Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Prepare baking sheets by leaving them ungreased or lining them lightly with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside so the ingredients are evenly distributed before mixing into the dough.
Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until creamy, light, and fluffy. This step helps create a soft, tender cookie texture.
Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure a smooth, uniform mixture.
Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed or by hand until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the cookies soft.
Coloring, Baking, and Decorating
Add Color: Add several drops of green food coloring to the dough. Mix gently until the dough reaches your desired Grinch-green shade. Gel food coloring works best for vibrant color without thinning the dough.
Fold in Chips: Stir in the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Portion the Dough: Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
Bake: Bake for 9–11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. The cookies should still look soft in the middle when removed from the oven.
Decorate: Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, gently press red and green candy melts into the tops or sprinkle with colored sugar. The residual heat will help the decorations adhere without melting completely.
Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
