Description
Santa's Favorite Cookies are soft and pillowy brown sugar pudding cookies filled with festive Christmas M&Ms and colorful sprinkles. These easy-to-make cookies have a delightful texture and perfect sweetness, making them a holiday favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 3.4 ounces box Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (not sugar free)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup red and green sprinkles (or any colors)
- 3/4 cup Christmas M&Ms (or any color of M&M)
Instructions
- Cream Ingredients: Cream butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or use a hand mixer. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the instant vanilla pudding mix, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.
- Add Flour and Mix-ins: Gradually mix in the all purpose flour until the dough comes together. Then gently fold in the sprinkles and Christmas M&Ms to evenly distribute them throughout the dough.
- Chill Dough Balls: Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. There is no need to space them out since you will chill them. Cover the dough balls and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mats to prevent sticking.
- Arrange Dough and Bake: Place the chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 11 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes after baking. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store Cookies: Store the fully cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to one month to enjoy later.
Notes
- This dough requires chilling for the best texture and to prevent spreading during baking.
- You can substitute Christmas M&Ms with any colorful candy-coated chocolates or chocolate chips for variation.
- Use parchment paper or silpat mats for easy cookie removal and even baking.
- For softer cookies, bake closer to 9 minutes; for slightly crisper edges, bake up to 11 minutes.
- Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or frozen to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 127 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 57 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
