Our favorite Christmas Cookie recipes, including our go-to recipe for soft and chewy cookies that are filled with M&M’s and sprinkles.
Get excited! It’s time for holiday baking… eeekk! I have a brand new cookie recipe for you, as well as a list of our other favorite cookies that are perfect for the season. Let’s get to it!
Reader Favorites
- Holiday M&M Cookies (pictured above, recipe below) – These soft and chewy cookies are filled with red and green M&M’s and topped with festive sprinkles. You can also try my M&M Cookie Cake.
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies – Big soft cookies filled with Andes Mints, mint chips, and chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle Cookies – Use Christmas sprinkles in these soft and chewy sugar cookies.
- Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies – A delicious twist on peanut butter cookies! You’ll love the pairing of peanut butter and butterscotch chips.
- Kitchen Sink Cookies – Use up your leftover “mix-ins” for these tasty cookies. Fill them with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut, dried fruit, nuts, toffee bits, and more!
Classics
- Cut Out Sugar Cookies – A Christmas classic! These soft-baked cut out cookies hold their shape and bake up beautifully!
- Brown Sugar Molasses Cookies – Super soft and chewy cookies packed with brown sugar and molasses and topped with a creamy molasses frosting.
- Ginger Molasses Cookies – These cookies are perfectly spiced and they stay chewy for days.
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies – Chocolate peppermint cookies dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes.
- Easy Sugar Cookies – The easiest sugar cookies ever! These drop cookies taste like they came from a bakery.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle – Crispy, crunchy, buttery cookie brittle loaded with chocolate chips and pecans.
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – Soft centers, crisp edges, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts.
- Chocolate M&M Cookies – These cookies are loaded with three kinds of chocolate, including holiday M&M’s!
- Snickerdoodle Cookies – Two special ingredients make this recipe a family favorite.
Freezing Christmas Cookies
- Freeze baked cookies: Scoop-and-drop cookies and shortbread cookies usually freeze well. Something super delicate or topped with frosting is probably best consumed right away. Store baked cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months. TIP: Double wrap the cookies so they stay fresh. I place the cookies in a zip top bag and then place the bag in a freezer safe food storage container.
- Freeze cookie dough: This is my favorite make-ahead method because it allows you to have freshly baked cookies in a short period of time. Freeze cookie dough balls and bring them to cool room temp before baking (or thaw in the fridge overnight). Depending on how cool the dough is you might need to add a minute or two to the bake time. Store cookie dough in the freezer for up to 2 months. TIP: To freeze cookie dough, place the dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then place the dough balls into a zip top bag (I often double bag them).
Packaging Christmas Cookies
Want to mail cookies to friends or family? It is best to choose a sturdy cookie, preferably nothing too delicate. Wrap the cookies really well so they stay fresh. I like to double wrap the cookies by placing them in zip top bags and then placing them in a reusable plastic storage container. If possible, mail the cookies using an expedited method so they get there when they are still fresh.
Our Favorite Basic Cookie Recipe
The recipe below is based off of our popular M&M Cookies. This version uses red and green sprinkles and M&M’s to make them extra festive. Here’s how to make them:
- Cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
- Add egg and vanilla.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat until fully combined.
- Stir in M&M’s and chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough into balls. Roll the dough balls in sprinkles and top with a few extra M&M’s.
- Bake!
Why these M&M Christmas Cookies are the best
Soft and chewy – Crisp edges and soft centers. Perfection!
Ease – This recipe comes together quickly and easily.
No chill time – Ready in minutes!
Freezer friendly – Freeze the baked cookies (up to 3 months) or the dough balls (up to 2 months).
Recipe
M&M Christmas Cookies
Our go-to Christmas Cookie recipe! Soft and chewy cookies that are filled with M&M's and sprinkles.
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Servings: 15 - 20 (recipe can be doubled)
Calories: 200kcal
Ingredients
- 1½ cups plus one tablespoon all purpose flour, see note
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it's fresh and soft
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups M&M's or a mixture of M&M's and chocolate chips, divided
- ¼ cup holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Gently stir in M&M's and chocolate chips. I usually add about 1 generous cup into the batter, and the rest get pressed on top of the cookies before baking.
