Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (2024)

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M&M Christmas Cookies are by far the easiest cookie recipe that you will bake this holiday season! These festive, chewy sugar cookies are the perfect treat to snack on as the countdown to Christmas begins.

(p.s. Santa would also love these on his cookie tray!)

Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (1)

Table of Contents

  • Cookie Ingredients
  • How to Store These Cookies
  • Get the Recipe

    Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies for Christmas!

    Who doesn’t love M&M cookies?

    Sugar? Check. Chocolate? Check. Personally, I’m sold. The only thing better than a classic M&M cookie, though, is a Christmas M&M Cookie – it’s almost like they’ve got Christmas spirit baked right into them!

    These sugar cookies are soft and chewy on the inside, crispy around the edges, and they just about melt in your mouth when they’re warm from the oven.

    If your family is anything like mine, more than one batch of these red and green cookies will be needed before the holidays are over!Better make a double batch for Christmas Eve, because Santa is definitely going to be looking for a few on his plate too!

    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (2)

    Cookie Ingredients

    Time to get baking! Here are the ingredients you’ll need to mix these delicious sugar cookies together:

    • Unsalted Butter: make sure to let it soften before making the cookies.
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Packed Brown Sugar
    • Egg: let it come to room temperature.
    • Pure Vanilla Extract
    • All-Purpose Flour
    • Baking Soda
    • Baking Powder
    • Salt
    • Red and Green M&Ms: just FYI, you can switch up the colors for other holidays and occasions too!
    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (3)

    How to Make M&M Cookies

    Now that you’ve got everything you need, here’s how you actually make these M&M sugar cookies. Also, since the cookies are so easy to mix together, you may want to enlist the help of your kiddos!

    Line Baking Sheet: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking pan with parchment paper.

    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (4)
    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (5)
    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (6)

    Mix: In a large bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

    Add: Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until well incorporated.

    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (7)
    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (8)

    Mix in Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

    Pour it into the wet ingredients and stir everything together just until well incorporated. Add in 1 cup of the M&M’s and stir again to combine.

    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (9)

    Form Cookie Balls: Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form 1 ½ inch size cookie balls and set six on a baking sheet at a time to allow room for spreading. Using the remaining half cup of M&M’s, press 6-8 M&M’s into the tops of the cookies.

    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (10)
    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (11)
    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (12)

    Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden color. Do not over bake.

    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (13)

    Let Cool: Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack to allow them cool completely.

    Serve and Store: Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

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    Tips for the Best M&M Cookies

    Looking for some tricks to the best M&M cookies? Try some of these out:

    • Chill the Dough: if you want perfectly-shaped cookies, refrigerate the dough for a little bit before baking so that it will hold together better.
    • Add-Ins: throw in some chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or any other candies that you like, for extra sweetness!
    • Don’t Over-Mix the Dough: over-mixing the dough can lead to tough, harder cookies.
    • Don’t Over-Bake: even if the cookies don’t look quite done, take them out. They’ll finish baking as they cool on the pan.

    How to Store These Cookies

    You can store these cookies in an airtight container (at room temperature or in the fridge) for about 7 days.

    Can You Freeze M&M Cookies?

    You can! Store them in an airtight container or a well-sealed freezer bag, and they should last for about 3 months.

    If you want to freeze the cookie dough, form the dough into balls and store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to bake again.

    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (15)

    These are one of our very favorite Christmas Cookie recipes that we make year after year. Soft, chewy, buttery cookies with slightly crisp edges are filled with lots of red and green M&M’s to create one perfect cookie!

    Please leave a review in the comments below with photos if you try this recipe. I love to see what you are baking up! Happy Holidays!

    Yield: 24 cookies

    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies

    M&M Christmas Cookies are soft and chewy on the inside, crispy around the edges, and filled with chocolate! There's no better way to celebrate the holiday season than with a batch of these Christmas sugar cookies.

    Prep Time10 minutes minutes

    Cook Time8 minutes minutes

    Total Time18 minutes minutes

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
    • cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 large egg, room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ cups red and green M&Ms, divided

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking pan with parchment paper.

    • In a large bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

      Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (17)

    • Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until well incorporated.

      Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (18)

    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour it into the wet ingredients and stir everything together just until well incorporated. Add in 1 cup of the M&M’s and stir again to combine.

      Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (19)

    • Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form 1.5 inch size cookie balls and set six on a baking sheet at a time to allow room for spreading. Using the remaining half cup of M&M’s, press 6 to 8 M&M’s into the tops of the cookies.

      Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (20)

    • Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden color. Do not over bake.

      Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (21)

    • Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack to allow them cool completely.

      Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (22)

    Notes

    Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 cookie, Calories: 167kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 65mg, Potassium: 17mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 164IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg

    © Jessica – The Novice Chef

    Cuisine: American

    Category: Christmas

    Categories:

    • 30 Min or Less
    • Candy
    • Christmas
    • Cookies
    • Desserts
    • Holidays
    • Recipes

    More Christmas Cookies to Try

    Searching for more Christmas cookie recipes? Check out some of these!

    • Meringue Christmas Trees
    • Pfeffernusse Cookies
    • Snowflake Sugar Cookies
    • Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Salted Caramel Cookies
    • Gingerdoodle Cookies

    Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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    Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies - Santa's Favorite Cookie Recipe! (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the most popular cookie for Santa? ›

    Chocolate Chip cookies

    You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

    What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

    Based on this data from General Mills, Peanut Butter Blossoms are the most popular Christmas cookie in the country; it's the most-visited cookie recipe in seven states, which means it's the most common favorite cookie in the U.S. That's a pretty high honor!

    What is the least favorite Christmas cookie? ›

    On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

    What is the favorite Christmas cookie poll? ›

    Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three. Snickerdoodles (6%) come in fourth place, followed by butter (4%), peanut butter (4%), and chocolate (4%) tying for fifth.

    What is the number one cookie in the world? ›

    Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

    What is Santa Claus's favorite food? ›

    Santa loves all types of cookies. He has tried more than most people on Christmas Eve, but his favorite is a sugar cookie. Of course, of all the recipes he's tried, he likes Mrs. Claus' sugar cookies the best!

    What is America's favorite cookie? ›

    America's favorite cookie and the one dubbed “the American cookie” is the Chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate chip cookie is simply tantalizing both in flavor and in texture. The chips of both milk and dark chocolate provide you with a rich and strong flavor while the butter makes the cookies velvety.

    Which Christmas cookies last the longest? ›

    Shortbread cookies and spritz cookies are real holiday troopers, lasting a bit longer than the rest. These buttery and crumbly cookies are a great option for a holiday cookie. Shortbread is known for its rich flavor, while spritz cookies are often made with a cookie press.

    When should you make Christmas cookies? ›

    You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December. (Consult this handy how-to guide to the matter.) Generally, most recipes will be best if baked and then frozen.

    What are the top 5 favorite cookies? ›

    Some of the most popular cookie flavors include:
    • Chocolate chip.
    • Peanut butter.
    • Peanut butter blossoms.
    • Double chocolate chip.
    • Snickerdoodle.
    • Sugar.
    • Shortbread.
    • Pumpkin.

    What can I give Santa instead of cookies? ›

    In the United States, many children leave a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa. Some families deviate from the norm by leaving Santa and his reindeer carrots, pizza, or even celery.

    Which cookies freeze best? ›

    As a general rule of thumb, 'drop cookies,' which include oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, and 'cut-out cookies,' such as gingerbread and sugar cookies, are freezer-friendly.

    What are the most Googled Christmas cookies? ›

    Italian Christmas Cookies grow as top cookie

    Zoom in: Italian Christmas Cookies were the top cookie in 13 states, more than double the six states from 2022, Google Trends curator Katie Seaton told Axios. Seaton said the Italian cookies dominated the East Coast both this year and last year.

    What is in cowboy cookies? ›

    They really are fantastic. Basically, for Laura Bush's Famous Cowboy Cookes you take traditional chocolate chip cookie dough and stuff it with oats, coconut, pecans and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Resulting in these oh-so-chewy, flavorful and delicious cookies!

    What is cookies for Santa? ›

    It's a way for children to express their excitement and anticipation for Christmas morning, and it's a way to show gratitude for Santa Claus and everything he does. Leaving milk and cookies out for Santa Claus is an act of kindness that teaches children the value of giving and sharing.

    How many cookies do you leave Santa? ›

    Approximately one billion cookies are left out around the world for Santa, and since Santa needs something to help wash them down, about 500 million glasses of milk are set out.

    Why does Santa love cookies so much? ›

    Because Santa is most likely a divination of European influence, it's thought that our modern cookie traditions are adapted from solstice-themed pagan rituals in pre-Christian Europe, during which gifts of food were offered to the spirits of ancestors in exchange for a blessing.

    What do Santa's reindeer eat? ›

    How often do they eat? A: Santa feeds them hay and reindeer feed, with the occasional graham cracker Christmas cookie as a treat. They also eat mosses, grass (when it's not covered with snow, that is!) and lichens. They get to eat the hay any time they want, but they get their reindeer feed twice a day.

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