3 Easy Cookie Recipes Made with Pantry Ingredients

Are you hungry for homemade cookies but can't get to the store? You probably have what you need to make these 3 easy cookie recipes right in your pantry. Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies, Sugardoodles sugar cookies, and Coffee and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

collage of 3 plates of cookies — Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies, Sugardoodles, and Coffee and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my three go-to cookie recipes I make over and over for teacher gifts, welcome-to-the-neighborhood gifts, Christmas gifts, college care packages, and whenever I'm in the mood for homemade cookies.

I keep the ingredients for these cookies in my pantry and butter in the fridge (and freezer). I don't know about you, but I have a stash in one of my cabinets of all kinds of chips: mini, chunks, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, mega size chips.

If I run out of chocolate chips, I'll just chop up a baking bar and stir that in.

If I'm in the mood for soft and chewy or light and crispy homemade cookies, I'll find a way to make them!

Click on the images or titles below to go straight to the recipe blog posts. Below the images, I'm giving you some substitution ideas for each cookie recipe so you can stay home and not have to make a trip to the store.

I'll also tell you which ingredients you can just leave out if you don't have it on hand.

Let me know in the comments below which cookie you decide to make. I'd love to hear your personal substitutions if you made any.

Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies

chocolate cookies on a pewter plate. bite out of one — Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies

Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies Ingredients:

Butter. I don't recommend substituting margarine for real butter. Margarine is basically whipped oil with water added and is a recipe for soggy, flavorless cookies....but in a pinch, you can substitute stick margarine, not tub margarine. Butter can be frozen and thawed in the fridge so you can always be ready to make yummy cookies. Shortening can be used but you won't get the flavor butter gives. I use salted butter. It will be fine with unsalted butter.
Granulated sugar and brown sugar. I like the combination of the two sugars because the brown sugar (granulated sugar with molasses added) adds a bit of flavor and helps make cookies soft and chewy.
Large eggs. If you don't have 2 large eggs follow this guide from Better Homes and Gardens for size and number substitutions.
Vanilla extract. If you don't have vanilla extract it is ok to leave it out because the pudding mix will have plenty of flavor.
All-purpose flour. Cake flour, bread flour and whole wheat flour can be substituted if absolutely necessary. Cake (soft wheat) flour has less protein and bread (hard wheat) flour, therefore, cookies made with cake flour may be a little more delicate and crumbly than all-purpose flour. You can add an extra tablespoon flour per cup. Cookies made with bread flour might be a little more firm or dense. You can remove one tablespoon flour per cup. Whole wheat flour is more dense and has a slightly stronger flavor than all-purpose flour and cannot be substituted cup for cup. It is possible to use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour is not a good substitute in this recipe because it has baking powder in it.
Baking soda. Baking powder is not an equal substitute for baking soda.
Instant chocolate pudding mix. I love the Hershey brand because it uses cocoa processed with alkali. This means your cookies will be a darker, richer color. I also love that I can buy this brand at the Dollar Tree! I also use the Jello-O brand and Aldi brand. The oz package may vary slightly, but no worries. They all work. If you don't have chocolate instant pudding mix, use vanilla-flavored instant pudding and make traditional chocolate chip cookies-they will be perfectly soft and chewy!
12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you are stretching your dollar, half the package is ample to still make yummy cookies. This is where you can get creative and use whatever chips you have in your stash.

