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Home » Cookies » Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Published: Oct 20, 2022 by Allison · 523 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
  • Monster Cookies
  • Maple Oatmeal Cookies
  • 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. 
4.92 from 345 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes
Servings: 10 – 20 depending on size
Calories: 190kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups all purpose flour, see note
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it’s fresh and soft
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups M&M’s or a mixture of M&M’s and chocolate chips, divided

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  – I usually add just under 1 cup into the batter, the rest get pressed on top of the cookies before baking.
  • Scoop balls of dough, between 1½ and 3-tablespoon portions (see note about optional chill time). Drop dough onto prepared baking sheets leaving an inch or two for spreading. I like to mound the dough balls so that they're higher rather than wider. 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. 
  • 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 getting perfectly round cookies.
  • Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool. 

Video

Notes

TO PROPERLY MEASURE FLOUR:
Whisk or fluff the flour several times with your measuring cup to lighten it. Lightly scoop a heaping portion and level it off with the back of a knife.
OPTIONAL CHILL TIME:
For thicker cookies, place portioned dough balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.
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. Annie

    October 10, 2022 at 11:29 am

    Hi! Wanted to ask why haven’t you chilled the cookie dough. Does it impact the end result in any way?

    Reply
    • Allison

      October 12, 2022 at 2:59 pm

      Hi, Annie. It is not necessary for this recipe. The dough can be prepared and baked right away. If you’d like to chill the dough you can do so for an hour or two. Your cookies will likely be a bit thicker.

      Reply
  2. Elaine

    October 30, 2022 at 11:58 pm

    5 stars
    These were quick to make and very tasty. Most recipes don’t call for enough vanilla – this was perfect. I didn’t have m&m’s so I used Reeces Pieces with chocolate chips and added walnuts. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!

    Reply
    • Allison

      November 01, 2022 at 11:22 am

      You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Zati

    October 31, 2022 at 9:34 am

    Hi Allison, I’m excited to try this recipe! But is there any way I can get the measurements in grams instead of cups? I did try a recipe that provide both cups and metrics measurement. When I weigh the cups in grams and compare with the recipe, they’re not the same amount so I stick to metrics measurement because its more accurate. Probably the cups I use here in Malaysia is different size?

    Reply
  4. Eliza

    December 04, 2022 at 7:59 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! Turned out lovely, perfect for a present!

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 05, 2022 at 11:30 am

      You’re welcome! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Kathy Bridges

    December 05, 2022 at 1:08 pm

    Are these cookies good to freeze after baking? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 19, 2022 at 4:07 pm

      Sure!

      Reply
  6. Vanessa

    December 06, 2022 at 11:43 am

    Hello! I was just wondering, if i don’t have unsalted butter can i possibly use regular butter or would that ruin the recipe? Thank you in advance. 😊

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 11, 2022 at 8:24 am

      That should be fine. Just reduce the added salt a bit.

      Reply
  7. Allison

    December 10, 2022 at 6:44 pm

    5 stars
    Very good recipe. I followed it exactly (but doubled) and the cookies turned out perfectly. Soft, chewy, and delicious.

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 11, 2022 at 8:20 am

      I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Janice

    December 17, 2022 at 1:37 pm

    2 stars
    they fell apart a lot of them i followed the recipe to a T

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 19, 2022 at 10:49 am

      You have to let them cool. They’ll be very soft when they first come out of the oven.

      Reply
  9. Mamabearmn

    December 20, 2022 at 6:23 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe but altered it a little because I didn’t have baking powder or brown sugar. So I used a Tsp. if baking soda and 3/4 C. of white sugar. I used about 1 3/4 C. plain m&m’s and baked at 375 for 10 minutes. I used teaspoon drops onto parchment paper and yielded 3 dozen cookies. 🙂 They turned out pretty good which is why I ate a few before I delivered them to friends for Christmas. 😀 P. S. It won’t let me post my picture but I promise that my altered recipe works. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mamabearmn

      December 20, 2022 at 6:27 am

      5 stars
      Thank you Allison for the great recipe! I had to alter mine a little bit it worked great. 🙂
      I’m definitely bookmarking your website. Happy holidays! 🎄🎉🎄🎉🥳🥳🥳

      Reply
      • Allison

        December 22, 2022 at 6:33 am

        You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to comment. 🙂 Happy holidays!

  10. nancy

    December 21, 2022 at 11:53 am

    Have you ever made this as a bar cookie?

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 22, 2022 at 6:28 am

      Yes! That recipe is here: M&M Cookie Bars

      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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