Flavor – The combination of mint extract, chocolate chips, and optional Andes mint pieces gives these cookies that nostalgic, creamy mint chocolate chip taste in every bite.
- Fun & Festive Look – The light green color makes these cookies perfect for holidays like St. Patrick’s Day or Christmas, adding a playful and eye-catching touch to any dessert spread.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip and Mint Cookies
Sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create a soft, tender texture.
Butter: Provides rich flavor and contributes to the cookies’ soft, melt-in-your-mouth consistency.
Egg: Binds the ingredients together and helps give the cookies structure.
Sour cream: Adds moisture and a slight tang, keeping the cookies soft and fluffy.
Vanilla pudding mix: Enhances flavor while creating an extra soft, thick, and tender texture.
Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors.
Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and achieve a light, airy texture.
Flour: Forms the base of the dough and gives the cookies structure.
Mint extract: Infuses the cookies with that classic, refreshing mint flavor.
Food coloring: Gives the cookies their fun, signature green color.
Chocolate chips: Add bursts of rich chocolate flavor that perfectly complement the mint.
Tips for making Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Don’t overdo the mint extract – Mint can quickly become overpowering, so stick to the measured amount; a little goes a long way and keeps the flavor balanced with the chocolate.
- Mix the pudding in dry, not prepared – Be sure to add the instant pudding mix as a dry ingredient, which is what gives these cookies their signature thick, soft texture.
- Watch the bake time closely – These cookies are best when slightly underbaked; pull them out when the edges are set but the centers still look soft so they stay fluffy and don’t dry out.
- Customize your chocolate mix-ins strategically – Andes mint pieces add amazing flavor but tend to melt into the dough, so pair them with regular chocolate chips or chunks to keep that classic chip texture.
How long are these Mint Chip Cookies good for?
These cookies stay soft and fresh for about 3–4 days at room temperature when stored in an airtight container, or up to a week in the fridge (just let them come to room temp before serving for the best texture).
Yes, you can absolutely freeze them! Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month, or freeze the dough by scooping it into balls and placing them on a baking sheet until solid—then transfer to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 1 month. This way, you can bake a few at a time whenever you’re craving warm, fresh cookies!
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter softened (1 stick)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding mix
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp mint extract
- drop blue coloring + 7-10 drops green coloring
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
- Begin by creaming together the sugar and butter, in a large bowl, until nice and fluffy. Add in the egg, sour cream and dry pudding mix, stir well to combine.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Incorporate the flour mixture into the butter and pudding mixture and stir until well combined.
- Now add the mint extract and food coloring until desired color is achieved.
- Lastly, add in the chocolate chips. I used ¾ cup chocolate chunks, ¾ cup regular chocolate chips and ½ cup Andes baking bits. Any combination is wonderful, but note that while the Andes mint baking pieces add an incredible flavor, they kind of disappear in the cookies. So add them in addition to the 1 ½ cups chocolate chips, if you opt to put them in!
- Start dropping the cookie dough by the rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. When done baking, transfer to a cooling rack. Serve fresh and warm, enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream?
Yes! Plain yogurt works just as well and will still give you that soft, moist texture.
Why add pudding mix to the dough?
The dry pudding mix is the secret to these cookies staying extra soft, thick, and flavorful.
Do I have to use food coloring?
No, it’s completely optional—it just gives the cookies that fun minty green look.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes! You can refrigerate the dough for a day or freeze dough balls for up to a month and bake when ready.
Check out some of our other favorite cookie recipes to try:
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies are tiny, bite-sized treats packed with big flavor! Perfect for snacking, sharing, or sneaking straight from the cookie sheet!
- These Chocolate Mint Cookies are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth treats dipped in rich chocolate with a cool minty twist—basically holiday magic in every bite.
- Double Chocolate Mint Cookies are rich, chewy, and loaded with deep chocolate flavor, then topped with melty Junior Mints for that perfect cool-mint finish. If you’re a mint chocolate lover, these fudgy cookies are about to be your new obsession.
- Our Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are made completely from scratch with simple ingredients. Adding chocolate chips to peanut butter cookies elevates them to a new level!
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies mix buttery dough with sweet maraschino cherries and rich chocolate chips—a colorful, fun twist on a classic favorite!
- Bursting with sweet, juicy raspberries and melty chocolate chips, these Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies are a fresh twist on a classic favorite! Perfectly irresistible—one bite and you’ll be hooked!
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, fluffy, and packed with flavor, thanks to butter, sugar, sour cream, and a bit of instant vanilla pudding. Every bite tastes just like your favorite mint chip ice cream!
Twinmomred2 says
Hi. We are making our first batch of these and they are not spreading out like the ones in your pictures above. We follow directions completely. Any hint? And because they didn’t flatten/spread they were kind of doughy in middle. Please help? Want to make these for a cookie exchange at church in a few weeks. The taste was great though…just like my fave ice cream.
