Soft Batch Christmas M&M Cookies are sure to become your new holiday favorite. Tender, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, these cookies are perfect for cookie exchanges, gift tins, or a tray for Santa.
This easy Christmas M&M Cookie recipe uses instant vanilla pudding mix to deliver an exceptionally soft, fluffy texture. Loaded with chocolate chips and festive red and green M&M’s, these cookies come together quickly and travel well for holiday parties.
These cookies are versatile year-round: swap the red and green candies for pinks and reds for Valentine’s Day, or red, white, and blue for summer celebrations. The pudding mix is the simple trick that keeps the cookies soft and tender without any complicated steps.
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Why You Need to Make this Cookie!
These cookies are an ideal choice for gifting to neighbors, teachers, coworkers, or bringing to holiday gatherings. The classic chocolate chip cookie gets a festive upgrade with colorful M&M’s and a soft, bakery-style crumb thanks to the vanilla pudding mix.
They’re straightforward to make in large batches and hold up well in tins—perfect for cookie swaps. Once you try the pudding-mix method, you’ll likely reach for it every time you want a consistently soft cookie.
Ingredients
Basic pantry staples make these Christmas M&M Cookies easy to prepare. You’ll need:
- Flour
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Butter (room temperature)
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz)
- Baking soda and a pinch of salt
- Chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk, or dark)
- Red and green M&M’s
Chocolate chips add melty pockets of chocolate while the M&M’s give festive color and a candy-coated crunch. The pudding mix is the key to achieving that soft-batch texture.
How to Make Christmas M&M Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and the instant vanilla pudding mix; set aside.
Step 2: Cream the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat butter with both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
Step 3: Combine and fold in mix-ins. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and most of the M&M’s, reserving a few to press on top before baking.
Step 4: Scoop and bake. Use a cookie scoop to portion even dough balls onto the prepared sheets. Gently flatten each ball and press 2–3 M&M’s on top. Bake 11–13 minutes, until the edges are just light golden. The cookies will look puffy coming out of the oven but will settle as they cool.
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature butter so it creams properly with the sugars.
- Cream the butter and sugars until light and airy to help the cookies rise and become tender.
- Don’t skip the instant vanilla pudding mix—it’s essential for the soft-batch texture.
- Reserve some M&M’s to press on top so each cookie looks bright and festive.
- Scoop dough into uniform balls for even baking and neat presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Add the dry instant pudding mix with the flour and other dry ingredients to create softer, more tender cookies.
Using a combination of brown and granulated sugar and adding instant vanilla pudding mix helps produce a soft, chewy texture.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. For longer freshness, refrigerate up to a week or freeze for up to a month.
More M&M’s Recipes!
Pretzel M&M Oatmeal Cookies-
M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies
-
Valentine’s Day M&M Cookies
-
4th of July Cookies with M&M’s
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a rating and a comment in the recipe card below. Tag your photos when you bake them—I love seeing your results!
Christmas M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, room temperature (one stick)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix (like Jell-O)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk chocolate chips
- ¾ cup red & green M&M’s (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, or bowl with handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir well to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and ½ cup of the M&M’s.
- Using a cookie scoop, measure out equal balls of dough and place on baking sheet. Flatten slightly and press in remaining M&M’s on top of the cookies. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire baking rack.
Notes
- Use room temperature butter for best texture.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy to improve the cookie crumb.
- Don’t skip the vanilla pudding mix—it delivers the soft-batch texture.
- Reserve some M&M’s to press onto the tops before baking for a festive finish.
- Roll the dough into balls for uniform cookies.
- Store refrigerated in an airtight container up to a week or freeze up to a month.