Description
Delight in these soft and chewy Santa's Cookies, a festive double chocolate chip treat loaded with semi-sweet and white chocolate chips along with vibrant red and green M&M candies. Enhanced with instant vanilla pudding for extra moistness, these holiday cookies are sure to be a favorite for celebrating 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 flour
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 ounces, dry)
- 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 the Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar together for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and egg, then mix well until fully combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, instant vanilla pudding mix, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in most of the semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, reserving some chocolate chips and the M&M candies for topping. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour to firm up.
- Prepare to Bake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a baking sheet by misting with cooking spray and wiping it off with a paper towel for a very light coating. Roll about 3 tablespoons of chilled cookie dough into balls roughly the size of a golf ball and place them spaced on the prepared baking sheet.
- Add Toppings: Gently press the reserved chocolate chips and M&M candies onto the tops of each cookie dough ball to make the chips and candies visible after baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 12 minutes or until the cookies are set but still slightly underdone to keep them soft and chewy. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes.
- Cool Completely and Store: Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Chilling the dough for at least one hour helps the cookies maintain their shape and enhances flavor.
- Pressing the reserved chocolate chips and M&M candies on top before baking creates a festive look and ensures the colorful candies don’t sink during baking.
- Use instant vanilla pudding mix, not cook-and-serve types, for the best texture and moisture.
- For softer cookies, slightly underbake and allow them to finish cooking on the hot baking sheet.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them chewy and fresh for up to a week.
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
