I used instant pudding because that was all my little grocery store had. It turned out fine. The taste is more mild than typical which is good because my kids don't usually like ginger bread. They liked these. The dough was easy to handle, roll, cut, and decorate. The cookies were sturdy but not tough. Somewhere between crispy and chewy. I will make these again. Definitely use a mixer or you won't get all the flour in.