By Maria Lichty
Published on June 15, 2022
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Quick Summary
M&M Cookies-Everyone’s favorite chocolate candy brightens up these soft and chewy cookies! Kids and adults go crazy for these M&M Cookies! They are the BEST!
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Best M&M Cookies
M&M Cookies have always been one of my favorite cookies to bake and eat! They are just SO fun! The colorful chocolate candies put a really fun twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie.
The cookies are soft, chewy, and dotted with bright M&M’s. Kids and adults go crazy for these cookies! The rainbow of colors always wins people over and then they take a bite and they are 100% sold!
These are the BEST M&M cookies! I guarantee they will be a family favorite cookie recipe! My boys request them often so I always try to keep a big bag of M&M’s in our pantry. They come in handy for my Monster Cookies and Monster Cookie Bars too.
Table of Contents
- Cookie Ingredients
- FAQ
- More Cookie Recipes:
Cookie Ingredients
- All-purpose flour–fluffed, spooned, and leveled. Never pack your flour when measuring.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder– to give the cookies a nice lift in the oven.
- Salt– to balance out the sweet.
- Unsalted butter–at cool room temperature. You don’t want the butter too warm or your cookies will spread in the oven and be too greasy. The butter should give just a little when pressed.
- Sugar– you need brown sugar and granulated sugar for this cookie recipe.
- Eggs– use large eggs.
- Pure vanilla extract– yes, you will need 1 tablespoon, it isn’t a typo:) I love vanilla!
- M&M’s– colorful, fun, and delicious! Try not to eat them all before baking the cookies, ha!
- Flaky sea salt– for sprinkling on cookies when they come out of the oven. The perfect finishing touch!
What Kind of M&M’s to Use
For this M&M Cookie recipe, I like to use plain milk chocolate M&M’s. You can’t go wrong with a classic! If you want to mix things up you can use dark chocolate, peanut butter, crispy, mint, or any other of their fun flavors. I just prefer the classic.
If you are making the M&M Cookies for a holiday or game day, you can color coordinate your M&M’s with the holiday or your team colors! You can special order colors online or if you have patience, you can pick through bags of M&M’s to get the colors you need, a good job for the kids..ha!
And if you want to add in chocolate chips WITH the M&M’s you can, but I use all M&M’s for this M&M cookie recipe so the M&M’s are the star!
How to Make M&M Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Using a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together for about 1 minute. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add in dry ingredients.
- Using a spatula, gently stir in the M&M’s, being careful not to break too many of the candy shells! Don’t over mix!
- Form the cookie dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. You can also gently press extra M&M’s on top of the cookies to make them extra pretty.I always do this:)
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
How to Store M&M Cookies
Once cooled completely, you can store M&M Cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3 to 5 days.
Refrigerating will dry them out, so I recommend room temperature storage! If you want to keep the cookies super soft, you can put a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. The piece of bread will get hard, but the cookies will stay soft! Cool, huh?
FAQ
How do you keep M&Ms from bleeding in cookies?
Make sure you gently stir them into the dough with a spatula. Don’t over mix. Some of the chocolate candies might melt and bleed a little while baking and that is ok. When the cookies come out of the oven, I like to gently press a few M&M’s on top of the cookies to make them extra pretty.
How do I make soft M&M Cookies?
Don’t over bake the cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven when they are still a little underdone in the center. They will finish baking on the baking sheet as they cool.
If you want super soft M&M cookies, you can add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to the dry ingredients. The cornstarch will keep the cookies SUPER soft and fluffy.
Why are my M&M cookies flat?
The butter might have been too warm. Make sure the butter is not greasy or melted. It should be at cool room temperature. It should give just a little when pressed. Also, make sure you aren’t baking the cookies on hot or warm baking sheets.
Other possible reasons, the cookies might need more flour or you might need new baking powder or baking soda. Always check the date before you start baking. I recommend replacing baking powder and baking soda every 6 months.
Also, make sure you don’t over mix the dough.
If your cookies are flat, you can chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. That should help the cookies hold their shape.
Can I chill the cookie dough?
You don’t have to for this cookie recipe, but you certainly can. Chilling the dough will allow the flavors to develop and it will also help prevent spreading while baking. You can chill the dough, covered in the fridge, for up to 72 hours.
