Home > Holidays > Santa Cookies Santa Cookies December 8, 2019 | 5 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Santa Cookies, flavorful and sweet with soft interiors and slightly crisp edges are easy to make — you’ll only need one bowl and a spoon — no mixer required! This recipe makes a small batch of cookies, perfect for Christmas Eve — and especially perfect for Santa! If you’re looking for an even-smaller batch, try one of these recipes: Single Serve Chocolate Cookies or Single Serve Oatmeal Cookies! At our home, Santa is a bit picky about cookies. The kids know every year that we’ll be dedicating some priority time on Christmas Eve to making cookies for Santa and some Reindeer Chow for the reindeer. Because the hubs and I (errr…I mean Santa) need some serious fuel for wrapping presents and getting everything ready for Christmas morning! How to make Santa Cookies Melt the butter and allow it to cool to room temperature. This is very important for avoiding greasy, flat cookies. Stir in the two sugars until smooth. We show the consistency of butter and sugars here. Add in the egg and vanilla; use a room-temperature egg for best results (Learn how to get an egg to room temperature quickly). Use the secret ingredient for ultra-soft, chewy, and mega-flavorful cookies: maple syrup. We’re talking about honest-to-goodness pure maple syrup, not maple-flavored pancake syrup. Add in the syrup and stir to combine. Mix in the baking agents — baking soda and baking powder. Add salt (helps balance sweetness and intensify flavors) and another secret ingredient– cornstarch— also contributes to soft and chewy cookies. Add in flour, making sure to spoon and level the flour to avoid adding too much. Scooping from the container packs too much flour into the measuring cup. And then fold in the chocolate chips and festive Christmas M&M’s. Chill the dough for at least an hour. This picture shows the size and shape of the dough. It’s important to roll tall cylinders instead of round balls to get the classic chewy center and slightly crisp edges (as the dough bakes, the bottom will bake slightly longer than the center). Look at the finished product: baked Santa Cookies! How to make these cookies chewy The number one way to get chewy cookies is simple: Don’t bake them too long. Remove the cookies as soon as the edges turn a light brown and the top center is pale and loses its wet appearance. The cooked centers will remain soft and as they firm up, they’ll be soft and chewy. The size of the cookie dough balls also contributes to their chewiness. Form big cookie dough cylinders to result in softer and chewier cookies. Small round balls: no. Tall cylinders of dough: yes! Tips for cookies Let the melted butter cool. Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature before any other ingredients go in. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars, and that will cause greasy cookies that spread a lot. Chill the dough. Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill so the butter can re-solidify. Otherwise, these cookies spread like a pancake. The chilling time also gives a chance for the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify. QUICK TIP These Santa Cookies have festive red and green M&M’s. But you know, you could always make these work for any holiday! Green candies for St. Patrick’s Day, pastels for Easter, red, white and blue for July 4…you get the idea! And if you want some cookies just because, use multi-color M&M’s. Freezing Santa Cookies Instead of freezing the baked cookies, try freezing the dough! Arrange the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: You can bake cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes to the cooking time (If you prefer, thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.). More Christmas treats Three-ingredient Christmas Cookies with free printables Mexican Wedding Cookies 6 Easy Christmas Gifts with free printables Christmas Snack Mix coated in white chocolate Reindeer Chow: Christmas muddy buddies FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Santa Cookies 5 from 3 votes - Review this recipe Santa Cookies are flavorful and sweet with soft interiors and slightly crisp edges. Bonus: these cookies are easy to make -- you'll only need one bowl and a spoon -- no mixer required! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Santa Cookies 5 from 3 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Santa Cookies are flavorful and sweet with soft interiors and slightly crisp edges. Bonus: these cookies are easy to make -- you'll only need one bowl and a spoon -- no mixer required! Course Dessert, Snack Cuisine American Keyword santa cookies Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Chilling Time 1 hour Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes Servings 16 large cookies Calories 236kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $4.50 Ingredients▢ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter▢ 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed▢ 1/3 cup white sugar▢ 1 large egg (at room temperature)▢ 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract▢ 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder▢ 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (reduce if using table salt or if sensitive to salt)▢ 1 and 3/4 cups white all-purpose flour▢ 1/2 cup good quality milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet or dark chocolate -- whichever is your favorite)▢ 1/2 cup Christmas M&MsUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsBUTTER: Melt the butter in a very large, microwave-safe bowl. Once melted, refrigerate it for 3-5 minutes or until it's a room temperature. The butter can't be hot when you add in the sugars or it will melt the sugar and make the cookies greasy.WET INGREDIENTS: Once butter is cooled to room temperature, stir in the light brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Stir again until smooth.DRY INGREDIENTS: Add the cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Again, stir until smooth. Add in the correctly measured (See Note 1) flour and mix until just combined. Don't overmix. Add in the chocolate chips and M&M's. Gently stir until combined.CHILL: Tightly cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour.OVEN: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pan with parchment paper or nonstick liner.SHAPE BALLS: Roll balls of dough into tall cylinders (see picture #11 above for shape and size). Place 6-8 cookie balls on a sheet, allowing plenty of room to spread. Dough balls should be about 1.7 ounces if you have a food scale (the batch should make about 16 total cookies).BAKE: Bake for 8-12 minutes, erring on the side of underbaking to keep them soft and chewy. The cookies will firm up a little more out of the oven, so take them out as soon as the edges start to lightly brown and the top is no longer wet looking.MAKE 'EM PRETTY (OPTIONAL): Press a few extra chocolate chips or M&M's onto the tops of the cookies as soon as you remove from the oven. Allow cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.STORAGE: We like these cookies best on day 1 and 2 of being made. They do last up to 1 week, but they begin to lose texture and flavor quality. To store, place in an airtight container and keep at room temperature. Wait until cookies are completely cooled before adding to the container. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Measuring flour: Flour is the most important measurement in this recipe. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you'll be packing in way too much flour--which will yield cake-y and less flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. See a visual of this here. Even better? Weigh your ingredients on a food scale! Nutrition FactsServing: 16large cookies | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2.3g | Fat: 10.1g | Cholesterol: 26.9mg | Sodium: 7.8mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 28.7g We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
I’m not sure I was to share these cookies with Santa…. I would much rather eat them all myself. Reply
