Name: Santa Cookies at Home
Yield: 16

Santa Cookies are exactly what the big guy wants this year! Soft, crispy, and evenly sweet, they’re so straightforward to whip up, you’ll still have time for holiday magic!

This small-batch recipe is reliable for Christmas Eve and Santa. For more small batch cookies, try Single Serve Chocolate Cookies or Oatmeal Cookies!

A collection of santa cookies, adorned with festive red and green chocolate candies.

Cookies For Santa Plate

Melt Butter: Melt unsalted butter and let it cool.
Combine: Mix the butter with sugars, an egg , vanilla, and maple syrup.
Dry Ingredients: mix in cornstarch, baking soda &amp; powder, salt, and flour.
Add Chocolate: Fold in chocolate chips and Christmas M&amp;Ms.
Chill: Chill the dough for an hour.
Bake: Heat the oven, shape dough into cylinders, and bake.

In our home, Santa is quite particular about his cookies. Every year, the kids know we’ll keep nearby special time on Christmas Eve to bake cookies for Santa and make Reindeer Chow for his trusty team.

Of course, my husband and I (or rather, “Santa”) need some extra fuel for wrapping presents and prepping for Christmas morning! Treat Santa right this year with a batch of these satisfying cookies.

Combining ingredients, shaping dough into cylinders, and baking in the oven.

Ingredients In Santa Cookies

Unsalted Butter: Adds flavor and prevents greasiness.
Brown and White Sugar: Sweetens, with brown sugar adding moisture and white sugar ensuring crispiness.
Egg: Binds ingredients and adds structure.
Vanilla Extract & Maple Syrup: Enhance flavor.
Cornstarch, Baking Soda, & Baking Powder: Soften, raise, and fluff the cookies.
Sea Salt: Balances sweetness.
All-Purpose Flour: Forms the main structure.
Chocolate Chips & M&Ms: Add flavor and festive look.

Quick Tip

Santa Cookies with red and green M&M’s are great for Christmas, but you can change the colors for any holiday—green for St. Patrick’s Day, light colors for Easter, or red, white, and blue for July 4. Or just use mixed M&M’s for everyday treats!