The best M&M Cookies recipe is a classic soft and chewy cookie that deserves a place in every recipe box. Check out my tips and adaptations in the post below.
We’ve been on a cookie marathon over here and now my freezer is stocked (for better or worse) with several different types of cookies including: Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies, Snickerdoodles, and Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
What I Love about this recipe:
- Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies – The chocolate chips in this M&M recipe really take it to a whole other level! I like to use mini chocolate chips rather than regular so they don’t take away from the real star of the show.
- Freezer Friendly – I love to keep a batch of these homemade M&M cookies in the freezer (see instructions below).
- Versatile – Replace the M&M’s with various colors or other candies depending on the holiday or season!
How to Make M&M Cookies:
1. Combine Dry Ingredients: Pour in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Combine Wet Ingredients: Cream butter and sugars very well then add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. Mix Together: Gradually mix sugar mixture with the flour and mix until combined. Stir in M&M’s and chocolate chips.
4. Form Dough: (about 3 Tablespoons full) and place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake these easy M&M cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges (Do not over bake). Let stand 1 minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Prepare the best M&M cookie dough up to 5 days in advance and store in the refrigerator. Or bake the cookies 1-2 days in advance.
To Freeze Cookie Dough: Scoop the cookie dough into dough balls and place them on a baking sheet. “Flash freeze” the dough by covering it loosely with plastic wrap and putting it in the freezer for 1 hour. Once the dough has hardened, move the dough balls to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow M&M cookie dough to thaw on the counter before baking, or bake from frozen, adding a few additional minutes to bake time.
To Freeze M&M Cookies: Allow soft M&M cookies to cool completely and store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Recipe Variations:
- Triple Chocolate M&M Cookies: Add white chocolate chips.
- Monster Cookies: Add peanut butter and oats.
- Holiday cookies: Use holiday themed M&M’s or candies in place of regular M&M’s and these are perfect for every occasion.
- M&M Cookie Bars
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Recipe
M&M Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cups butter , softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups light brown sugar , firmly packed
- 1 eggs , room temperature
- 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cups mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup m&m’s
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silplat mat.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
- Add butter, sugar and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer and beat well until creamed together.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Gradually mix in the flour and mix until combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips and m&m’s.
- Scoop dough into large balls (about 3 Tablespoons) and place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges (Do not over bake.)
- Let stand 1 minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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I originally shared this post December 2015. Updated March 2020 with process photos and instructions.
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I originally shared this post December 2015. Updated March 2020 and February 2022.
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These came out differently than expected but I was pleasantly surprised. I refrigerated the dough before baking and expected the cookies would be thick. They were not. They were thin and slightly crispy. I used regular M&Ms, no chocolate chips, and they look great and taste delicious.
These are SO good! I added about a teaspoon of cornstarch to the flour mixture- but did everything else about the same and they came out perfectly. New fav cookie recipe! Thank you so much!!
I’m a bit of a Cookie Monster… and these may be the best cookies I’ve ever made or tasted. So easy. And, amazingly delicious. Can’t recommend them enough!
Perfect! I’ve made this recipe over and over and it’s wonderful! I’ve used dark brown sugar vs light brown bc it was on hand and I think I like it better, makes it richer and not too sweet. Makes a dense cookie. The mini chocolate chips with regular size m&ms make them unique to regular m&m cookies. Thanks so much!
These are delicious! I made with regular M&M’s instead of minis and they turned out great!
I followed the instructions exactly as written and the cookies went directly into the trash. The instructions should have included to chill the dough. My dough melted into a thin layer covering the whole baking sheet. Inedible.
The recipe calls for way to much add-ins. I halved the chips and M&Ms. I could not imagine 2 full cups – there would be little dough to hold them. Cookies came out fully golden at 8 min. My husband said they seemed slightly under done. I might drop the oven to 350 and bake for 10 min next time. I liked that they stayed domed once cooled, where other recipes have fallen flat.
Looks good, but I cannot understand how the scoop of dough can be that big as of 3 tablespoons for 1 cookie and then servings of 24, the logic does not add up 🙁
I made these cookies these cookies at Christmas and everyone loved them. I will make them at Easter. My daughter said don’t lose this recipe. They are like bakery made.
I was hoping for a soft cookie, but these came out dry and crispy.
These are so good! I swapped King Arthur gluten free flour for regular and even my gluten-loving family members raved about them!
These were perfect. My new go to recipe!
