Description
Delight in the festive flavors of Santa's Cookies, a soft and chewy double chocolate chip cookie recipe enhanced with creamy white chocolate chips and colorful red and green M&M candies. These holiday treats are made with instant vanilla pudding for extra moisture and a tender texture, perfect for sharing or gifting during the season.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter (softened)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 ounces, dry, instant, not cook-and-serve)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Add-Ins
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup red and green M&M candies
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with brown sugar and sugar for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Vanilla and Egg: Mix in the vanilla extract and egg thoroughly until fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, instant vanilla pudding mix, baking soda, and salt until evenly mixed.
- Mix Dry into Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just incorporated.
- Stir in Chocolate Chips: Fold in most of the semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, reserving a few along with the M&M candies for decoration.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour to firm up for easier handling.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a baking sheet by misting with cooking spray and wiping off excess with a paper towel.
- Form Cookies: Roll approximately 3 tablespoons of dough into golf ball-sized balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet and gently press the reserved chocolate chips and M&Ms onto the tops to ensure they remain visible after baking.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 12 minutes until they are set but still slightly underdone in the center for a soft texture.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Using instant vanilla pudding mix adds moisture and tenderness to the cookies.
- Chilling the dough before baking helps cookies hold their shape and improves texture.
- Pressing M&Ms and extra chocolate chips on top before baking ensures colorful, festive appearance.
- For a different twist, try mixing in holiday-themed sprinkles instead of or in addition to M&Ms.
- Allow cookies to cool on the sheet to finish baking and avoid breaking when transferring while hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 238 kcal
- Sugar: 26 g
- Sodium: 186 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 13 mg
