Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies, an easy-to-make chocolate chip cookie recipe that brings smiles to young & old. The perfect recipe for Christmas Eve!
For as long as I can remember we have spent Christmas Eve baking goodies. The thought is always that we need to leave goodies out for Santa. The only thing is, we haven’t done the Santa thing in our house in SOOOOO many years.
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The kids are older & we have since moved past all that. But we still make treats. In fact, we make way more treats than we can reasonably eat.
I can never decide & in my mind, it all has to happen on Christmas Eve (I don’t know why).
I usually make 5-7 recipes, some of the favorites get axed towards the end when my energy is waning. But one thing we ALWAYS make is Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
I have to say, it does get a bit ridiculous. I start off Christmas Eve thinking, “these are all my favorites & we NEED THEM ALL”. But since this particular recipe requires a little planning ahead it’s always first.
You see, the dough needs to chill overnight. I know, I know- that can be a total bummer.
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But it is absolutely essential for these cookies because it helps them keep their shape. Otherwise, they spread out too far & lose all that beautiful volume in the center.
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So what I like to do is whip up the dough the night before. Then I start my Christmas Eve morning with getting these baked.
Then we have them to snack on while we make all the other goodies.
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I have to say though, these babies are so soft & chewy – they are usually gone in a flash. I’ll admit there have been a few occasions where we only had but a couple left to leave out for the jolly old guy.
Now that the kids are older, it doesn’t matter so much. But when we were leaving out the plate of cookies & milk I made sure to set those aside ahead of time so we didn’t find ourselves with an empty cookie jar at the end of the night. 🙂
best ever chocolate chip cookies
Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did I mention that this is actually an award-winning recipe?? Oh yeah- these are the most buttery, soft & chewy cookies.
Made a batch for a bake-off at my son’s work & brought home the top prize. Everyone who eats these always goes back for another & another.
Definitely a hit at every party! You will fall in love- I’m sure of it.
Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here are some commonly asked questions
Why do I have to chill the dough?
This is REALLY important. Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll the cookies because the dough is less sticky.
Chilling the dough also helps to keep the cookies from spreading too much when they are baked. Please do not skip this step.
How soft should my butter be?
So, when we are talking about softened butter, it is important that it not be so soft (or nearly melted) that it won’t hold the dough together.
The butter should be cool to the touch, as close to room temperature as possible – definitely not hard as a rock & unable to be blended easily with the sugar. You should be able to press your finger in it but it should still hold shape.
Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies
What is the best way to store leftover cookies?
The easiest way is to place in a large airtight container & store at room temperature. I like a large plastic bowl with a lid or a zip-top bag works great too.
How do I properly measure the flour?
The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. This makes sure the flour isn’t packed tightly into your measuring cup, adding more than you need, as that will make your recipe too dry.
However – if you fluff your flour with a spoon, then gently scoop the flour into the measuring cup, taking care to not pack the flour – that should work for this recipe.
Christmas M&Ms
How many does this serve?
This recipe makes about 28 regular-size cookies. Feel free to cut this recipe in half if you want a smaller batch.
Why do the ingredients need to be at room temperature?
Room temperature ingredients help to ensure that everything blends together perfectly. You don’t want any pockets of unblended butter. You want everything evenly disbursed for the perfect texture.
When your dairy products are at room temperature, they can create an emulsion. It’s essential to have an emulsion because air gets trapped, so the baked goods expand and get fluffy as it bakes.
Santa Christmas Treats
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, you can double the dough on this recipe if you need to. That will make a WHOLE LOT of cookies – which is great if you are having a bake sale or need to take these cookies to a potluck or holiday party. I guarantee they will be gone in a flash.
Tips for Making the Best Cookies
- Make sure the butter is room-temperature for the dough to be the right consistency.
- Use real butter – no margarine here. That will alter how the cookies bake.
- Press extra M&M’s and even more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven for added visual appeal.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. They will set as they cool – you don’t want them to lose what makes them chewy – you want those soft centers.
- Make the dough balls large and tall so they bake up nice and thick.
- If you notice they are spreading too much on the first batch – it is possible that the flour measurment was off or the butter was too soft – make sure that dough is chilled and cold before baking the remaining dough.
- Make sure you are placing the unbaked dough on cool baking sheets. Don’t place it on the baking sheets coming right out of the oven – that will change the way the cookies bake. Try to have a roation of baking sheets so each one is room temperature before placing the dough on them.
