Santa's Christmas Eve Cookies

Santa's Christmas Eve Cookies are thick, tender M&M cookies made from a jar of dry ingredients layered ahead of time. On Christmas Eve, a little melted butter, an egg and some vanilla go in, and the children shape and bake a batch to leave out for Santa.

Christmas Eve has a way of filling up. The presents still need wrapping, the table needs thinking about, and somewhere in the middle of it the children are asking, again, whether Santa is coming yet.

So the baking is done weeks before. Flour, sugars and a generous layer of red and green M&Ms go into a glass jar, sealed and tied with ribbon, and tucked away until the night itself. When Christmas Eve arrives, the jar comes down from the shelf, a little melted butter, an egg and some vanilla go in, and the children take it from there.

The cookies are meant to look homemade. Little hands shape them into rough, tall mounds, and they bake thick and soft in the middle with lightly golden edges. One goes on a plate for Santa with a glass of milk and a carrot for the reindeer, and the rest rarely make it to morning.

The jars make a lovely gift too. Pair one with the printable tags and Santa Tray, and you've given another family a small Christmas Eve tradition of their own.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 20 min · Serves: 12 · Cuisine: Australian · Category: Baking

Ingredients

The Jar

• 300 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 90 g caster sugar
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 150 g red and green M&Ms

On Christmas Eve

• 125 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled until just warm
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a bowl.
2. Spoon the flour mixture into a clean, dry 1 litre glass jar and press it down gently.
3. Add the brown sugar, then the caster sugar, pressing each layer down as you go.
4. Finish with the M&Ms on top. Seal tightly and store somewhere cool and dry.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional (160°C fan). Line two baking trays with baking paper.
6. Empty the jar into a large bowl and stir to distribute the ingredients.
7. Add the butter, egg and vanilla. Mix until a thick dough forms. If the dough feels wet or sticky, add a little extra plain flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it holds its shape.
8. Divide into 12 generous portions. Shape into rough, tall mounds without flattening.
9. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centres are just set.
10. Leave on the trays for 10 minutes to firm up before moving.

Serving Suggestion

Leave one cookie on the Santa Tray with a glass of cold milk and a carrot for the reindeer. Both the jar tags and the Santa Tray are free to download above, so you can make up a few jars for friends and neighbours as well.

Storage and Make Ahead

The filled jar keeps well in a cool, dry cupboard for a few weeks, so it can be made well ahead of Christmas Eve. Once baked, the cookies keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Useful Questions

What jar do I use? I use the Anko 1 litre clip top glass jar from Target which is also sold at Kmart, which costs around $4. Any 1 litre glass jar with a tight seal will hold all the dry ingredients with room for the M&Ms on top.

Can I give these jars as gifts? Yes. Print the free jar tags, tie one on with ribbon, and the Christmas Eve instructions travel with the jar.

Why are my cookies flat? Pressing the dough down or adding hot butter will spread them. Keep the mounds tall and rough, and let the butter cool until just warm.

Notes

Let the melted butter cool until just warm before adding it. Hot butter can melt the M&Ms and make the dough greasy.

If the dough feels wet once the butter, egg and vanilla are mixed in, add extra plain flour one tablespoon at a time until it is thick enough to hold a tall mound. Egg sizes vary, and humid weather can soften the dough too.

Keep the mounds tall and rough rather than pressing them flat. This is what gives you a thick, tender cookie rather than a thin, crisp biscuit.

The centres will look slightly soft when they come out of the oven. They finish setting on the tray.

The Grace Table Tip

Let the children do the stirring and shaping. A little flour on the bench and a few uneven cookies are all part of it, and Santa has never once complained.