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Home » Cookies » Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Published: Oct 20, 2022 by Allison · 560 Comments

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These delicious M&M Cookies have chewy edges, soft centers, and they are packed with M&M’s and chocolate chips. This recipe comes together quickly and easily – no chill time required.

These cookies were our first “viral” recipe several years ago. It’s a recipe we have made dozens and dozens of times. These cookies are a reader favorite and a family favorite, and for good reason – because they are incredible!

Closeup of an M&M cookie topped with chocolate chips and M&M's.

If you like cookies with crisp edges and soft centers these are the cookies are for you! I have perfected this recipe (and in the process consumed an unfathomable number of cookies). I have tips for helping them come out PERFECT! Prefer a THICKER COOKIE? THINNER COOKIE? Extra chocolate? Read on, friends!

Prefer the chocolate version: Chocolate M&M Cookies.

Jump to:
  • These cookies are
  • Recipe overview
  • Recipe tips
  • How to make thick or thin cookies
  • How to get perfectly round cookies
  • Holiday M&M cookies
  • More cookie recipes
  • Recipe
M&M Cookies on parchment paper.

These cookies are

  • Made with basic ingredients
  • Soft and chewy
  • Packed with M&M’s and chocolate chips
  • Easy to assemble
  • Always a crowd pleaser
  • Great for holidays or parties- use colored M&M’s based on the theme

Recipe overview

*Full recipe below in the recipe card*

Make the dough by beating butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar. The brown sugar will impart moisture, sweetness, and chew.

Butter and sugar in a glass mixing bowl.

Add egg and vanilla extract.

Egg, butter, sugar in a glass mixing bowl.

Add the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Flour, butter, sugar in a glass mixing bowl.

Stir in M&M’s and chocolate chips.

Cookie dough, M&M's, and chocolate chips in a glass bowl.

Scoop the cookie dough into balls (big or small, see more on that below). Press some additional M&M’s on the dough balls and bake!

Cookie dough ball covered in M&M's and chocolate chips.

Remove baking sheets from the oven when the cookies are set around the edges, but still underbaked in the center.

Recipe tips

Follow these tips for making the BEST M&M Cookies EVER!

  • Make sure your butter is softened but still cool to the touch. Using butter that is too soft will lead to cookies that spread too much in the oven.
  • Your brown sugar should be soft and fresh. The moisture in the brown sugar helps make these cookies chewy.
  • Mix some of the M&M’s into the batter and press the rest onto the top of the dough balls right before baking. This allows the M&M’s to be more visible, adding a nice pop of color to the cookies. Be generous with the M&M’s, as the cookies bake and spread out the candies will distribute over the top.
  • When pressing M&M’s and chocolate chips into the tops of your dough balls, do NOT press so hard that you flatten the dough balls. When they enter the oven they should still be ball/dome shaped.
  • DO NOT OVER-BAKE! For crisp edges and soft centers, do not wait until these cookies look done to pull them from the oven. Remove them from the oven just prior to being done and then they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
  • You can make these with regular M&M’s, holiday M&M’s, mini M&M’s, or a combination of M&M’s and chocolate chips.
Stack of M&M chocolate chip cookies.

How to make thick or thin cookies

For thin cookies:

Bake the cookies right after assembling the dough and use a slightly smaller portion of dough, about 1.5 tablespoons. Also, see my tips for getting perfectly round cookies.

For thicker cookies:

Scoop the dough balls then chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour before baking. Scoop the dough balls large, about 3 tablespoons of dough, and be sure the dough balls are mounded higher rather than wider. As these bake they will spread, but the center will stay thicker than the edges. Also, see my tips for getting perfectly round cookies.

How to get perfectly round cookies

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.

Glass bowl over a chocolate chip cookie on a baking sheet,

Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a round shape.

Holiday M&M cookies

Love M&M cookies? Try these recipes, too: Cookie Mix in a Jar and Christmas Cookies.

M&M Cookie Mix in a Jar - Fill a jar with pre-measured ingredients for M&M cookies to give as a gift.
Christmas cookies on a plate with red and green sprinkles and candies

More cookie recipes

  • Frosted sugar cookies with pink frosting and colored sprinkles.
    Frosted Sugar Cookies
  • Closeup of Monster Cookies laying on parchment paper topped with M&M's and chocolate chips
    Monster Cookies
  • Pile of oatmeal cookies topped with brown maple icing.
    Maple Oatmeal Cookies
  • White chocolate macadamia nut cookies on a plate.
    White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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Post and photos updated October 2022. Recipe remains the same.

Recipe

Closeup of an M&M cookie topped with chocolate chips and M&M's.

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

The BEST Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies. Crisp chewy edges, soft centers and loaded with colorful M&M’s. Everyone goes crazy for these. 
4.93 from 409 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes minutes
Servings: 10 – 20 depending on size
Calories: 190kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups (188g) all purpose flour*, see note
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup (70g) brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it’s fresh and soft
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups (total) M&M's and chocolate chips, I use about 1 cup M&M's and ½ cup chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  • Gently stir in M&M's/chocolate chips. Note: I usually add 1 cup (total) into the batter, the rest get pressed on top of the cookies before baking.
  • Scoop balls of dough, between 2 and 3-tablespoon portions. Place the dough balls on a plate and transfer to the refrigerator for 20 minutes to one hour (see note about baking without chill time). The longer they chill the thicker the cookies will be. I usually chill the dough balls for 20-30 minutes while I clean up the kitchen.
  • Using the remaining M&M's/chocolate chips, nestle several (5 or so) onto the top of each mound of dough. Keep in mind that the cookies will spread out while baking, so be generous. I like to mound the dough balls so that they're higher rather than wider. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets leaving an inch or two for spreading.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes for smaller dough balls and 9-11 minutes for larger dough balls. Bake until the edges of the cookies are set but the center is still slightly underdone, this will create a soft cookie. For a crispier cookie, continue baking for another minute or two. See note about shaping the cookies to make them perfectly round.
  • Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool. 

