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Home » Cookies » Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Published: Oct 20, 2022 by Allison · 545 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 379 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. Nicola Van Hoff

    December 23, 2022 at 4:38 pm

    5 stars
    Made me these for Xmas and so good! Love how soft and chewy they are. Chilled for about an hour and used the tip for making them round right out of the oven! So delish!!

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 28, 2022 at 4:13 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

      Reply
    • Dannielle

      January 28, 2023 at 7:37 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely perfection! So soft and chewy! Delicious and super easy to follow recipe! Well done!

      Reply
      • Allison

        February 01, 2023 at 10:28 am

        Thanks for the kind review. 🙂

    • Erin

      March 01, 2023 at 11:10 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for such a delicious recipe! I made these for a birthday celebration last month and they were a hit! This is now my go-to cookie recipe. ◡̈ I’m planning to make them again for St. Patty’s Day. Do you think green food coloring would affect the recipe?

      Reply
      • Allison

        March 02, 2023 at 8:58 am

        I’m glad you enjoyed them. Not sure about the green food coloring. I’d suggest using green M&M’s and green sprinkles (see the photo at the bottom of the recipe card for holiday variations). Some party stores sell M&M’s in specific colors. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Diya

    January 07, 2023 at 6:40 pm

    3 stars
    These cookies were way to soft and not very chewy. They did t spread much at all and I had to flatten the dough balls a bit to make it better. I think there was too much baking powder.

    Reply
    • Gav

      January 26, 2023 at 11:07 pm

      5 stars
      Just made these with the kids! Excellent recipe, thank you

      Reply
      • Allison

        February 01, 2023 at 10:32 am

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

  3. Bridget

    January 16, 2023 at 2:14 pm

    5 stars
    Wow!! Great recipe. Kids raved for this one!

    Reply
  4. Kristie

    January 21, 2023 at 12:09 pm

    5 stars
    Incredible!

    Reply
    • Allison

      January 23, 2023 at 8:46 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Alicia

    January 26, 2023 at 8:54 am

    5 stars
    As a fellow food blogger, I rarely click on the top recipe but this one was just too easy to pass up during my M&M cookie pregnancy craving. I’m glad I did!! I made it with my toddler and meant to just soften the butter, but ended up distracted and got melted butter. Turns out the melted butter is fantastic in this recipe – outside is crispy, inside is soft. So if you’re like me and don’t want to bother with room temp butter- it will still work! I also just mix all the M&M’s right into the dough (instead of pressing some of them) and there are always enough to visibly see them on top.
    Thanks for a very versatile recipe that still turns out great even when you’re cooking with kids!

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 01, 2023 at 10:35 am

      Thanks for the kind review, Alicia. Happy baking!

      Reply
  6. Jen

    January 28, 2023 at 1:45 pm

    Can you use smarties in this recipe?

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 01, 2023 at 10:30 am

      Not the sweet/tart candy Smarties sold in the US. I think in UK they are chocolate candies similar to M&M’s? In that case, I would assume it would be an acceptable substitute.

      Reply
      • H

        March 01, 2023 at 6:09 am

        5 stars
        I use smarties from Aldi this is my favourite recipe 😍

      • Allison

        March 02, 2023 at 8:49 am

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

  7. Nat

    February 07, 2023 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    Sooo delicious

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 08, 2023 at 9:41 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Kim S

    February 26, 2023 at 2:43 pm

    5 stars
    This is the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe! I added Reese’s pieces instead of M&Ms. I am saving this one!!

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 27, 2023 at 9:58 am

      Great idea! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Kaii

    March 07, 2023 at 7:17 am

    5 stars
    These are so good!!!!

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 10, 2023 at 10:08 am

      Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Nicole Ruetz

    March 12, 2023 at 1:30 pm

    5 stars
    Made the m&m cookies and they turned out great. I use a large ice cream scoop so I ended up with 13 cookies from the recipe. My grandson loved putting extra m&M’s on the top.

    Reply
    • Allison

      March 15, 2023 at 9:37 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

      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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