This M&M Cookie Recipe is AMAZING. No chill time needed, these soft & chewy cookies are great for parties, potlucks, gift-giving & afternoon treats.
Friends, there are few things in life that really have the power to suck me in. Those things are absolutely irresistible to me & once I see it, it can be like a tractor-beam. I am solely focused on that thing.
In this case, it’s M&M treats. Especially treats like these M&M Cookies. I’m not sure if it is the bright colors, or the fact that they are baked into buttery goodness. But I can’t get enough.
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I mean, just look at these! A deliciously warm & soft chocolate chip cookie that is packed full of M&M’s. How could one not fall head-over-heels in love with these?
I have to say, I’m completely obsessed. Not really sure where the M&M obsession came from, but for as long as I can remember, I have always gravitated towards M&M’s.
M and M chocolate chip cookie recipe
These cookies have been my “go-to” cookie recipe for what seems like forever. Whenever we have some sort of event where we have to bring some sort of treat, these are the cookies we always make.
They are always a hit & the first plate to be emptied when we share them with others. But really, who can resist a warm cookie loaded with M&M’s. I know I can’t.
These are the cookies you make for bake sales at school & the ones you make for neighbors when taking over goodies on Christmas Eve. They are also the cookies that will have everyone asking you to share the recipe.
M & M Cookie
As much as I love these cookies with the traditional M&M’s, we also love making these cookies using the holiday varieties.
**Don’t miss our Mexican Wedding Cookies too!
m m cookies
There’s just something about those holiday M&M’s that somehow tastes just a little better. The family always asks me why I insist on picking up the M&M’s for 4th of July or Christmas or Easter or any of the other holiday colors because they are all the same on the inside.
But that doesn’t matter to me. Those holiday colors are special to me & can only be bought at that particular time of year, so I do it for my own happiness. Plus, it gives me an excuse to make more of these cookies.
m&m cookie
Here are some commonly asked questions
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
I personally use whatever I have on hand. But if you are watching your salt intake, stick with the unsalted butter for these cookies. I wrote my original recipe using unsalted butter but then tried it with salted butter & liked them just the same.
What is the best way to store M&M Cookies?
I like to place them in a large airtight bowl or zip-top bag & store at room temperature. This keeps them soft & chewy for a longer period of time. But please enjoy within 3-4 days. Ours never last longer than about 24 hours in this house.
How many can this serve?
This recipe makes 48 cookies. You might get more or less depending on how large or small you make your cookies. Which when you think about how quickly these are consumed in our house, it seems like a lot.
But trust me, they just disappear at an alarming rate.
cookies with m&ms
Can this recipe be doubled?
Absolutely. When I am making these cookies for anything other than our personal enjoyment, I always double the recipe. It is almost necessary if you are bringing them to a party or using them for a bake sale.
Do I need to chill the dough?
NOPE! That is one of the things I love the most about this recipe. I have a lot of cookie recipes & many of them require that the dough be chilled for at least several hours before baking.
While those cookies are delicious & well worth the wait, most of the time I don’t want to. So that is probably why these cookies top my list of favorites.
HOW DO YOU MAKE M&M Cookies?
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment & set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream your butter & both sugars together until whipped & well combined.
- Mix in eggs & vanilla.
- Add in the flour, baking soda & salt & mix well.
- Fold in chocolate chips & M&M’s.
- Use a large cookie scoop & scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until the tops are just barely golden brown.
- Remove from the oven & immediately place additional M&M’s into the tops of the cookies, pressing lightly to make sure they get a bit melty.
- Allow to cool another 2-5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue to cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container & store at room temperature.
Can I use a gluten-free flour?
I’m not sure just yet. I have been meaning to give this a try but haven’t had a chance. If you do try this, I would recommend using a 1:1 flour like this one as I don’t believe it would require additional ingredients that are typically called for when trying to make baked recipes in a gluten-free version. Please come back & tell me how they turned out.
How do I properly measure the flour?
The official way is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup & level off. However, for these cookies I usually fluff the flour with a spoon & then gently scoop it into the measuring cup & then level that off before adding to my dough mixture.
Make sure your flour isn’t packed down when scooping or packed tightly into your measuring cup. This will make your cookies too dry.
How soft should my butter be?
