M&M Christmas Cookies

Christmas cookies on a plate with red and green sprinkles and candies

Our go-to Christmas Cookie recipe! Soft and chewy cookies that are filled with M&M's and sprinkles.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 9

Total Time 29

Servings - 20 (recipe can be doubled)

Calories 200kcal

Author Allison Mattina

Ingredients

1½ cups plus one tablespoon 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
1½ cups M&M's or a mixture of M&M's and chocolate chips divided
¼ cup holiday sprinkles

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.
In a separate bowl, 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, 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 and chocolate chips. I usually add about 1 generous cup into the batter, and the rest get pressed on top of the cookies before baking.
Place the sprinkles in a shallow bowl.
Scoop balls of cookie dough, between 1½ and 2½ tablespoon portions. Gently press a few M&M's onto the top of each dough ball then press the top of each ball into the bowl of sprinkles. You can bake the cookies right away (they'll be on the thinner side) or chill the dough balls in the fridge for about 20 minutes to ensure they bake up with a nice thickness.
Place dough onto prepared baking sheets leaving an inch or two for spreading. I like to make sure the dough balls are mounded higher rather than wider so that the cookies aren't too thin.
Bake for 8-11 minutes (see note), until the edges of the cookies are set but the center is still slightly underdone; this will create a soft cookie. See note about shaping the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. If you see any bare spots on the top of your cookies, feel free to press chocolate chips or M&M's (halved M&M's work great) into the bare spots while the cookies are still hot.
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: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, scoop a heaping portion, and level it off with the back of a knife OR spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off.

BAKING TIME: Adjust according to the size of dough balls.

CHILLING DOUGH: If you like thicker cookies, or you accidentally over-softened your butter (it's no longer cool to the touch), you can chill the dough for one hour before baking.

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. 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 perfect round shape.

Nutrition