- Place the sprinkles in a shallow bowl.
- Scoop balls of cookie dough, between 1½ and 2½ tablespoon portions. Gently press a few M&M's onto the top of each dough ball then press the top of each ball into the bowl of sprinkles. You can bake the cookies right away (they'll be on the thinner side) or chill the dough balls in the fridge for about 20 minutes to ensure they bake up with a nice thickness.
- Place dough onto prepared baking sheets leaving an inch or two for spreading. I like to make sure the dough balls are mounded higher rather than wider so that the cookies aren't too thin.
- Bake for 8-11 minutes (see note), until the edges of the cookies are set but the center is still slightly underdone; this will create a soft cookie. See note about shaping the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. If you see any bare spots on the top of your cookies, feel free to press chocolate chips or M&M's (halved M&M's work great) into the bare spots while the cookies are still hot.
- Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool.
Video
Notes
TO PROPERLY MEASURE FLOUR: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, scoop a heaping portion, and level it off with the back of a knife OR spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off.
BAKING TIME: Adjust according to the size of dough balls.
CHILLING DOUGH: If you like thicker cookies, or you accidentally over-softened your butter (it's no longer cool to the touch), you can chill the dough for one hour before baking.
HOW TO GET PERFECTLY ROUND COOKIES:
Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.
Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.
Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.Nutrition
Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Cathy J Harrison says
Question….Sprinkles. How do you keep them from melting/bleeding into the cookie? Do they get added before or after baking?
Allison Mattina says
Hi! The sprinkles get pressed onto each ball of cookie dough before baking. I haven’t had trouble with them bleeding or melting into the cookies.
Sarah says
Can the dough be frozen to make cookies later?
Allison Mattina says
Sure! Freeze cookie dough balls and bring them to cool room temp before baking (or thaw in the fridge overnight). Depending on how cool the dough is you might need to add a minute or two to the bake time. Store cookie dough in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Paige says
Is there any way to get this recipe in weight? I prefer to measure by weight with baking recipes.
Allison Mattina says
Hi! I’m working my way through adding weight measurements to my recipes. This is the same recipe (with weights), just add sprinkles to the dough balls.
Carin says
This is a wonderful recipe. I’ve even made it without all of the m&ms, looking for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe and those turned out beautifully, too. This is my go-to holiday cookie and everyone loves them! They’re ooey-gooey on the inside and fluffy! They keep for a few days in an airtight container very well and still remain moist (unlike other cookie recipes). Love these and I make them every year!
Allison Mattina says
Thanks for the kind review, Carin. 🙂
Jeanne G says
Question – light or dark brown sugar?
Allison Mattina says
Either!
Mary Wray says
I followed recipe exactly and dough is so thick, I don’t think I can stir in M&Ms. Also dough is very sticky for forming dough balls>
Suggestions?
Thanks, Mary
Allison Mattina says
Hi! The dough is quite thick but you should be able to stir in the M&Ms. Chill it in the fridge for an hour if it is too sticky to scoop.
Leah Villa says
I use chocolate chip cookie dough already prepared and add the sprinkles and m& ms to the dough for the m&m chocolate chip cookies?
Allison Mattina says
Sure!
Bossie says
Great cookie recipe for the holidays! These remind me so much of cookies I enjoyed as a kid, and were fun to do with my 6 year old. We baked them slightly longer than the instructions, and used a little less sugar to offset the m&ms and sprinkles, and they were great – and still the perfect texture.
Allison Mattina says
Thanks for sharing your experience. Merry Christmas!
Samantha W. says
I guess I’m the odd one out. I followed the instructions to a T, and the flavor and texture of these cookies seemed really off. I even adjusted the baking times from the lowest recommended amount of minutes to the highest- but the cookies just don’t taste very good and the texture is odd. Even the dough didn’t taste great.
I’ve been baking all kinds of different cookies throughout the past two weeks and this was my least favorite recipe.
Allison Mattina says
I’m so sorry to hear that. Were all of your ingredients fresh? Are you sure something didn’t get left out?