MM Christmas Cookies
HOW DO YOU MAKE Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- In mixer bowl – beat butter, margarine, sugar & brown sugar together until fluffy.
- Add egg & vanilla – beat well.
- Add in flour, pudding powder mix, baking soda & salt – slowly stir first & then beat until all ingredients are completely incorporated.
- Slowly stir in chocolate chips.
- Fold in 1/2 the M&M’s.
- Remove beater, cover & refrigerate overnight.
- The next day preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll dough into balls – it will be firm.
- Place dough balls on baking sheet & bake cookies for 9-12 minutes (mine were perfect at 11).
- Remove & immediately top each cookie with a few white chocolate chips & M&M’s before they cool.
- Leave cookies on baking sheet to cool.
- Start with a cold cookie sheet with each batch to ensure that the cookies bake consistently.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
I personally use whatever I have on hand. But if you are watching your salt intake, stick with the unsalted butter for these cookies.
I wrote my original recipe using unsalted butter but then tried it with salted butter & liked them just the same.
How can I make my cookies thicker?
If you want bigger, thicker cookies, make the size of the dough larger before baking. I recommend 2 tbsp or more, which should yield a ball of dough that should be larger than a golf ball. This will make the cookies spread slower & hold their shape better, keeping them thicker overall.
MM Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to soften the butter to room temperature?
There are a couple of ways to do this. The first being that you can take the butter (& any other ingredients that need to be at room temperature) out, leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes while you prep for baking.
I usually start with all my chilled ingredients and pull everything I need out onto the counter before getting started – so I know for sure I have everything before I’m mid-way through I realize I’m out of something.
But sometimes it’s winter and that isn’t enough time to get the ingredients warmed up – OR – I’m just not that organized to plan ahead. It happens. So I have another couple of tricks.
Second – I place the butter in the microwave – wrapped in the paper. (don’t do this if it is wrapped in foil) Then I microwave for 2 seconds – flip – go another 2 seconds – flip again – and continue for 2 seconds on each side.
This is usually enough to get it perfect – sometimes stopping before if it feels soft enough. Take care when doing this method – overly softened butter from the microwave WILL ALTER the end result of the recipe. Don’t over-do it.
My third method is to place the wrapped butter sticks in a zip-top bag and place it in a bowl of warm water. I do this with the eggs too. If the water isn’t too hot it can be THE PERFECT way to get “room-temperature” ingredients.
Santa Themed Christmas Treats
To make this recipe you will need…
- butter-room temperature
- margarine
- packed brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- egg
- all-purpose flour
- instant vanilla pudding – Just the powder
- baking soda
- salt
- sweet chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips
- red & green- M&M’s
Don’t Miss These Other M&M Recipe Favorites
- Christmas M&M Sprinkle Cookies
- M&M Cookie Recipe
- Patriotic M&M Cookie Bars
- M&M Slice & Bake Cookies
- Minty Shamrock M&M Popcorn
- M&M Cookie Dough Bites
- Frosted Holiday M&M Brownies
- Captain America M&M Cookies
- M&M Sugar Cookie Bars
Products I love when making Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies…
This Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is so EASY – and if you’re like me, then you probably already have all of these items on hand! OR maybe you have never made pudding cookies before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love how simple this is. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this cookie recipe.
- light brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- instant vanilla pudding
- baking soda
- table salt
- milk chocolate chips
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips
- holiday M&M’s
- parchment paper
- this metal baking pan
- mixing bowl
- spatulas
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Definitely the cutest cookies for Christmas!!
If you love this Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, you’re going to love these other easy cookie recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) room temperature
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour scooped lightly – not spooned into your measuring cup
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding – Just the powder – don’t prepare the pudding 3.4 ounce (not cook & serve)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1-1/2 cups red & green- M&M’s – divided
Instructions
- In mixer bowl – beat butter, margarine, sugar & brown sugar together until fluffy
- Add egg & vanilla – beat well
- Add in flour, pudding powder mix, baking soda & salt – slowly stir first & then beat until all ingredients are completely incorporated.
- Slowly stir in chocolate chips
- Fold in 1/2 the M&M’s
- Remove beater, cover & refrigerate overnight
- The next day preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Roll dough into balls – it will be firm
- Place dough balls on baking sheet & bake cookies for 9-12 minutes (mine were perfect at 11)
- Remove & immediately top each cookie with a few white chocolate chips & M&M’s before they cool.
- Leave cookies on baking sheet to cool
- Start with a cold cookie sheet with each batch to ensure that the cookies bake consistently.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin says
Tis the season!!