So, when we are talking about softened butter, it is important that it not be so soft (or nearly melted) that it won’t hold the dough together.
The butter should be cool to the touch, not room temperature but also not hard as a rock & unable to be blended easily with the sugar. You should be able to press your finger in it but it should still hold shape.
How can I make my cookies thicker?
If you want bigger, thicker cookies, make the size of the dough larger before baking. I recommend 2 tbsp or more, which should yield a ball of dough that should be larger than a golf ball.
This will make the cookies spread slower & hold their shape better, keeping them thicker overall. Also – you can chill the dough for 30-60 minutes before baking to help them stay thicker through the baking process.
Best M and M Cookies
To make this recipe you will need…
- butter
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salt
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- M&M’s
Products I love when making these M&M Cookies…
This M&M Cookie recipe is beyond EASY and so delicious – and if you’re like me, you probably already have many of these items on hand!
OR maybe you have never made M&M Cookies before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love the how these turn out. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making these cookies.
- all-purpose flour
- mixer
- light brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- table salt
- baking soda
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- M&M’s
- 3/4 sheet pans
- parchment paper
- large cookie scoop
- metal spatula
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
homemade M&M cookies
If you love this M&M Cookie recipe, you’re going to love these other AWESOME cookie recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookie Dippers
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Molasses Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Quarter Pound Chocolate Chip Cookies
Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
easy M and M cookies
If you love this recipe for AWESOME M&M Cookies as much as I do, please write a five-star review, and be sure to help me share on Facebook and Pinterest!
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M&M Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup M&M’s + more for the tops of the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment & set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream your butter & both sugars together until whipped & well combined.
- Mix in eggs & vanilla.
- Add in the flour, baking soda & salt & mix well.
- Fold in chocolate chips & M&M’s.
- Use a large cookie scoop & scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until the tops are just barely golden brown.
- Remove from the oven & immediately place additional M&M’s into the tops of the cookies, pressing lightly to make sure they get a bit melty.
- Allow to cool another 2-5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue to cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container & store at room temperature.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Taste of the Frontier cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Lisa says
I tried the m&m cookie recipe. It was perfect. Made them Christmas day and they were a hit. Wouldnt change a thing. Yummy!
Carol Kuntz says
These cookies are delicious! I was about to make these cookies and discovered I only had 3/4 of a cup of all purpose flour, but I did have bread flour. so I used the 3/4 cup all purpose flour and the rest in bread flour (first time ever I used Bread flour for cookies) It turned out fantastic! The only other change I made was in addition to the M&M’s that I put in the batter, I topped the cookies with the M&M’s before I baked them. Was easier this way than waiting until they were baked. And they came out just fine! No need to wait! The cookies are scrumptious! Thanks for posting this recipe. (I have no idea if using bread flour changed the taste or texture or not since this is the first time I made them) But since they came our so perfectly, I will do the same the next time!
Jen says
I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 2 cups all purpose: came out great!
Karen says
I used hazelnut M&M’s and they were delicious.
Bonnie says
I tried this recipe with 1:1 gluten free flour, and it worked perfectly. Love loved loved this recipe! Thank you!!!
Britt says
Mine came out overly buttery…. what can I do next time to change this
Gina Kleinworth says
You can always add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of additional flour and that should give you a dryer/cakier cookie.
Maria says
Can you use shortening instead of butter?
Gina Kleinworth says
I don’t recommend it. Not only do you want that buttery flavor that you can’t get with shortening, but the cookies will have a completely different texture, rise & spread. The baking time would be different and you would have a more cakey – less chewy cookie.
Bobbie says
This cookie was so delicious! 😍
I made them for Easter and am now making the for the 4th of July because I can’t stop thinking about them!
Gina says
Would almond extract be okay to use instead of vanilla?
Gina Kleinworth says
You can, but it will give these a strong maraschino cherry or amaretto flavor.
Raya says
These turned out great! Have you tried making the cookie dough in advance and freezing it for another day?
Gina Kleinworth says
You can do that. Be sure to wrap the dough as a whole tightly in plastic wrap. I don’t recommend scooping & freezing the individual cookie dough balls as the dough tends to dry out and take away from the soft, buttery flavor.
Lisa says
Has anyone froze the baked cookies?
