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These M&M cookies are ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish with no need to chill the cookie dough.
These large, soft and chewy cookies always impress a crowd and can be customized to make Christmas M&M cookies each holiday season!
Why you’ll love this Easy M&M Cookie Recipe
- chewy and soft!
- loaded with m&ms. I used mini and regular m&ms.
- makes LARGE cookies! My dough balls were about golf ball sized.
- easy and quick to make because you don’t refrigerate the dough before baking.
- this recipe for M&M Cookies makes great Christmas M&M cookies too! Use red and green M&Ms.
M&M Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- M&Ms (regular or mini)
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
How to Make M&M Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. You want this mixture to be fluffy and pale in color.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, beat for 30 seconds.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed. The dough will be thick. Use a spatula to hand mix in 1 cup of M&Ms. The other cup of M&Ms I use to press on the outside of the dough balls.
- Use a cookie scoop to form golf ball sized cookie dough balls, roll into a smooth ball between your hands. Press the remaining 1 cup of M&Ms on the outside of the dough balls. I like to load mine with M&Ms! Place about 8 cookies on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat at a time. I recommend only baking 1 cookie sheet at a time for even baking.
- For the cookies in the photos, the dough balls were about 3 heaping tablespoons (golf ball sized), so that’s a large cookie! I baked those for 13-16 minutes – just until the edges of the cookies would begin to firm up and brown slightly. The result is a soft and chewy cookie! If you make smaller dough balls, you should reduce the baking time to 12-14 minutes since the baking estimates are for golf ball sized dough balls.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before removing. Make sure the baking sheet is cool before adding more dough balls and returning to the oven. Using 2 baking sheets allows one to cool while the other is in the oven.
How to Make Gluten Free M&M Cookies
I have made these cookies multiple times with King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour with great success.
Tips for Making the Perfect Cookies
- Properly measure the all purpose flour using the spoon and sweep method.
- Use room temperature butter for easier creaming of the butter and sugar.
- Use a cookie scoop to form uniform balls.
- Press M&Ms on the outside of the dough balls before baking for a loaded cookie presentation like the photos!
What Causes Cookies to Spread?
Quick answer: lots of things.
- Not enough flour in the batter. If there isn’t enough flour or structure to the cookie dough, the fat will melt fast, causing the cookies to spread.
- Too much sugar / too much butter: too much of these ingredients and too little flour mess with the structure of the cookie. It’s about finding the perfect balance.
- Melted butter and not refrigerating the dough. Since our recipe doesn’t call for refrigerating the cookie dough before baking it’s crucial to use SOFT not melted butter.
- Greased cookie sheets. Do not grease your cookie sheets, use parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Greased cookie sheets encourage cookies to spread.
- Oven temperature. Too high, too low, or hot spots in your oven.
- Cookie sheets that are warm. This can happen if you are using the same cookie sheet without allowing it to cool between batches. If I am using the same cookie sheet to bake all my cookies, I place it in the fridge for 2 minutes between batches. Ideally, I like to use 2 cookie sheets, so one can cool with cookies on it while the other one is in the oven.
How to Properly Measure Flour
- Fluff the flour with a fork
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup
- Use a butter knife to level off the flour in the measuring cup
Sticking the measuring cup straight into the bag of flour will result in too much flour to be packed into the cup, which can result in dry cookies.
M&M Cookie Baking Times
For the cookies in the photos, the dough balls were about 3 heaping tablespoons (larger than golf ball sized), so that’s a large cookie! I baked those for 14-16 minutes – just until the edges of the cookies would begin to firm up and brown slightly. The result is a soft and chewy chocolate cookie!
If you make smaller dough balls, like the size of a cookie scoop, you should reduce the baking time to 12-15 minutes otherwise the cookies might be over done.
Total Time Required for M&M Cookies
- 5 minutes to make the cookie dough
- 13-16 minutes to bake the cookies
- 15 minutes to cool the cookies
How to store M&M Cookies
Store these cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. To ensure that cookies stay soft for days, place a piece of bread in the container. The moisture from the bread will be absorbed by the cookies.
How to freeze M&M Cookie Dough
- Portion the dough into cookie dough balls. Press M&Ms into the outside of the dough.
- Place them on baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. You can place the dough balls close together since you won’t be baking them.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies are frozen solid, about 1 hour.
- Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to a ziplock freezer bag. Label the bag with baking directions.
- Freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months.
To bake: remove the dough from the freezer. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. For large dough balls, bake for 13-16 minutes. Frozen cookies may need to bake for 1-2 minutes longer.
M&M Cookies Recipe Tools
I use a cookie scoop that is 1.6” in diameter, this is technically considered a small cookie scoop. When I use it, I scoop the dough so it’s heaping over the scoop. A good estimate is to make golf ball sized cookie dough balls.
I specifically like this brand of cookie sheets because they are light aluminum, which encourages even baking and browning. The half sheet size is perfect and the silicone baking mats fit perfectly on them. I recommend using shiny, heavy cookie sheets that have very low or no sides. Avoid dark aluminum sheets because they can cause overcooking.
Pro Tip: To ensure even baking, place only 1 cookie sheet in the oven at a time.
More Cookie Recipes
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Easy Recipe for M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups M&Ms (regular or mini)
- 1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. You want this mixture to be fluffy and pale in color.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, beat for 30 seconds.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed. The dough will be thick. Use a spatula to hand mix in 1 cup of M&Ms. The other cup of M&Ms I use to press on the outside of the dough balls.
- Use a cookie scoop to form golf ball sized cookie dough balls, roll into a smooth ball between your hands. Press the remaining 1 cup of M&Ms on the outside of the dough balls. I like to load mine with M&Ms! Place about 8 cookies on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat at a time. I recommend only baking 1 cookie sheet at a time for even baking.
- For the cookies in the photos, the dough balls were about 3 heaping tablespoons (golf ball sized), so that’s a large cookie! I baked those for 13-16 minutes – just until the edges of the cookies would begin to firm up and brown slightly. The result is a soft and chewy cookie! If you make smaller dough balls, you should reduce the baking time to 12-14 minutes since the baking estimates are for golf ball sized dough balls.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before removing. Make sure the baking sheet is cool before adding more dough balls and returning to the oven. Using 2 baking sheets allows one to cool while the other is in the oven.
I made these cookies but with Easter M & Ms and they turned out perfect! No guess work for me!Â
Beth’s recipes are so easy, easy to follow and for me, turn out great every time!Â