M&M Christmas Cookies Recipe

These are my favorite cookie from childhood that always satisfies those cookie cravings!

They can be made with regular-sized M&M’s or mini M&M’s, milk chocolate or dark chocolate flavor, and the great part is that you can use any color. It’s fun to switch the M&M’s out with different colors to complement the latest holiday.

You’ll love that they’re perfectly sweet, deliciously buttery, generously sized, and have the perfect texture. Truly a highlight of any celebration or weekend!

This is a cookie that checks all the boxes. Temptingly tasty, fun, and festive. Plus, they’re easy to make!

What’s not to love?

M&M Cookie Recipe Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Light brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Egg and egg yolk
• Vanilla extract
• M&M’s (milk chocolate or dark chocolate)

How to Make M&M Christmas Cookies

1. Whisk dry ingredients: In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Mix butter and sugars: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended.
3. Add liquids: Mix in egg, then mix in egg yolk and vanilla extract.
4. Blend mixtures: Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix just until combined. Then add half of the M&M’s (about 3/4 cup) and mix in.
5. Scoop dough out 3 Tbsp at a time and shape into balls. Press in remaining M&M’s randomly around each dough ball.
6. Transfer to a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a large flat plate), cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
7. During the last 15 minutes of chilling preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Transfer 10 dough balls to lined baking sheet, spacing 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven until done to desired liking, about 13 to 16 minutes.
9. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining cookie dough balls.

Helpful Tips for the Best M and M Cookies

• No need to whip butter and sugar until pale you just want to blend it for a chewy cookie that isn’t overly fluffy.
• To keep cookies from over-spreading don’t skip chilling the cookie dough balls. And if at high altitude use the greater amount of flour listed (I’m at 5,000 ft and 2 1/2 cups works well for me).
• A tip to keep them soft for a few days is to add a slice of bread to the storage container (just don’t place the slice directly atop any of the cookies or lay a piece of parchment beneath it). Crazy enough the moisture of the bread seems to transfer to the cookies and the bread goes stale.

Possible Christmas Cookie Variations

• Add chocolate chips: White chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate.
• Include multi-color jimmies sprinkles: I recommend adding some to the exterior (roll or press them in to stick before chilling).
• Make cookies larger or smaller: Just adjust bake time accordingly. Even bite size cookies with mini M&M’s would be so fun (smaller shouldn’t need much chill time).
• Add nuts: Mix in 1 cups chopped walnuts or pecans when adding M&M’s.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Cookie dough can be made up to 3 months in advance and frozen, or refrigerated for 3 days.
• Baked cookies can also be frozen, up to 2 months.
• Store fresh baked cookies in an airtight container up to 4 days max.

More Tempting Christmas Cookies to Try

• Bite Size Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• No Bake Cookies
• Red Velvet Cookies
• Sugar Cookies

4.50 from 4 votes

Print Recipe

M&M Cookies Recipe

A soft, chewy, buttery cookie that's much like a chocolate chip cookie but replaced with crisp shelled, sweet, multi-colored M&M's instead of chocolate chips. They are an absolute treat and so fun for people of all ages!

Servings: 20

Prep30 minutes minutes

Cook13 minutes minutes

Chill2 hours hours

Ready in: 3 hours hours

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups (330g) all-purpose flour* (scoop and level flour to measure)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (10 to 11.5 oz bag) M&M's regular or mini size, milk chocolate or dark chocolate

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on low speed until well blended. Scrape down bowl.
• Mix in egg, then mix in egg yolk and vanilla extract. Scrape down bowl.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix just until combined. Then add half of the M&M's (3/4 cup) and mix in.
• Scoop dough out 3 Tbsp at a time and shape into balls (I recommend a #20 cookie scoop). Press remaining M&M's (3/4 cup) randomly around each dough ball.
• Transfer to a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a large flat plate), cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
• During the last 15 minutes of chilling preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 18 by 13-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Transfer 10 dough balls to lined baking sheet, spacing 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven until done to desired liking, about 13 to 16 minutes (they should appear slightly puffed and under-baked).
• Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining cookie dough balls.

Notes

*If you are at high altitude or if your cookies are normally prone to spreading use 2 1/2 cups (354g) all-purpose flour.

Nutrition Facts

M&M Cookies Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 277 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Trans Fat 0.4g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 45mg15%

Sodium 146mg6%

Potassium 39mg1%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 24g27%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 341IU7%

Vitamin C 0.1mg0%

Calcium 33mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: m and m cookies, m&m cookie recipe, M&M Cookies

Author: Jaclyn