Gina Kleinworth says
This works best when you freeze them right after baking. After baking, allow cookies to cool completely. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet to freeze them, then store them in a freezer-safe zip-top storage bag labeled with the name and date. Squeeze out extra air and place flat in the freezer. To save space, you can flat-stack freezer bags. Before serving, thaw the cookies overnight in the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.
Susan says
Needed more M&M’s (last batch I pressed several more into the tops much better) & next time I’ll sift the flour before measuring to make them less cake-like.
Gina Kleinworth says
I agree – that is why I mention adding extra M&M’s after baking in the recipe and fluffing the flour in my FAQ. Glad to hear you’ll make them again!
Brice says
This recipe is fantastic, the cookies taste store bought. Thanks again!
Whitney says
Do the butter and eggs need to be room temp?
Gina Kleinworth says
No they don’t have to be. But I find it is easiest when they are cool, but not cold right out of the fridge. You don’t want them to be so warm that they make the dough spread too much when baked.
Jennifer says
Love this recipe, the cookies are a hit each time! I’m curious though why mine rise versus being flat. I follow the steps to the T, with the exception of adding M&M’s when out the over(I add them in the batter all at once)
Gina Kleinworth says
Usually, when that happens it has more to do with using baking powder vs baking soda.
But that can also happen when using a butter substitute like margarine or a blend. It can also happen if the butter was too cold, making the dough stiffer and less likely to spread.
If the flour wasn’t measured properly it can change the end result. Did you scoop from the bag? Was the flour aerated and fluffy before you measured it? Cookies rely on the perfect ratio of butter to flour in order to spread just the right amount when baked. It’s very easy to over-measure flour when using cup measurements. You need to spoon your flour into your cups and then level the tops. Don’t pack it down or scoop it out of the flour packet using the cup – it’s too easy to another 2-3 tbsp or even 1/4 cup or more just by that alone.
Then there is oven temp. If it wasn’t fully preheated to the proper term before baking it can change how the cookies rise and fall as well.
These can all be factors since adding too much flour will keep the cookies from spreading properly. Hope you try them again.
Jennifer says
Thank you for the reply! I ended up trying to flatten them as they were out of the oven and that seemed to work! Perhaps there was an actual difference when pressing down M&M’s and not. They’re amazing either way and I love them fluffy looking or not. Thank youuu for such an amazing recipe! 🥰
Nicole says
What is your proper recipe for doubling this recipe?
Gina Kleinworth says
Nothing too complicated – if you have a large enough mixing bowl you can just double the ingredients. Otherwise, I recommend making the dough back to back – the method remains the same.
Linda says
I put 5 m&ms on top of each cookie before baking. They came out great! No cracking which I was of afraid of. Just watch the cookies. Not much of a bake time. Came out great! My grandkids love them! My go to recipe. Making some now with red and green m&ms for the holidays!!
Gina Kleinworth says
Oh- that’s GREAT!!!!!
Mandy says
Fantastic cookie recipe!!!! Really happy with the way they turned out! Wanted to post picture but didn’t see how. Thanks for the recipe!
Donna says
I don’t have a cookie scoop. Would 1/4 cup of dough be too much?
Gina Kleinworth says
The large cookie scoop that I used in this recipe (linked towards the bottom of the post) is about 3 tablespoons in size – which is just slightly more than 1/4 cup. So the 1/4 cup should work fine. You might need to bake for slightly less time.
Gail says
There are four tablespoons in one fourth of a cup.
Pam says
Made these tonight very good recipe. The only thing I would do is cut back a little on the sugar. But other than that very good. Thank you for sharing.
Leah says
This is one of my favorite cookie recipes! To make them extra addictive, double the salt. My sister did so by accident once and now I do it every time.
Rachel says
These are so good! I’ve been looking for a good recipe for m&m cookies and decided to try this one. It will be my go to from now on. I will say to make sure you take them out when they are golden and don’t wait. Otherwise they brown quickly. Thanks for the great recipe!
Jennie says
Mine didn’t spread and stayed in the ball. What could I have done wrong,
Gina Kleinworth says
How did you measure your flour? Did you scoop it out of the bag or spoon & level it off? It sounds like there was too much flour added. However, using things like old baking soda can do that too.