Sugardoodles

These soft and chewy cookies are a cross between a Snickerdoodle and a sugar cookie. No rolling, cutting or icing needed!

plate of sugar cookies on a pewter plate

Sugardoodles ingredients:

Butter. I don't recommend substituting margarine for real butter. Margarine is basically whipped oil with water added and is a recipe for soggy, flavorless cookies....but in a pinch, you can substitute stick margarine, not tub margarine. Butter can be frozen and thawed in the fridge so you can always be ready to make yummy cookies. Shortening can be used but you won't get the flavor butter gives. I use salted butter. It will be fine with unsalted butter.
Shortening. Shortening is 100% fat-no water. This helps cookies be softer. Shortening doesn't melt as fast as butter so this helps Sugardoodles be light and fluffy. If you don't have shortening or would rather not use it, butter can be substituted. Shortening also helps give these cookies their almost pure white color.
Granulated sugar. Granulated sugar gives these cookies their almost pure white color. Light brown sugar can be substituted cup for cup if firmly packed. I have not tested these cookies with Splenda baking sugar.
Powdered sugar. Believe it or not, there is a tiny bit of cornstarch in powdered sugar to keep it from clumping. That bit of cornstarch helps keep these cookies soft on the inside.
Large eggs. If you don't have 2 large eggs follow this guide from Better Homes and Gardens for size and number substitutions.
Vanilla extract. If you don't have vanilla extract it is ok to leave it out because the pudding mix will have plenty of flavor.
All-purpose flour. Cake flour, bread flour and whole wheat flour can be substituted if absolutely necessary. Cake (soft wheat) flour has less protein and bread (hard wheat) flour, therefore, cookies made with cake flour may be a little more delicate and crumbly than all-purpose flour. You can add an extra tablespoon flour per cup. Cookies made with bread flour might be a little more firm or dense. You can remove one tablespoon flour per cup. Whole wheat flour is more dense and has a slightly stronger flavor than all-purpose flour and cannot be substituted cup for cup. It is possible to use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour is not a good substitute in this recipe because it has baking powder in it.
Baking powder. Baking soda is not an equal substitute for baking powder. Baking powder actually has baking soda IN it, along with cream of tartar (an acid) and a bit of cornstarch. Since these cookies do not have an acid in them to neutralize the baking soda, baking powder is needed for this recipe.
Salt. If you don't have any salt, then bless your heart. lol If you are using salted butter, you will be fine.

Coffee and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

chocolate chip cookies on black wire rack

Coffee and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies ingredients:

All-purpose flour. Cake flour, bread flour and whole wheat flour can be substituted if absolutely necessary. Cake (soft wheat) flour has less protein and bread (hard wheat) flour, therefore, cookies made with cake flour may be a little more delicate and crumbly than all-purpose flour. You can add an extra tablespoon flour per cup. Cookies made with bread flour might be a little more firm or dense. You can remove one tablespoon flour per cup. Whole wheat flour is more dense and has a slightly stronger flavor than all-purpose flour and cannot be substituted cup for cup. It is possible to use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour is not a good substitute in this recipe because it has baking powder in it.
Baking soda. Baking powder is not an equal substitute for baking soda.
Salt. If you don't have any salt, then bless your heart. lol If you are using salted butter, you will be fine but a little salt brings out the flavor in these cookies.
Instant espresso powder. Don't have this on hand? No worries! Instant coffee granules dissolved in the water will work fine. Do NOT use regular coffee grounds. If you don't have any instant espresso powder or coffee granules, you can use 2 teaspoons of double-strength brewed coffee. Not a drop of coffee in the house? Stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Butter. I don't recommend substituting margarine for real butter. Margarine is basically whipped oil with water added and is a recipe for soggy, flavorless cookies....but in a pinch, you can substitute stick margarine, not tub margarine. Butter can be frozen and thawed in the fridge so you can always be ready to make yummy cookies. Shortening can be used but you won't get the flavor butter gives. I use salted butter. It will be fine with unsalted butter.
Granulated sugar and brown sugar. I like the combination of the two sugars because the brown sugar (granulated sugar with molasses added) adds a bit of flavor and helps make cookies soft and chewy.
Large eggs. If you don't have 2 large eggs follow this guide from Better Homes and Gardens for size and number substitutions.
10-oz package dark chocolate chip cookies. Large chips, mini chips, chunks or chopped pieces from a chocolate bar will work! No dark chocolate? Any chocolate chips will do. Most semi-sweet packages are 12-oz....toss in the whole package!