Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Santa’s Cookies)
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Super soft and chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with both milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips for a double the chocolate goodness in every bite! These are Santa’s favorite Christmas cookies!
Can’t get enough of these cookies? Try my other recipes for Best Easy Sugar Cookies, Soft and Chewy Gingersnaps, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Super Soft Peanut Butter Cookies!
Why This Recipe Works
Soft cookies – I don’t know about you, but I like my cookies to be soft, not hard and crunchy, and this recipe guarantees a soft Christmas cookie every time. (Read more on that below.)
So festive – You don’t have to buy a lot of decorations or spend hours icing cookies with these jolly Christmas Cookies. The red and green M&Ms take care of the decorating for you.
Simple ingredients – All ingredients in these soft Santa’s Christmas cookies can be found at any old grocery store (or you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already).
Easy – Mix the wet ingredients, mix the dry, put them together with some chocolate chips and M&Ms and that’s about as hard as this recipe gets!
Here’s How You Make It
- To make these amazing Christmas cookies, first get out a large bowl and cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 1-2 minutes or until it’s fluffy. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Then, add the vanilla and egg and mix it all together. (not pictured)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, vanilla pudding mix, salt, and baking soda. (photo 1)
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until it’s all mixed together (do not over-mix). Next, stir in almost all of the chocolate chips. (Save some for decorating later.) Cover the dough and put in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. (photo 2)
- While the cookie dough chills, preheat oven to 350 and very lightly grease a baking sheet. (I use a light misting of cooking spray, then wipe it off with a paper towel.) Alternately you can use a nonstick baking mat. (not pictured)
- Take the dough out of the fridge. Roll about 3 tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie into a ball (about the size of a golf ball) and place on prepared baking sheet. (photo 3)
- Gently press the remaining chocolate chips and the M&Ms into the cookie dough balls (this makes sure you can see the chips and the M&Ms after they bake!). (photo 3)
- Put these soft cookies in the oven to bake for 9-12 minutes or until they are set but still slightly underdone. Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. (photo 4)
- Store in airtight container at room temperature.
How to Keep Chocolate Chip Cookies Soft
Do you have trouble keeping your chocolate chip cookies soft? I have several tricks and tips to help your Christmas cookies stay soft.
- Dry instant pudding is my secret ingredient for keeping soft cookies soft even when stored at room temperature. Just one small box is all it takes to keep the cookies from hardening up right away.
- Another way to keep your cookies soft is to stack them high in the container that you’re using to store them. This allows less air to get to each cookie, thus drying it out.
- I always underbake the cookies and cool on the pan since they will continue cooking on the hot baking sheet after you take them out of the oven. So that means, if you cook them longer than the directions suggest, and then take them out of the oven, they’ll cook even more on the sheet, resulting in a hard cookie.
- Do you have little (or big) hands stealing cookies and forgetting to put the lid back on or resealing the bag? That will lead to a dry cookie in no time! Make sure to keep that container or bag sealed up.
- Melt the butter. If your cookies won’t stay soft, try melting the butter and allowing it to cool a bit before adding the other wet ingredients to it can help the cookies stay moist. (Note, this can also make your cookies thinner so be aware of that.)
Frequently Asked Questions
First, be sure to measure flour properly by spooning into measuring cup NOT scooping with measuring cup
Softened butter is technically still cooler than room temperature. If you find that your butter has softened too much before starting the recipe, put it in the freezer for 5 minutes.
If you find cookie dough is too crumbly and dry and not coming together, add an egg white and mix. If still too dry add a second egg white and mix. If still too dry, then add 1 teaspoon of milk and mix.
If your dough looks too crumbly after mixing, try squishing it together with your hands to really work that butter in. This can help your dough come together.
Expert Tips
- Store in airtight container at room temperature up to five days.
- If these cookies are just one selection of many you plan on making, you can freeze them before the holidays. Thaw as needed.
- You could use Christmas or other holiday sprinkles or non-perils instead of or in addition to M&Ms if you want to mix up these cookies a bit. Plus, M&Ms come in a variety of colors now so you could make these for Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and more.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (4 Ingredients)
- Cowboy Cookies
- White Chocolate Cashew Cookies
- Frosted Pumpkin Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Santa’s Cookies (Double Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix – dry, not prepared, (one 3.4 ounce box, it must be INSTANT – not cook and serve, etc)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup red and green M&M candies
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and mix well.
- In another bowl whisk together flour, vanilla pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until incorporated. Stir in most of the chocolate chips. (Reserve a few chocolate chips and the M&Ms for later) Cover and chill for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350. Very lightly grease a baking sheet. (I lightly mist it with cooking spray, then wipe it off with a paper towel) Roll about 3 tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball (Should be about the size of a golf ball) and place on prepared baking sheet. Gently press remaining chocolate chips and the M&Ms into the cookie dough balls (this makes sure you can see the chips and the M&Ms after they bake!).
- Bake for 9-12 minutes until cookies are set but still slightly underdone. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi. Going to make these today. Looking at the pictures, I am wondering if you used light brown sugar. Please let me know if we should use light or dark. Thank you
Thus si the second time I’ve attempted this recipe. The first was before Christmas. Both times the dough is so crumbly it won’t hold into a ball. It is this way as soon as it’s mixed. So it’s not an issue of chilling without covering. They also crumble while being baked. The taste is WONDERFUL! I think I’ll try one more time with a littletter extra butter or an additional egg.
Love love love this recipe! I’ve made it 3 times in the past two weeks! Do u think I could use this recipe to make a cookie cake? Probably 8in?
Hi Joli! So glad you love these – they are my favorite christmas cookie for sure! I haven’t tried to make a cookie cake with this recipe – sounds AMAZING though! I can’t say whether it will work or not since I haven’t tried it but if you give it a go I would LOVE to hear about the results!
I live in Colorado above 5000 feet do you suggest I change anything on this recipe?
They may require a little extra baking time, generally higher altitudes need a little longer 🙂
hiya, I really want to try these out but I was wondering if the pudding mix could be taken out as we don’t have it here?
I am not sure if there is an instant vanilla pudding mix in my place, but just in case what could be a possible replacement. And whats the effect of the pudding mix in this cookies. Thanks, will try this out soon.
I used the recipe above. The cookie dough was very dry, it fell apart when I rolled it into balls. Should there have been something in the recipe about adding something to make the cookies more moist?
I’m not sure what happened but the cookies shouldn’t be too dry. I’ve had success with this recipe as written, as have other readers. Is it possible you skipped a step or an ingredient? ***If you didn’t cover the the dough tightly when chilling, that would cause your dough to dry out. ***
made these for Christmas Eve and everyone loved it!! Love this recipe 🙂
What temp do you bake these at?
350
Made these cookies and they came out perfect! The only thing is that I notice an after-taste when eating. Not sure if this is from the pudding mix? Any ideas?
I haven’t noticed or had any one else mention an after taste… I’m not sure what that would be!