M&M cookies are basically a great soft batch chocolate chip cookie with a pop of color and that famous M&M crunch!
Soft batch M&M cookies are easy no chill drop cookies that appeal to adults and kids alike, which is a great boon for busy bakers.
I’ve been an M&M lover since childhood, I think it has something to do with all the colors. And they’re coming out with so many new varieties ~ it can make an M&M lovers head spin. So I decided to make these M&M cookies to give myself an excuse to buy a few packs.
what you’ll need for M&M cookies
- butter
- white and brown sugar
- flour
- egg
- baking soda and salt
- vanilla
- M&M candies
which M&Ms to use for these cookies
I stuck to the classics, but you can use any variety you like. These M&M cookies are the perfect recipe to experiment with new flavors…
- Milk Chocolate: The original M&M’s with a milk chocolate center coated in a colorful candy shell.
- Peanut: Whole peanuts encased in milk chocolate and a candy shell.
- Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter surrounded by milk chocolate and a candy shell.
- Almond: Roasted almonds covered in milk chocolate and a candy shell.
- Caramel: Soft caramel centers enveloped in milk chocolate and a candy shell.
- Pretzel: Crunchy pretzel cores wrapped in milk chocolate and a candy shell.
- Dark Chocolate: Rich dark chocolate centers with a candy shell.
- Crunchy Cookie: Crisp cookie centers coated in milk chocolate and a candy shell.
- Fudge Brownie: Fudgy brownie-flavored centers encased in milk chocolate and a candy shell.
- Caramel Cold Brew: Coffee-flavored caramel surrounded by milk chocolate and a candy shell.
- Peanut Butter & Jelly: Berry-flavored chocolate with a smooth peanut butter center, mimicking the classic sandwich.
- Toasty Holiday Peanut: Roasted peanuts infused with cinnamon, vanilla, spiced sugar, and caramel flavors, available seasonally.
- Milk Chocolate Pumpkin Pie: Milk chocolate infused with pumpkin pie spices, offered during the fall season.
soft batch M&M cookie faqs
Why do the M&Ms bleed into my cookies?
- In a hot oven, the chocolate inside the M&M’s softens and melts, sometimes causing the candy shell to crack or bleed into the surrounding cookie dough. This is expected and not a quality issue. Using mini M&Ms can help this problem.
Can I add nuts to these cookies?
- Sure! You can add pecans, walnuts, almonds or even peanuts. Use about 2/3 cup, chopped.
Can M&M cookies be frozen?
- Yes. Let the cookies cool completely, then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze until firm. Transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment paper between layers. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
more cookies please!
- Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies
- Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
M&M Cookies
These soft, chewy M&M cookies are packed with colorful candies, adding a vibrant burst of chocolate to every bite.
Servings: 12 cookies
Equipment
- electric beaters optional but helpful
- 1 7/8 – 2 inch cookie or ice cream scoop
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup mixed M&Ms plus more for popping onto the cookies before baking.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cut the butter into tablespoon pieces and put in a large microwave safe mixing bowl. Microwave for about 30-40 seconds until it's mostly but not completely melted.
- Beat in the two sugars until light and fluffy, a couple of minutes.
- Blend in the egg and vanilla, and then the baking soda and salt. With your mixer on low, blend in the flour. When the flour is almost incorporated, go ahead and add the M&M candies. Switch to a silicone spoonula and continue to fold everything together just until evenly mixed. Don't over mix your cookie batter, but do make sure everything is blended in.
- I use a 1 7/8 cookie scoop to scoop up the dough, and then roll it in my hands to make a round ball. You should have enough dough for about 12-14 cookies. If yours are smaller or larger, adjust the baking time accordingly. Note: I like to pop in a few extra candies on the top side of my balls of dough. This gives the baked cookies that chock full of candy look.
- Place on an un-greased cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Don't crowd your pan, it's better to bake your cookies in batches.
- Bake for 11 minutes. The cookies will be puffy and pale, with just a few cracks starting to be visible along the edges. I like to sharply rap the baking sheet on a hard surface immediately after it comes out of the oven. This deflates the puffed cookies a bit.
- Let cool on the pan a few minutes and then move to a rack. Dig in while they are warm, or wait for them to cool, you're the boss!
Notes
- Be sure your oven is at the correct temperature. An inexpensive oven thermometer is a good investment, I look at mine every time I’m about to put something into the oven. It saves a lot of frustration.
- Measure your flour accurately. The easiest way to do this is to fluff the flour first, and then scoop it and lightly level off with your finger.
- The easiest way to make sure cookies are of uniform size, and therefore cook evenly, is to use a cookie scoop. I have them in several sizes, and used my 1 7/8 inch scoop for these large cookies.
- Invest in decent (not necessarily expensive) cookie pans, like these.
- Save a few extra M&Ms aside, and pop them in on the tops of your cookie balls, before baking. Â
- Don’t over cook, this is particularly important with soft cookies. I found that 11 minutes was perfect. They will look puffy and pale but will shrivel down as they cool. One of the hallmarks of a soft cookie is that it is pale, not golden, so don’t go by color to judge baking time. If you’re going for soft cookies, err on the side of under-baking. Over cooking = crunchy cookies.
Nutrition
Calories: 257 kcal · Carbohydrates: 34 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 13 g · Saturated Fat: 8 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g · Trans Fat: 0.3 g · Cholesterol: 36 mg · Sodium: 163 mg · Potassium: 75 mg · Fiber: 0.4 g · Sugar: 21 g · Vitamin A: 259 IU · Calcium: 22 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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Great cookies that came out just the way I wanted them, as usual with your reliable recipes. My cookie scoop is smaller, so I made 20. My grandson will love these! Thanks for another great recipe.