When the air gets crisp and the decorations come out—that’s my cue to start baking something ridiculously fun! Forget those delicate shortbreads for a minute because we need pure, joyful chaos in the oven. My absolute favorite thing to pull out during December is the recipe for these bright, bold Christmas Monster Cookies. Seriously, these cookies are the definition of holiday cheer!
I love them because they are everything all at once: chocolatey, crunchy, chewy, and bursting with red and green color. I’ve tried every fancy European cookie recipe under the sun, but nothing beats the sheer delight of biting into a cookie loaded with M&M’s and chocolate chips. I usually make a triple batch because they disappear faster than Santa down a chimney. Trust me, once you start mixing in all those fun bits, you won’t stop making them every year.
Why These Christmas Monster Cookies Are a Holiday Must-Make
When you need a cookie that screams FUN, this is the one. They truly deliver on the promise of being totally overloaded and perfect for a festive platter. Plus, they are so sturdy, they travel like a dream!
- They’re incredibly colorful thanks to the festive M&M’s—it’s instant holiday cheer!
- The texture is amazing—chewy from the dough, melty from the chips, and crunchy from the nuts.
- They are wonderfully forgiving when it comes to mix-ins. Get creative!
- You can whip up a batch in about 30 minutes total. Perfect when you need a last-minute treat for a party.
If you’re looking for other amazing, easy recipes to bring to your next holiday gathering, you should absolutely check out these delicious cookies for a bake sale. But honestly, these monster cookies win every time.
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Christmas Monster Cookies
You grab what you grab, but for truly spectacular Christmas Monster Cookies, you need to respect the base. This isn’t the time for fancy substitutions, especially in the creaming stage. Make sure your butter is genuinely softened—not melted! That’s crucial for getting that lift we need.
Here is exactly what goes into my signature batch. If you follow this list, you’re already halfway to cookie heaven. It’s pretty straightforward, really, because the fun is all in the mix-ins!
- 1 cup butter, softened—it needs to yield just slightly when you poke it.
- 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup packed brown sugar for that perfect chew.
- 4 large eggs—room temperature eggs blend so much better, trust me on this one.
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract—use the real stuff!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt.
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips—I use a mix of chips and chunks, if I’m feeling fancy.
- 1 cup M&M’s candies—you absolutely must use the red and green ones here.
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts—optional, but I think the crunch is necessary!
If you’re already looking for other simple baking projects, I have a recipe for 3 ingredient butter cookies that is so fast, you won’t believe it works!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Baking Christmas Monster Cookies
Okay, so now that we have all our glorious ingredients hanging out, it’s time to make the magic happen! Always start by getting your oven heated up to 350 degrees F. I always line my baking sheets with parchment paper; it stops any spreading issues and makes cleanup a breeze. Seriously, spend the two minutes to do this first!
Making these cookies is all about managing the mixing so you can fit everything inside later. Don’t worry about having two bowls; this recipe is worth the extra dishwashing, I promise. If you want the absolute best texture, remember my big warning: we are mixing until things are *just* combined, especially once the flour goes in!
Preparing the Dough for Your Christmas Monster Cookies
First up, the creaming. Get that softened butter, the white sugar, and the brown sugar into your big mixing bowl. Beat it until it’s pale and fluffy. You’re looking for that light, cloud-like texture before you introduce the eggs one by one. Remember to scrape down the sides—nobody wants a sugar clump hiding out on the edge!
Next, whisk your flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. When you add the dry stuff to the wet, do it gradually. Mix on low speed, or even by hand, until just barely combined. Seriously, stop when you see faint flour streaks remaining. Overmixing the flour at this stage makes tough cookies, and we want chewy monsters, not hockey pucks!
Once the base is mixed, you gently fold in those colorful M&M’s, chocolate chips, and any nuts you decided to use. Folding instead of beating keeps all those fun candies intact during the mixing process.
Baking and Cooling Your Christmas Monster Cookies
Time to scoop! I use a rounded tablespoon to drop spoonfuls of dough onto those prepared sheets, making sure they have about 2 inches to sprawl out. They need room to breathe, or they’ll all melt into one giant cookie blob, and that’s not a monster—that’s just messy!
Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. You’ll know they are ready when the edges look set and just starting to kiss that light golden color. Don’t overbake them! They will keep cooking sitting on that hot sheet. Let them rest there for a solid 5 minutes before you carefully move them over to a wire rack. That five-minute rest is key for setting the center just right. You can find more great tips for baking perfect chocolate chip variations, which share a similar structure, right here: easy and delicious chocolate chip cookies!
Tips for Making the Best Christmas Monster Cookies
Even though this recipe is super forgiving—it’s a monster cookie, what can go wrong, right?—there are a few little secrets I always use to make sure they come out truly spectacular. If you want thick cookies that don’t spread into giant puddles, listen up!
First things first: if you have time, chill that dough! My note above just says you can chill it, but I’m telling you now, you *should* chill it. Even 30 minutes in the fridge stops the butter in the dough from getting too warm while you’re mixing in all those heavy add-ins. This results in dramatically thicker cookies that bake up perfectly chewy in the center. If you want to make the dough ahead, that’s great too!
Here’s another easy win: make sure your eggs are at room temperature before you add them to the creamed butter and sugars. Cold eggs shock the butter mixture and can cause it to deflate a little bit, which leads to flatter cookies. Room-temperature eggs emulsify so much better, giving you that stable, fluffy base we talked about earlier. It’s a tiny step that makes a big difference in the final texture.
And finally, don’t be shy with the scraps! If you happen to have leftover cookie dough, I highly recommend scraping the bowl and freezing the last little bits into small balls on a tray, then transferring them to a bag. Baked cookie dough is the best snack, but you should definitely look into the process for making chocolate chip cookie dough dip if you want a no-bake treat!
Creative Variations for Your Christmas Monster Cookies
The beauty of a monster cookie is that it secretly wants you to play mad scientist with it! Since we are making these for Christmas, we have so many fun ways to pump up the holiday theme beyond just the standard red and green M&M’s. Don’t feel restricted by the base recipe—it’s made to be stretched!
My first suggestion is always to play with your chocolate. If you use semi-sweet chips, try swapping out half of them for white chocolate chips. The white chocolate looks so snowy and festive against the darker dough once it bakes. Or, go for Hershey’s Kisses right before they come out of the oven, gently pressing one into the center of each cookie right when you pull the tray out. They melt down perfectly into a gooey spot!
If you are skipping the nuts, you might miss some textural contrast. Instead of pecans, try adding one of these for a nice holiday crunch:
- Pretzel pieces! They add a salty kick that cuts through the sweetness perfectly.
- Marshmallows—miniature ones work best, but fold them in at the very last second so they don’t completely melt into nothingness.
- Toffee bits. These give a wonderful caramel flavor that plays so nicely with the brown sugar in the dough.
It’s all about making it yours! If you want to try a completely different, fruit-forward cookie that still feels special, you should look at this blueberry cookies recipe for a nice palate cleanser later in the season. But for now, embrace the chaos of the monster cookie!
Storing and Keeping Christmas Monster Cookies Fresh
Now, the hardest part: leaving them alone! Don’t worry, though, because these hold up beautifully. Once they are completely cool—and I mean totally cool—tuck them into an airtight container at room temperature. They stay fantastic for up to a week. If you want them to stay soft forever, try my old trick: slip a slice of plain white bread into the container with them. It keeps the cookies wonderfully moist!
If you’re making them well ahead of your holiday baking marathon, you can definitely freeze the dough balls, which I often do. You can find some great advice on freezing dough types over here on these holiday cookie bars recipe pages that covers freezing essentials even though these are drop cookies!
Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas Monster Cookies
I get so many great questions every year once these cookies hit the internet. Since everyone’s version of a “monster” is slightly different, I figured I’d tackle the most common worries right here so you feel totally confident before you even preheat the oven!
Can I freeze the dough for these Christmas Monster Cookies?
Yes, absolutely! This is my favorite make-ahead strategy. You can scoop the balls of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze them until they are solid—like little rock spheres—and then scoop them all into a zip-top bag. When you are ready to bake, just pull out what you need and pop them straight onto the sheet. You might need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time since they are coming straight from the freezer.
Why did my Christmas Monster Cookies end up flat?