Can you freeze M&M Cookies?
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough or baked cookies.
To freeze the cookie dough, scoop the cookies into balls and place on a baking sheet or tray. Put in the freezer until the balls are firm. Transfer the balls to a freezer container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove from the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time.
To freeze baked cookies, place the cooled cookies in an freezer bag or freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Cookie Recipes:
- Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Lovers Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
- Classic No Bake Cookies
- Monster Cookies
Find all of our cookie recipes HERE! There are lots to choose from! I am a cookie monster:)
Cookies
M&M Cookies
M&M Cookies-Everyone's favorite chocolate candy brightens up these soft and chewy cookies! Kids and adults go crazy for these M&M Cookies! They are the BEST!
4.66 from 118 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Cuisine American
Servings 32 cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned, and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups M&M’s, plus more for pressing on top of baked cookies
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Don’t over mix. It is ok if there are still a few flour streaks left. Add the M&M’s and stir with a spatula.
Use a cookie scoop or roll the cookie dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons per cookie. Place on prepared baking sheet, 2-inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden brown around the edges, but still soft in the center. Don’t over bake.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Gently press a few M&Ms on top of the warm cookies. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes
You don’t have to chill the cookie dough, but you certainly can. If I have time, I always like to because I like to let the flavors develop. Cover and chill for up to 72 hours in the fridge.
Baked cookies will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up 3 days. You can also freeze the cookie dough and baked cookies for up to 3 months.
If you want super soft M&M cookies, you can add 2 teaspoons cornstarch to the dry ingredients. Also, make sure you don’t over bake the cookies.
Nutrition
Calories: 219kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 174mg, Potassium: 52mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 220IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 0.9mg
Keywords cookies
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Maria
I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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4.66 from 118 votes (102 ratings without comment)
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Thank you for sharing this at this time. I am planning my son’s Eagle Court of Honor and I had red, white, and blue M&Ms shipped to me so that I could make cookies like these. Now I don’t have to go looking for a recipe!!
Reply
Love M&M cookies. Question for you-how do you prevent the M&M color from bleeding into the dough while baking? Whenever I make M&M cookies, the colors stain the dough as they ease into their final spot in the cookie while baking in the oven.
Reply
It happens sometimes. Don’t over mix the candies into the dough. I also gently press new M&M’s onto the cookies when they come out of the oven to make them super pretty:)
I don’t have sea salt… can you use regular salt? Does it change the flavor? All I have is Morton salt and I also have Morton coarse kosher salt. I’m not really knowledgeable about the difference in salts. Thanks for your help! I really want to make these cookies…they look so yummy!
Reply
I prefer using coarse salt, go with kosher if you don’t have sea salt. Enjoy!
My 7-year-old nephew requested m&m cookies for his birthday. These cookies out perfect! They were a huge hit with him, his friends, and all the grownups, too! I did refrigerate my dough for an hour and the cookies were thicker than those in your picture, but that’s what I wanted. I also did one cup m&m’s and one cup chocolate chips for some variety. This recipe is definitely going to be one of my regulars!Reply
Absolutely love these cookies! Have you tried freezing the dough?
Reply
Yes, you can freeze the dough! Roll into balls and freeze. Bake the balls from the freezer. Add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
Hi, I love baking cookies. And I will definitely make the M&M cookies for my kids.
I struggle to make the cookies completely flat. Usually when I bake them, they don’t come out flat. Is there any tip for making the cookies flat once the cookies are baked?
ThanksReply
I made these and I was a bit disappointed with how they turned out. They turned out kinda dry because I think there is too much flour in the recipe and maybe too much sugar. They were a bit better when I added chocolate chips into
the batter after trying none with just m&ms. It helped counter act the sweetness and add some depth. The mini m&m cookie recipe looks like something I might have liked better. Usually love your recipes, this one wasn’t bad but for sure prefer tollhouse cookies and would try the mini m&m cookie recipe next time I want to make m&m cookies.Reply
Trying some*
I made these cookies and they were flat and completely spread out even after I refrigerated for at few hours before baking. Not sure where I went wrong. Any pointers?
Reply
I always use a whoopie pie pan for cookies. They turn out beautifully. Nice and thick and uniform.