Hannah says
I made these last night and baked them this morning and they were amazing! They have been a hit so far with my coworkers, boss, and boyfriend! This will be my go to cookie from now on!!
laura nuss says
I make something similar. It’s the vanilla pudding right? It just does something to the mix! I’m going to make these too! laura
Miz Hh says
These will be great Santa’s cookies! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Come to next weeks Thanksgiving party on Tuesday at 8:00 am, CST, see you then!
Have a bountiful Thanksgiving!
Miz Helen
Akire says
I made these according to the recipe and it’s SUPER dry and crumbly. To get the right consistency ive needed to add a lot of other things. What do you suggest for next time For better results?
Gina Kleinworth says
I’m so sorry to hear that you had problems. I have never seen that with this recipe before. How did you measure your flour? The key is to make sure your flour isn’t packed down when scooping or packed tightly into your measuring cup. This will make your cookies too dry. The official way to measure it is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. But I usually fluff the flour with a spoon & then gently scoop it into the measuring cup & then level that off before adding to my dough mixture. The only other thing I can think of is maybe the size of the pudding package wasn’t right.
Kourtney says
I do not like to cook with margarine. Do I have to use margarine or can I just use more butter to replace it?
Gina Kleinworth says
The margarine is to help the cookies hold their shape and give them more volume. If you replace it with more butter it will result in a flat cookie.
Sara Martin says
is it better to use salted butter or unsalted?
Gina Kleinworth says
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
I personally use whatever I have on hand. But if you are watching your salt intake, stick with the unsalted butter for these cookies. I wrote my original recipe using unsalted butter but then tried it with salted butter & liked them just the same.
Dawn says
Can you use the sugar free pudding mix? It’s what I happen to have in the pantry right now.
Gina Kleinworth says
Hmmm, I’m not sure. I haven’t tried it yet. I’m sorry. If you decide to use that variation, please let me know how they turn out.
Amy says
I just made these today. We live in Malawi, and it has been a very challenging time due to COVID-19. Our kids are homesick, and life has come to a screeching halt. We decided to do “Christmas in July”, and I made all of our traditional Christmas cookies, however, I was on Pinterest and found this recipe…it looked amazing, so we had to try it. I didn’t have white chocolate chips (I only brought regular chocolate chips from the US and Holiday M&Ms), and we don’t have pudding mix here either. We just left the white chocolate chips out, and I “made” a pudding mix. My family LOVES these cookies…they are now on our list of “must makes” for the REAL Christmas. 🙂
Gina Kleinworth says
Oh, this makes me so happy to hear. I’m so glad it worked out. Would you be willing to share your pudding mix recipe that you used so I can tell others that might run into the same problem?
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and I hope life can return to a closer sense of normalcy for everyone here soon.
Alicia says
Amy reason you couldn’t make the dough and roll it into balls and freeze for a few weeks? Thanks for your input!
Gina Kleinworth says
Hi there –
You can do this – however, I have found that the dough tends to dry out when doing this -so once baked, they lose that buttery texture on the outside. Instead of tasting like a soft and chewy, freshly baked cookie – they are more like the texture of cookies that are several days old. I’m super picky about my cookies – so I try not to do this. You could roll the dough into a log – freeze & then thaw & roll them when ready to bake. You could also try rolling the frozen dough balls between your hands to remoisten/warm the outer layer of the dough before baking. That might keep them from having that dry texture once baked.
Please let me know how it goes.
Merry Christmas – Gina
Alicia says
Thank you so much! That’s helpful!
Dawn says
I did make this recipe with sugar-free pudding mix and they turned out great. They were a big hit with the family. Will make again.
Dawn says
They make great Easter Bunny cookies too made with the pastel M&M’s. We loved them so much at Christmas, I decided to make them for an Easter treat.
Dawn Pearce says
I have made these with chocolate pudding, peanut butter chips instead of white chocolate chips and peanut butter m&ms. I also add 1/8 cup cocoa and reduce the flour by 1/8 cup. I have also done the same with mint m&ms and chocolate pudding/cocoa and keep the white chocolate chips. In both of these, I replace the semi-sweet chocolate chips with the dark chocolate chips. My husband is a pistachio fan so I also made them with pistachio pudding and chopped pistachios and white chocolate chips. Also, just a tip, I press the dough in a large square container to chill and cut it when ready to bake. I find it hard to scoop after chilling and found this way easier on my hands.