Santa M&M Cookies

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Santa Cookies are soft, chewy Christmas M&M cookies made with pudding mix, white chocolate chips, and mini semi-sweet chips. They stay soft for days and are perfect for Santa’s cookie plate on Christmas Eve!

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Santa Cookies

Santa Cookies are thick, bakery-style Christmas cookies made with instant pudding mix that makes supers soft centers and crispy edges. Filled with Christmas M&Ms, white chocolate chips, and mini semi-sweet chips..the perfect cookie combo!

These festive cookies are easy to make and perfect for cookie exchanges, gifting and of course for…leaving on Santa’s plate on Christmas Eve. This recipe is one you’ll be adding to your holiday baking list each year!

Complete holiday baking with my Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, Snowman Cookies, Gingerbread Men Cookies, and Little Debbie Christmas Trees. 

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key ingredients

• Sugar: Both brown and white granulated sugars are used for these M&M cookies to make them super soft. The secret is using two different types of sugars to make sure you have a gooey cookie center.
• All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it. Be sure not to scoop it out of the bag using the measuring cup. This way, you won’t accidentally measure out too much. 
• Baking soda and baking powder: Used as a leavening agent.
• Vanilla pudding mix: You could also use instant white chocolate pudding mix. Do not use cook-and-serve, the texture won’t be the same.
• M&Ms: Use Christmas M&Ms to keep these festive for Santa! You could also use mini M&Ms.
• Chocolate Chips: I use a combination of mini white and semi-sweet chocolate chips for a chocolate combo. Feel free to use only one type of chocolate. Dark chocolate will also work.
• Butter: I used salted butter so you don’t have to add salt but you can also use unsalted butter, just add 1/4 teaspoon salt in the recipe. It’s best if the butter is at room temperature and slightly softened.
• Eggs: Two whole eggs are used in this recipe to help bind the dough.
• Vanilla extract: You could also use vanilla bean paste for more flavor.

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How To Make Santa Cookies

Cream butter and sugars: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. With an electric mixer in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and pudding mix. Beat until combined.

Add dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Continue to mix together until cookie dough is formed, scraping down the sides of a bowl with a spatula occasionally. Do not over-mix. Add the M&Ms and chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.

Scoop cookies: With a regular cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, equivalent to 1/4 cup, scoop cookie dough into balls and place on the prepared cookie sheets. *Optional, add more M&Ms, and chocolate chips to the tops of the cookies to look extra pretty.

Bake, cool and enjoy: Bake for 10-11 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the counter in the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy, these make great cookies for Santa! 🙂 He will LOVE these!

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Recipe Variations

• Switch out the different M&Ms for different holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Fourth of July, Valentine’s Day, and more. 
• Serve these cookies as ice cream sandwiches stuffed with vanilla, chocolate or Oreo ice cream.
• Turn these into mini M&M cookies by scooping out a smaller portion of the cookie dough. Be sure to reduce the baking time.
• Add some buttercream frosting to the tops of the baked cookies and top them with sprinkles or more M&Ms for an extra sweet edition.
• Make cookie bars by spreading the cookie dough into the bottom of a greased 13×9-inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 10-13 minutes. 
• Instead of chocolate chips, add dried cranberries, raisins, or nuts.

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Pro Tips

• Room temperature ingredients: It’s important that your butter and eggs are at room temperature. They incorporate with the other ingredients so much better and will help your cookies stay tender and soft.
• Under bake cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven after nine or ten minutes to keep them soft and chewy. The cookies will harden as they cool. 
• Make cookie dough ahead: Scoop the dough into balls and place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or freeze up to three months. When ready to bake the cookies, thaw and bake according to recipe.
• Extra colorful: Add Christmas sprinkles to the cookie dough to make these extra fun.

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Leftovers & Storage

To-store: Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container or large ziplock bag. They will stay fresh for 7 days. They will still be ok to eat after 7 days but they may start to get crumbly and stale. 

To-freeze: Allow the baked cookies to cool completely. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze or harden. Once hard, place the cookies in a large freezer bag or stack in an airtight container. Store for up to 3 months- when ready to serve, remove from the freezer to thaw until softened.

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Monday Christmas Cookie Recipes

• Almond Joy Cookies from Cheese Curd in Paradise
• British Brandy Snaps from Art of Natural Living
• Chewy Gingerdoodles from Blogghetti
• Chocolate Mint Thumbprints from Sweet Beginnings
• Chocolate Peppermint Stuffed Cookies from Family Around the Table
• Confetti Sprinkle Cookies from Shockingly Delicious
• Easy Peanut Butter Cookies from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Santa’s Cookies from Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
• Eggnog Cookies from Devour Dinner
• Gluten-Free Pistachio Cacao Cookies from Frugal & Fit
• Gingerbread Cookies from Jen around the world
• Lemon Drop Cookies from Take Two Tapas
• Magic Cookie Bars from Leftovers Then Breakfast
• Mandarin Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Palatable Pastime
• Molasses Cookies from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mulled Cider Spiced Brown Sugar Cookies from The Spiffy Cookie
• Old Fashioned Spritz Cookies from An Affair from the Heart
• Orange-Scented Alfajores from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Grape Nuts from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Quick Maple Oatmeal Cookies from Christmas Tree Lane
• Salted Caramel Fudge Drops from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Santa Hat Red Velvet Mini Cookie Cups from Magical Ingredients
• Slice and Bake Butter Pecan Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Spiced Christmas Cookies from Daily Dish Recipes
• The Best Slice and Bake Christmas Cookies from Kate’s Recipe Box

This recipe was last updated November 12, 2025 to include additional photos and information. Originally posted November 8, 2021 By Kathryn Donangelo.