If you ended up with thin, crispy discs instead of puffy mounds, the culprit is usually one of two things, or maybe both! Either your butter was too soft or outright melted when you creamed it, or you skipped chilling the dough. Remember how I stressed room-temperature eggs for creaming? If the butter gets too warm, it can’t hold the air we beat into it, so the cookies spread too much in the oven. Always chill if you’re unsure about your butter!
What’s the best substitute if I can’t use pecans or walnuts?
If nuts are a no-go, you have tons of options that still add that necessary crunch against the soft chocolate. My go-to alternate for texture is breaking up plain, salted pretzels—the salt is amazing with the sugar! You can also use crunchy toffee bits like I mentioned before, or even use a different candy, like small peanut butter chips, if nuts are the only thing you’re avoiding. You can see lots of great ideas for substituting ingredients when you read about these delicious cookies for a bake sale, too!
Do I have to use M&M’s, or can I use similar candies?
Listen, you don’t *have* to use M&M’s, but you need something that won’t melt completely into oil in the oven. You need that hard shell coating! If you don’t have them, try Reese’s Pieces for a peanut butter swirl—though they are more yellow/orange, so less “Christmasy.” Just make sure whatever candy you toss in has a stable coating so you get those colorful pops throughout the finished cookie.
Serving Suggestions for Your Christmas Monster Cookies
Okay, the trays are cooling, the house smells incredible, and now the best part: eating them! You simply cannot eat a cookie this rich and loaded without the perfect beverage companion. These Christmas Monster Cookies are massive flavor bombs, so they pair best with simple, comforting drinks.
My family insists on ice-cold whole milk. It’s a classic pairing for a reason—the coldness cuts through the richness of the butter and chocolate perfectly. If you’re serving these to the adults after the kids have gone to bed, a strong black coffee or a rich espresso is fantastic. The slight bitterness contrasts the sweetness so well. I’ve even dipped them into a half-melted, rich hot chocolate, which is dangerously good!
For something really fun and festive, especially if you’re hosting a daytime party, you can whip up a big batch of a special float. I love making a fun, non-alcoholic fruity drink to serve alongside. You might enjoy checking out my recipe for a Shirley Temple Ice Cream Float—it’s bright, bubbly, and festive, offering a nice, light contrast when you need a break from all that chocolate!
Estimated Nutritional Snapshot for Christmas Monster Cookies
Alright, let’s talk about the hard facts, although frankly, I try not to think about this part when I’m sampling the dough (don’t judge!). Since these Christmas Monster Cookies are packed with butter, sugar, and all those wonderful mix-ins, they definitely fall into the *indulgent* category. You know that when you eat one, you’re getting a full-on treat!
This breakdown is based on the recipe yielding about three dozen cookies, eaten one cookie at a time, using standard ingredients. Remember, this is just an estimate! If you swap out pecans for peanut butter chips, or load up on extra M&M’s, the numbers are going to shift a bit. But this gives you a general idea of what you are enjoying!
Here is the estimated nutritional breakdown per single cookie:
- Calories: Around 220 calories. That’s pretty standard for a loaded cookie, I think!
- Sugar: About 18g. That molasses from the brown sugar really bumps this up in a delicious way.
- Fat: We’re looking at about 12g of total fat. Blame the butter and the chocolate chips, but hey, it gives them the flavor!
- Saturated Fat: Roughly 7g of this. Again, thank your butter and cream; it’s what gives the cookie that satisfying chew.
- Carbohydrates: Around 28g.
- Protein: You get a little boost here, usually about 3g, mostly from the eggs, flour, and nuts if you added them.
- Sodium: About 110mg, mainly from the salt and baking soda we added for structure.
I always say, calories don’t count when it’s the holidays and you are sharing joy. Just make sure you have a big glass of milk nearby to wash it all down!
Christmas Monster Cookies
- Total Time: 32 min
- Yield: About 3 dozen cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A festive, colorful cookie recipe featuring a mix of candies and chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup M&M’s candies (red and green preferred)
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, M&M’s candies, and nuts, if using.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For thicker cookies, chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
Keywords: Christmas cookies, monster cookies, M&M cookies, chocolate chip cookies, holiday baking