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These festive Holiday Everything Cookies combine tons of sweet and salty goodies, making them perfect for family get-togethers and swapping with friends. Loaded with colorful red and green M&M's, creamy white chocolate, crunchy pretzels, and crispy potato chips, they've got something for everyone and will satisfy all your snack cravings.
What You'll Need
- Salted Butter (softened): Gives these cookies their melt-in-your-mouth goodness and soft, chewy feel.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and a hint of caramel-like sweetness that works great with the festive mix-ins.
- Granulated White Sugar: Balances the brown sugar and creates just the right amount of sweetness.
- Egg Yolks (room temperature): Makes cookies extra rich and helps everything stick together for that perfect chewy bite.
- Vanilla Bean Paste or Extract: Brings a warm, sweet background flavor that makes everything taste better.
- All-Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled): Creates the foundation that holds all the yummy bits together.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Work together to make cookies rise just enough for a tender inside.
- Salt: Brings out all the flavors and cuts the sweetness.
- Red and Green M&M's: Add holiday colors and little pops of chocolate throughout.
- White Chocolate Chips: Give bursts of smooth, sweet creaminess between the crunchy bits.
- Pretzel Pieces: Add an awesome salty crunch that balances out the sweet stuff.
- Potato Chip Pieces: Bring that can't-stop-eating-them salty magic that makes these cookies special.
- Red and Green Jimmies: Make everything look extra festive with holiday-colored sprinkles.
Let's Make Them
- Step 1: Get Your Oven Ready
- Turn your oven on to 350°F (175°C) and put parchment paper on two cookie sheets so nothing sticks.
- Step 2: Mix Butter and Sugars
- Grab a big bowl and throw in your soft butter with both sugars. Beat them together for about 2 minutes until they look fluffy and lighter in color.
- Step 3: Throw In Egg Yolks and Vanilla
- Drop in those egg yolks and vanilla. Keep mixing for another 2 minutes until everything looks really smooth and creamy.
- Step 4: Add All the Dry Stuff
- Slowly mix in your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Don't go crazy with the mixing—just until you can't see flour anymore.
- Step 5: Add the Fun Stuff
- Take a spatula and gently stir in the M&M's, white chocolate chips, broken pretzels, crushed potato chips, and sprinkles until they're spread throughout.
- Step 6: Form Your Cookies
- Make 20 equal balls from your dough and space them about 2 inches apart on your cookie sheets. Press a few extra M&M's or pretzels on top to make them look even better.
- Step 7: Bake Until Just Right
- Stick them in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Go with 10 if you like them chewy, 12 if you want more crunch. The edges should look set but the middle still a bit soft.
- Step 8: Make Them Pretty (If You Want)
- Right when they come out, you can use a big round cookie cutter to swirl around each cookie to make them perfectly round.
- Step 9: Let Them Cool
- Leave cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. They'll stay good in a sealed container for about 3 days.
Enjoy and Store
- These cookies taste amazing while still warm alongside a cold glass of milk or hot chocolate on chilly holiday evenings.
- Keep any extras in a sealed container at room temp for up to 3 days to keep them soft and chewy.
- Want to plan ahead? Freeze the dough balls on a tray, then put them in a freezer bag. You can bake them straight from frozen—just add a minute or two to the cooking time.
Quick Tips
- Want super soft cookies? Pull them out when just the edges look done. They'll keep cooking as they cool down.
- Make them look fancy by pressing extra candy and pretzel bits on top before baking.
- Switch up the colors for different holidays—these work great year-round with different colored candies.
Pro Chef Advice
- Chef Christina Tosi says mixing crunchy stuff like pretzels and chips creates amazing flavor layers in your cookies.
- Chef Dorie Greenspan always beats butter and sugar until super fluffy so cookies spread right and stay tender.
- Chef Jacques Torres bakes in small batches and chills his dough for half an hour to make cookies taste better.
Why These Are So Good
- They're different from regular cookies, with every bite giving you both sweet and salty flavors.
- The red and green candies and sprinkles make them look super festive and perfect for holiday parties.
- Everyone loves the mix of textures—soft cookie base with crunchy bits of pretzels and chips throughout.
Try These Twists
- Swap white chocolate for dark chocolate chips if you want something less sweet.
- Don't have potato chips? Try cornflakes or smashed graham crackers instead.
- Add a tiny bit of cinnamon or nutmeg to the dough for a cozy holiday flavor.