Description
Santa's Favorite Cookies are soft and pillowy brown sugar pudding cookies filled with festive Christmas candy. These easy-to-make cookies feature a blend of brown sugar, vanilla pudding mix, colorful sprinkles, and Christmas M&Ms, perfect for holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 box (3.4 ounces) Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (not sugar free)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Mix-ins
- 1/4 cup red and green sprinkles (or any colors)
- 3/4 cup Christmas M&Ms (or any color of M&M)
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and packed brown sugar until smooth and fluffy. You can also use a hand mixer for this step.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the instant vanilla pudding mix, baking soda, and salt to the batter and mix until combined.
- Add Flour and Mix-ins: Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour until the dough forms. Then gently stir in the red and green sprinkles along with the Christmas M&Ms until evenly distributed.
- Chill the Dough: Scoop 2 tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat. There is no need to space them out at this point since the dough will be chilled. Cover the dough balls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mats for baking.
- Arrange Cookies for Baking: Remove the chilled dough balls from the refrigerator and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies at 350°F for 11 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store Cookies: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to one month to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential; it helps the cookies keep their shape and enhances the texture.
- You can substitute the Christmas M&Ms for any colorful candy or chocolate pieces of your choice.
- If you don’t have instant vanilla pudding mix, you can try vanilla-flavored cake pudding mix but adjust sweetness accordingly.
- Make sure not to overbake to keep the cookies soft and pillowy.
- Use parchment paper or silpat mats to prevent cookies from sticking to the baking sheet.
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: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