Video

Notes

*MEASURING FLOUR:
Flour should be weighed (ideally), or measured using one of  the following methods:
  1. Whisk the flour several times to lighten it, scoop a heaping portion, and level it off with the back of a knife.
  2. Stir the flour with a spoon to lighten it, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off.
CHILL TIME:
The cookie dough can be baked right away but the cookies will be on the thinner side. After several years of making these cookies I find that a short chill (even as little as 20 minutes) produces a better, slightly thicker, result. 
HOW TO GET ROUND COOKIES:
Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie (see photo below). Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape. Note: This only works when the cookies are hot, straight from the oven, and still on the warm baking sheet.
Glass bowl over a chocolate chip cookie on a baking sheet,
Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a round shape.
TIPS:
  • Make sure your butter is softened but still cool to the touch. Using butter that is too soft will lead to cookies that spread too much in the oven.
  • Your brown sugar should be soft and fresh. The moisture in the brown sugar helps make these cookies chewy.
  • Mix some of the M&M’s into the batter and press the rest onto the top of the dough balls right before baking. This allows the M&M’s to be more visible, adding a nice pop of color to the cookies.
  • When pressing M&M’s and chocolate chips into the tops of your dough balls, do NOT press so hard that you flatten the dough balls. When they enter the oven they should still be ball/dome shaped.
  • DO NOT OVER-BAKE. For crisp edges and soft centers, do not wait until these cookies look done to pull them from the oven. Remove them from the oven just prior to being done and then they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
HOLIDAY VARIATIONS:
You can make these with regular M&M’s, holiday M&M’s, mini M&M’s, or a combination of M&M’s and chocolate chips. If you’re using a color theme you can also dip the top of each dough ball in colored sprinkles before baking.
Valentine M&M cookies with red and pink M&M's and sprinkles on a white plate.

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 38mg | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

 

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Comments

  1. Carly

    March 14, 2023 at 6:57 am

    These look great! Have you premade this dough and frozen it to know how that works?

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 15, 2023 at 9:28 am

      Hi, Carly. The dough can be portioned and frozen. I thaw them in the fridge overnight and then at room temp for about 30 minutes before baking. Note: sometimes the M&M color bleeds into the dough after freezing and thawing. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Emily Hillick

    March 27, 2023 at 10:41 am

    5 stars
    i’m not one to usually comment but i just had to! i made these for a school fundraising bake sale yesterday, and teachers who saw me bringing them in were trying to buy them before the bake sale even begun!
    i doubled the batch, weighed each cookie and baked five per tray. a double batch made me 17 75g cookies if my memory serves me correct. i can’t thank you enough for this recipe! they look (and tasted) so incredible. the perfect chewy, perfectly balanced cookie. almost like a gourmet subway cookie

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 29, 2023 at 3:17 pm

      Thanks for the kind review, Emily! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  3. maricela alvarez

    March 30, 2023 at 12:45 pm

    5 stars
    Just two words,super delicious !!!

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 31, 2023 at 10:32 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Betty

    March 30, 2023 at 5:34 pm

    2 stars
    Biggest cookie mess I have ever made. Cookies looked like pancakes with m&m’s. Could not even scrape them up off the parchment paper. Added flour to dough and chilled the next batch. They still ran. Even the 3rd batch was unacceptable. Total waste of ingredients.

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 31, 2023 at 10:32 am

      Hi, Betty! Sorry you had trouble. This recipe has hundreds of positive reviews so I’m confident that it works as written. Perhaps you accidentally used too much butter. Did you use one stick? Any ingredient substitutions?

      Reply
  5. Taura

    April 02, 2023 at 2:48 am

    4 stars
    Fantastic cookie!
    Definitely worth refrigerating for a better density.
    The only thing I think would make them better was a change of add ins, but that’s personal preference.
    Will definitely be using this recipe as a base for my next flavour.

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 06, 2023 at 2:29 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Ally

    April 26, 2023 at 9:24 pm

    5 stars
    My grandpa loves m&m cookies so I made these for him on his birthday. The cookies were delicious and the whole family loved them.

    Reply
    • Allison

      April 27, 2023 at 9:04 am

      Yay! I’m so glad. Thanks for taking the time to comment.:)

      Reply
  7. maricela alvarez

    May 09, 2023 at 10:58 am

    5 stars
    I just bake them,Again super delicious !!!

    Reply
  8. Kristina

    May 10, 2023 at 3:40 pm

    5 stars
    I didn’t chill but cookies were absolutely delicious!! TY

    Reply
    • Allison

      May 10, 2023 at 7:15 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad!

      Reply
  9. Kelly Emond

    May 21, 2023 at 10:19 am

    5 stars
    Everyone talks about crispy edges and bottoms with soft centres. Yours delivered! YUM! Will be my base cookie recipe from now on.

    Reply
    • Allison

      May 22, 2023 at 10:15 am

      Yay! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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