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.
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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
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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!
Beverly
This is definitely the best M&M Cookie recipe I have tried. Delicious.
Celebrating Sweets
Thank you!
Lee
I used mini m&ms instead. Literally the BEST cookies I’ve had. Period. If you ever go to subway or go caribou coffee or some place where you get those nice gooey cookies but they always cost like $3 each? Yeah, these are those cookies. I suggest doubling the recipe if you’re making them for other people since the recipe actually makes a small batch. I had 18 medium cookies.
Celebrating Sweets
Thank you for the kind review. I’m so happy that you enjoyed them. 🙂 Happy baking! -Allison
Deb - Brisbane Aust
This is a delicious cookie recipe – the hints were really helpful and the result was perfect!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Gabby Davis
This was great! Me and my family and friends loved it, my mom a little too much she ate most of it but I absolutely loved how it came out and it was really delicious 🙂
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Jenny
These cooked perfectly, and the texture held up well being stored for several days. I tripled the recipe, and added 1/2 cup of flour to adjust for high altitude. I will make these again!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Priya
Definitely concur that this is the best M&M cookie recipe ever! Everyone absolutely loved these. Perfect balance of crispy and chewy. Only one comment: There were too many chocolate chips/M&M’s for me. Couldn’t even incorporate them all into the dough. Recommend 1 cup of chips and M&Ms combined rather than 1.5.
Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing your feedback. 🙂 Happy baking! -Allison
McKella
This was the best m&m recipe ever!! On the last couple is cookies I sprinkled sea salt on them yumm! ?
Celebrating Sweets
Great idea to add sea salt! I’m so glad you liked them. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Jessie
The recipe is delicious! I followed all the instructions and my cookies didn’t spread at all though. I’m wondering if you have any advice here. I used butter that was soft, but still cool, and didn’t go in the microwave at all. Thanks again!
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Jessie. I’ve never experienced that problem. Maybe you accidentally over-measured your flour. I like to fluff it with a measuring cup, then scoop a heaping portion and level it off. Also, did you place the dough on parchment lined baking sheets? And did you use real butter (not butter substitute, or butter flavored spread)? Maybe try flattening the dough balls a bit next time.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by!
jean
We had a pie day at work this week but I took these instead just to be different. At the end of the day, plenty of pie was left but my cookie plate was empty! People loved these so thanks for the recipe!
Celebrating Sweets
You’re welcome! I’m glad everyone enjoyed them. 🙂
Bergen
Smells delicious!!! Some of the best M&M cookies I have had. But one question, why do they smell like donuts while they bake?
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed them. I would guess they smell that way from the combination of sugar and vanilla.