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.
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.
Notes
Recipe TipsFor that photo-ready finish look, you can sprinkle additional milk chocolate chips on the hot cookies immediately after they pop out of the oven. They'll melt and look glossy as the cookies cool.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 as you cycle through the cookie dough the cookies are coming out thinner. 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 set and finish cooking. They also retain better texture.Your chocolate chip cookies should look soft in the center but set around the edges. The tops should no longer look glossy. This is how to avoid overcooked cookies as they will finish the cooking process as they cool on the baking sheets.StorageIf 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).