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!
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
- 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.
Add egg and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Stir in M&M’s and chocolate chips.
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!
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.
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.
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.
More cookie recipes
SUBSCRIBE to our free NEWSLETTER – Follow on INSTAGRAM
Post and photos updated October 2022. Recipe remains the same.
Recipe
Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies
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
- 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 (see note), 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 cookie dough balls before baking.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of dough. Place the dough balls on a plate and transfer to the refrigerator for 30 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 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. Mound the dough balls so that they're higher rather than wider. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets leaving a couple inches for spreading.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes, 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
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 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.
Nutrition
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!
Katie
These were such a hit with my kids! They loved pressing the m&ms on top. I definitely thought they were underbaked when they came out of the oven. Trusted the recipe and let them cool and OMG they held up and were cooked all the way through but so soft and delicious. Will be making again for sure ?
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks for the kind review, Katie! Happy holidays! Enjoy. 🙂
Vicky Watwood
Can I use self rising flour?
Celebrating Sweets
I’ve only made the recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure. If you try it let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Sheryl
I am making these this weekend…..do they freeze well? I would like to make and freeze for a couple of weeks to use for a 4H bake sale—thanks!
Celebrating Sweets
Yes, they do freeze well. Enjoy!
Christine
My 5 year old just made these for a nighttime treat. Recipe was very easy to follow, and the end result was fluffy and soft. We followed the instructions for extra chocolate and it was amazing
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
JillR NH
These cookies are AWESOME! I used mini baking M&Ms and I put the cookie sheet with 2Tblspn size dough balls in freezer for ~5 minutes before baking for 13-14 minutes. Came out thick and chewy. Definite winner & keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing!!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Happy holidays!
Sandi
Can you mix them in a bowl (by hand). Or must you use and electric mister? Also for freezing can the dough be frozen for future use?
Celebrating Sweets
I highly recommend using an electric mixer. If you don’t have one, you can try mixing by hand, but I have not tried it that way. If you do try it I recommend using melted (and cooled) butter and chilling the dough for a couple hours before baking.
Yes, you can freeze the dough. Just note that there might be a bit of the color from the M&M’s that bleed into the dough. You can use half chocolate chips and half M&M’s to help with this.
Enjoy!
Luke
Made these for a work event last week and everyone loved them! So of course I had to make these again for thanksgiving tomorrow.
9/10, will definitely bake again 🙂
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy holidays!
Alfie Edwards
amazing
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks!
Jamie
In the oven now. We stared with 8 minutes. Could you recommend when to go more for the 11 minutes vs 8? Seems like a big range! How do you know when is long enough?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Jamie. It depends on the size of your cookie dough balls. The recipe recommends using dough balls anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 tablespoons. The shorter cook time will be for the smaller dough balls and the longer time will be for the larger size (give for take a minute or two because ovens can vary).
To tell when to remove them from the oven (from step 6): Bake for 8-11 minutes, 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 two. I hope that helps. Enjoy!
Amy C.
We made these for a church Cheustmas event and they were so easy to make and so yummy! We are so glad we went through this recipe!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed them! Merry Christmas!
Debra Duty
These really did come out perfectly thanks to all of your tips. I followed the recipe exactly. It was my first time using a scoop and it made it so much easier with every cookie being the same size. One question – if I’m ever making these on a whim and don’t have unsalted butter, can I leave out the salt and use regular butter? Have you tried it that way?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Debra. I’m glad you enjoyed them. Yes, you should be able to make the butter swap with no problem, just leave out the salt. Thanks for stopping by. Happy holidays!
Katariina
Best cookies I’ve ever made! Thanks for the recipe!
Celebrating Sweets
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