Jessica says
Try adding a little milk to the dough. Cookies come out a little different based on a number of factors- the type of pan you use, how humid it is in your area, etc. A little milk should help though!
Rachel says
I can’t get past the green color….I’m sure it can be done without the food coloring, right?
Jessica says
LOL- of course you can opt out of the green coloring! 😉 I totally get that!
Marc says
WOW, just so amazing! Tried numerous mint chocolate chip recipes and stumbled across yours and now is a family favorite. Perfect combination of mint and chocolate and such a great texture. I love that the mint isn’t to overpowering and is the perfect balance! Thank you
Jessica says
That’s EXACTLY what I was going for Marc- so glad to hear you liked them!!
Barbara says
I made your cookies this morning and I used chocolate pudding, turned out yummy, but the biggest problem i useally have is my cookies are flat not plump… why is that?
Jessica says
Add a little milk- I’d start with 2 TBSP. Cookies with pudding in them can be affected by a few different factors, but this solves the issue easily! 😉
Carol Ann Maikowski says
I’m going to make these for saint patrick gathering with friends, I will let you know how they turned out. I’ve made m & m cookies from another website and they turned fine with the instant vanilla pudding, but I saw your recipe and I am anxious to try them, they look delicious, and I will be using the mint extract as I don’t like like a strong flavored cookie so this will work well. If I didn’t have the mint, ten I would use the vanilla extract. I also tried the Cool whip cookies for Valentine’s day and they were a big hit with my friends. I asked them to try and figure out what my cookies were made with and only one person took a guess, and she was right, she said because they felt so light and airy and I used my decorating sugars and sprinkled colors on the top and they looked like stain glass window cookies, and how they sparkled !!!!!!!
Jessica says
So fun Carol Ann! I hope you like the Mint Chocolate Pudding cookies!
Jessica says
Pudding cookies make me SO happy! Loving these for St. Patrick’s Day!
Alyssa says
Ooooh yum. Love mint chocolate!!
Jessica says
Me too!
Jocelyn says
Any idea how regular pudding mix would work instead of instant?
Jessica says
Hmmm… to be honest, I’m not sure! Try it out and let me know!
Jocelyn says
Regular pudding mix worked too! These are delicious!!! 🙂
Jenn says
I. Go I g to try with chocolate pudding and omit the food coloring. I am so excited to try these!
Jessica says
I think chocolate pudding mix is a GREAT idea for these cookies!! YUM.
Stefanie says
Hello! I am a foods teacher. My students and I just made your recipe in class and the cookies did not spread and burned on the bottom. Can you omit the vanilla pudding? I think the pudding is causing the cookies to be too plump and unable to spread like yours in the video.
Jessica says
THey’re pudding cookies…I wouldn’t leave the pudding out, if I were you. Cookie textures can vary a lot, depending on weather conditions and where you’re located. I recommend adding a little milk to the dough if the cookies are baking too thick.
Sharon Lindley says
I just made these for St. Patricks Day. So good!
Jessica says
So glad you liked them Sharon!
Pam says
I made these for a coffee date with a friend, they were amazing. !!!!! All I had was sugar free pudding and I used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream they turned out perfect. Thanks for the recipe , I will definitely be making these again.
Jessica says
I’m sl glad you enjoyed them Pam! Yes- I use greek yogurt and sour cream interchangeably. 😉
April says
I’ve had my eye on this recipe since you first posted it. I think I’m going to finally take the plunge and make a giant batch of them this weekend. They look sooooo good! 😀
Jenn L says
I’ve been on a mint chip ice cream kick so these cookies are rocking my socks!!!!!
Sara says
Mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream flavor so I know I’m going to love these cookies! Pudding is such a great secret ingredient, it makes the best cookies.
Pam Greer says
I also am a huge fan of the chocolate mint combination – if you could see my girl scout cookie stash! So, I love that I can make these myself!!
Jette says
I followed the recipe verbatim (used peppermint extract and added Andes as suggested), these came out great! Im not normally a mint chocolate chip fan, but I and everyone else I shared these with loved them!
I’m curious, how long would you say these last on the counter? I was wondering because of the sour cream.
Jessica says
I’m so glad everyone liked them Jette! They last a while on the counter, I’d say 3-5 days- they tend to go dry, just like normal cookies. 🙂
Cami says
Just made these and they are delicious. But, they browned and lost their minty green color. They kind of look like sick chocolate chip cookies. Any tips on keeping that green color. The batter was the perfect color.
Jessica says
Make the batter a bit more green! Also, remove the cookies from the oven just before they brown and let them sit on the hot cookie sheet several more minutes, so that they continue baking. That should help too!
Tonya Tanner says
I used plain green food coloring did little brighter than wanted. Plus I used cream de menthe instead of mint extract. Hope this helps.
Rich says
I made them with all chocolate chips. Delicious, but not really minty enough. Next time, I’ll use the Andes pieces, rather than adding more mint extract.
Alison says
Rich, Great idea! Glad you were able to enjoy these ones as well!