Looking for a fun, homemade Christmas gift that friends and family will actually love? These Christmas M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies are festive, delicious, and perfect for turning into a ready-to-bake cookie dough gift! With red and green M&M’s, Christmas sprinkles, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and creamy white chocolate chips, every bite is packed with holiday cheer.
The best part? You can prepare the dough ahead of time, freeze it, and package it up for a thoughtful Christmas gift. It’s like giving someone their own homemade version of store-bought cookie dough, ready to bake whenever a cookie craving hits!
Why You'll Love These Christmas Cookies
They're perfect for gifting. Skip the usual gift cards and give something homemade instead. These ready-to-bake cookies make a wonderful gift for friends, family, neighbors, teachers, and anyone who appreciates a fresh-baked treat.
They're easy to make ahead. Prepare the dough in advance, freeze it, and have homemade cookies ready to bake whenever you need them. No need to mix up a fresh batch every time!
They're festive and delicious. The combination of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, colorful M&M’s, and Christmas sprinkles makes these cookies as pretty as they are tasty.
How to Make Christmas M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies
Start by creaming the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until everything is well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until a soft cookie dough forms.
Fold in the red and green M&M’s, Christmas sprinkles, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. Make sure the mix-ins are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
At this point, you can scoop and bake the cookies immediately, or turn the dough into a freezer-friendly Christmas gift!
How to Make Freezer Cookie Dough Gifts
To make the ready-to-bake version, line an eighth-sheet pan with wax paper and press the prepared cookie dough into an even layer. Freeze until slightly firm, then score the dough into 24 equal squares.
Cover the dough and return it to the freezer until completely frozen. Slide the frozen dough slab into a gallon-size freezer bag, press out the air, and seal it securely with packaging tape.
Finish the package with red-and-white twine and a Christmas gift tag featuring a personal note and baking instructions. It's a simple, thoughtful gift that lets someone enjoy fresh-baked cookies whenever they want!
Baking Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and arrange the cookie dough portions on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Gift-giving tip: Include a note reminding the recipient to bake the cookies straight from frozen and allow a little extra baking time if needed.
A Sweet Christmas Gift
There's something special about giving a homemade gift, especially during the Christmas season. These freezer-friendly Christmas M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies make it easy to share a little sweetness without requiring the recipient to bake from scratch.
Make a batch for your loved ones, tie it up with festive ribbon, and give the gift of warm, homemade cookies!
If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear how you package your cookie dough gifts. Leave a comment and share your favorite Christmas baking traditions!
Skip the usual gift cards and give something homemade instead.
Ready to Bake Christmas Cookies
Festive Christmas M&M chocolate chip cookies you can freeze as ready-to-bake dough, a thoughtful homemade gift for friends, family, neighbors and teachers.
Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup red and green M&M's
1/4 cup red, green, white sprinkles (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Avoid overmixing.
Gently stir in the red and green M&M’s, Christmas sprinkles, chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Scoop the dough into evenly sized balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Sprinkle a few extra Christmas sprinkles on top, if desired.
Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
What I use
Roshel's notes
How to Make Freezer Cookie Dough for Gifting
- Once the cookie dough is fully mixed, line an eighth-sheet pan with wax paper. Press the dough evenly into the pan, spreading it into a flat, uniform layer.
- Place the pan in the freezer just until the dough is firm enough to score but still easy to cut. Using a knife, score the dough into 24 equal squares.
- Cover the dough with another layer of wax paper or plastic wrap and return it to the freezer until completely frozen.
- Once frozen, carefully slide the dough slab horizontally into a gallon-size freezer Ziploc bag. Press out as much air as possible, then cut off the zipper closure so the bag can lay flat.
- Fold the open end of the bag over and seal it securely with packaging tape.
- Tie the package with red-and-white twine and attach a Christmas gift tag with a personal note and baking instructions.
Baking instructions for the gift tag: Bake frozen cookie dough squares at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are still slightly soft. Enjoy fresh-baked cookies anytime!
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Roshel Madden
Wife, mom, and the baker behind Merry Madden, sharing decorated sugar cookies, royal icing tips and cozy family bakes.