This my my new go-to cookie recipe- these cookies are incredible! Sometimes I substitute in 1/2 cup-3/4 cup of chocolate of chips for some of the M&MsReply
My daughter made the M&M cookies today. They are every bit as tasty as they look!
Reply
Glad they were a hit!
My dough is very sticky compared to your pictured dough. What could be the issue and how would I solve for in the future if I bake these again?
Reply
Way too much butter compared to the amount of flour!! Needed to add flour slowly until the consistency I guessed was right. I hate having to guess about that.
Very troubling. Upon baking them and tasting, I would say to add more salt, also. These cookies have the taste and consistency of shortbread cookies. Please update your recipe. Thank you.Reply
This by far my favorite cookie recipe I’ve ever made! The base dough is perfect and works with any mix ins. I make it with chocolate chips, pecans, sometimes white chocolate and dried cranberries, reeses pieces, etc. I always chill the dough for several hours or overnight and my cookies are always deliciously chewy and wonderful.Reply
I know it’s not specified but do I pack the brown sugar? Thank you, Meg
Reply
Yes, always pack your brown sugar.
These cookies were a hit with friends and family. This recipe is a keeper.Reply
bless you for this recipe. amazing.
Reply
Thanks!
Honestly I was stunned to see this recipe’s rating had been tanked by a few users 1 star opinion. This recipe is amazing and my family, friends, and kid’s teachers haven’t been able to get enough of them the last few years I’ve made them. Sounds more like user error to me, make sure your ingredients like corn starch, flour, baking powders aren’t stale. In any case 10/10 and thank you for sharing.Reply
Glad you love the cookies, we do too:)
Yummy. Been making them for our hospital staff and they love them!!Reply
I made these today with my granddaughter and they are so good! Crispy outside and chewy inside. Love your recipes! Thank you, Maria.Reply
I’ve never used cornstarch in a cookie recipe. It is a great addition. These turned out amazing! We followed the recipe exactly and they turned out beautifully. Good texture and they kept their round shape. Definitely making these again.Reply
Where does the cornstarch come in – I don’t see it in the ingredient list – my cookies just came out of oven, they look perfect – but have not tasted!
This is my second time making them, my son-in-law hid them from my daughter they were so good, This time he’s not going to know about them. She just had my 9th grandbaby and she deserves them!
Great recipe, thanks.Reply
These are delicious. I let them chill about 24 hours and the flavors are great. Perfect with red,white and blue m&ms for the 4th thanks!Reply
Yay! Love the festive M&M’s!
These just might be the best m&m cookies ive ever made. Me and my family loveeed them. Thank you!!
Reply
Yahoo! We think they are the best too!
Wow, huge hit with everyone. The extra vanilla put these over the top. I think these are my new favorite cookies- thanks for a great recipe!Reply
Glad you loved the cookies. We make them all of the time.
Your older version of m&m cookie recipe says 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder but this recipe says 1/2 tsp. baking powder – is 1/2 tsp. baking powder the correct amount?
Reply
Great recipe!! These are a childhood family favorite and was looking for a good recipe. Did just as written and turned out great! Thank you!!As a side note, if you add a few tablespoons of powdered milk to the flour part, it adds a little more chewiness.
Reply
Nice! Glad you love the cookies.
If using mini M&Ms, would I still add two cups, or should I reduce the amount?
Reply
You can use a little less. Just eyeball it! It depends how chocolaty you want the cookies to be.
I’ve made these cookies twice: once with peanut M&Ms and with red/green M&Ms for a church function. Both times they came out FABULOUS! Chewy but crisp. I used the sea salt at the end of baking and it upped the game! The only change that I did was 1/2 cup of butter-flavored Crisco sticks and a whole stick of unsalted butter. Wanted to attach a photo but couldn’t find how to upload one.Reply
Thank you for sharing!
Very chewy cookie which my husband loves but I find them to be too sweet. I’d cut the sugar back quite a bit if I make them againReply
My grandkids are enjoying these cookies! They give them 4 stars. We are enjoying them too. I need to remember your advise that cookies continuing cooking after being removed from the oven as I tend to over cook my cookies. I make a batch of cookies every month for my daughter and her family. Your recipes will provide new inspiration.Reply
Glad you are loving the cookies!
