Did you know that Santa picks favorites? It's true, and these cookies are his absolute FAVORITE. Rumor has it that those who leave these out will get the best gifts under the tree.
I heard of it from a very reliable source that the big guy likes his chocolate. He also LOVES a good and chewy cookie that melts in the mouth. And why not? The easier the cookie is to chew, the more he can eat before he has to move on to the next home!
This is Santa's favorite cookie recipe, and I'm sure you can see why...
For more Christmas favorites, check out our Hot Chocolate Pancakes, Elf Sized Cookies, and Christmas Tree Pretzels.
Why This Recipe Works
- These chocolate chip M&M cookies are THE BEST! They have chewy edges and soft centers, are packed with flavor, and are so easy to prepare.
- They're quick to make. My favorite part about these holiday cookies is that there are no long chill times, which is perfect for us impatient bakers.
- Simple ingredients. Using pantry staples like flour, baking powder, and sugar, we can keep our costs low. Adding in things like M&Ms, chocolate chips, and pudding mix help to give us a wonderful flavor in every cookie. This is one you may not want to share.
🥘 Ingredients
All-purpose flour- This is the gluten structure and base of our cookie dough.
Jell-O Instant Pudding- Cheesecake-flavored pudding is needed in this recipe. Just the dry mix, do not prepare it in advance! The pudding mix will give us more flavor and a better texture.
Cornstarch- This is needed to help the cookies stay soft.
Leavening agents- You will need both Baking powder and Baking soda to help these cookies puff up and spread as they bake.
Salt- A natural flavor enhancer.
Unsalted butter- You will need some softened butter for this recipe. You can use salted or unsalted butter, but I think this recipe works best with unsalted butter.
Sugars- Use Brown sugar and Granulated sugar for the best flavor profile.
Vanilla- A flavor enhancer.
Eggs- These will give the cookies a richer taste and help to bind them together so that they aren't too crumbly.
Chocolate chips- You will want to use milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe. I prefer milk chocolate, but either works great!
Red and Green Holiday M&Ms- To keep these cookies festive and fun, make sure to use red and green M&Ms.
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make Santa's favorite cookies with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Whisk together the flour, cheesecake pudding dry mix, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then set it aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in another large bowl.
Add in the vanilla and then mix again to combine.
Add in the eggs, one at a time. Mix well after each, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the dry ingredients to the sugar and egg mixture. Mix until well combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips and M&Ms.
Scoop the dough out into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet at least 2 or 3 inches apart.
Stick the baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees F. Keep the bowl of dough covered in the fridge as you wait so that it doesn't get too warm.
Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes or until the edges look set, and the center is still soft and doughy.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 10-30 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Continue the process until all cookies have been cooked and cooled.
🍴 Recipe Tips
The most important thing to tell you is that the cheesecake pudding dry mix makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE! Some people make their cookies with vanilla pudding mix, but once you try cheesecake flavor, there's no going back. Trust me.
When you chill the dough, having it nice and cold is what helps to keep the cookies from cooking too fast and melting down too thin. If you reuse the same baking sheet over and over for every round of cookies in the oven, you may notice that the cookies are coming out thinner as you cycle through the cookie dough. This is because of the warm pan.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes. 30 minutes is much better. The longer they sit on the pan, the more they sit and finish cooking. They also retain better texture.
💭 FAQs
Santa likes soft and chewy cookies like these chocolate chip M and M cheesecake cookies. They have a nice firm edge he can grab with his gloves on, and they melt in his mouth so he can finish the plate quickly before moving on to the next house.
Your chocolate chip cookies should look raw in the center but set around the edges. This is how to avoid overcooked cookies, as they will finish the cooking process as they cool on the baking sheets.
If stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these cookies can last up to a week! You can also choose to freeze them for longer storage (3 months).
More great holiday recipes to try
- Christmas Tree Fruit Pizza
- Easy Christmas Pretzels
- Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake
- Cranberry Eggnog Streusel Muffins
📖 Recipe
Santas Favorite Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups All-purpose flour ($0.24)
- 1 box (3.4 ounce) Cheesecake Jell-o Instant Pudding ($0.98)
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder ($0.02)
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon Salt ($0.10)
- 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened ($1.50)
- 1 cup Brown sugar ($0.35)
- 1 cup Granulated sugar ($0.22)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract ($0.04)
- 2 large Eggs, room temp ($0.16)
- 1 cup Milk chocolate chips ($0.99)
- 1 cup Red and Green Holiday M&Ms ($0.98)
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cheesecake pudding dry mix, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla and mix to distribute.
- And in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of egg mixture and mix until well combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and M&Ms.
- Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoon sized scoops and place on a parchment lined baking sheet at least 2 or 3 inches apart.
- Place the sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Alternatively you can let the dough chill in a covered bowl in the fridge for a few hours. Let unused dough sit covered in the fridge to avoid getting too warm as it waits.
- Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes until the edges look set. Let cool for 10-30 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to the cooling wrack.
- Continue until all cookies have been cooked and cooled.
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