I just made these cookies and they are wonderful. I needed to use up mini andregular size Xmas colored M&M’s and it worked out great. I used individual measure cups and was careful to use the sweep method for the flour. Your instructions were great. My family loves these cookies! Easy to make too. Thanks for sharing.!!!
Great recipe! Easy to understand and follow the directions. Cookies came out so good I made them again and doubled the recipe. Thank you!
Hi Lauren
Want to make M& M cookies. I made before and it was a great hit. Now cannot remember if I put in fridge for a while or if I baked Immediately.
Thanks
Hi, refrigerating the dough isn’t necessary, but if you’d like to make the dough in advance, you can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to scoop and bake. I hope you enjoy them!
No idea how some reviews say these weren’t good. I followed the recipe to a T. I let the dough balls chill in the fridge for an hour before baking because my house was very warm, baked at 375° for 10 minutes and they are delicious. Not dry or overly sweet at all. The only small difference we did was we saved the red and green M&Ms to press into the top after we formed the balls so they would look Christmasy. Thanks for the recipe!
Can I skip the choco chips?
I had to drop the temp to 350° @ 12 min. because the size of the cookies are so thick.
These were the worst cookies I have ever had. My dog likes them (without the M&M’s, of course).
well no wonder they werent good you didnt use chocolate chips
Wow! I believe I have finally found the perfect m&m cookie recipe. I’ve read the comments, but I had no issue with dry, crumbly dough. Yes, I did need to bake a little longer, but they are large cookies. So happy to find a recipe without shortening and super simple on hand ingredients. Probably will adjust the chip/candy ratio to suit my personal preference, but this is wonderful. Thank you!!
This was a terrible recipe. The cookies are tasteless and the dough is as stiff as clay. Just terrible.
These are very good. I also added 1/2 tsp. cornstarch hoping to add thickness. Also, 8-10 minutes was not long enough in my oven. I use convection and they were very underdone so I put back in for an additional 5-7 minutes. They are delicious
These are excellent. I added two Tbsp cornstarch because I bake at high altitude and that seems to help with my cookie recipes (I don’t know the reasoning behind this.)
My son inhaled these within two days. I only added 1/2 cup brown sugar though. He already asking me to make them again.
They turned out amazing!
Crispy on the edges yet tender goodness on the inside filled with yummy chocolate equals perfection! I had plain M&M’s and peanut butter flavors and so I decided to try both so I split the cookie dough AFTER I added the mini chocolate chips but BEFORE the M&M’s (1/2 cup each) and the vote was BOTH were equally yum-azing!!!
I have just made the cookies and they came out absolutely perfect! They are soooooo good! Thank you so much for this great recipe. By the way, I used a large egg.
Tried it tonight and the cookies came out just liked I’d hoped–thick and cakey and soft. As some other reviewers have said, the dough was a little drier than I expected but it caused no problems for me. Thumbs up!
Last time I tried this recipe the dough was too dry and I figured that measurements were off but I did the exact same measurements! However this time I kept mixing and noticed the dough doing its thing! I became impatient and mixed it in with my hands and it worked!! I saw a few comments having the issue I had but I didn’t let it stop me from making the cookies!! They’re currently in the oven and they smell amazing!! ❤️ thank you
I always read reviews prior to trying a recipe for the first time. Alas this time I didn’t and these cookies are a mess. As others found, the dough is super dry and doesn’t hold together at all. I bake a lot and never have had this problem! I believe the recipe needs more butter and eggs. Complete waste of ingredients.
Dough comes out super dry. I’m in a bind as I saw it had many high reviews – I did a triple batch and now need to try to apply some saving measures. Please adjust your recipe for more moisture.
Very good. I set the oven at 350 for 12 minutes.
Dough may appear dry, but cookies turn out great! They are best within a few days, will follow suggestions and freeze half of the dough next time.
This recipe was a disaster for me. I bake a lot, I bake COOKIES a lot. The batter was dry and crumbly. I rechecked the recipe before forming the cookies, I added the right amount of baking soda and powder, weighed my flour on a scale. Used room temp eggs and room temp butter.
The cookies were dry and aesthetically not what I wanted. I will not make this recipe again.
I just made these and had the same problem, I wish the recipe worked for me but it just didn’t
Loved these !
You have to mix the dough well and it’s not crumbly . I baked for 11 minutes and they came out perfect . Crunchy around the edges and soft and chewy in the middle 😊
So good! Delicious and chewy with the perfect amount of chocolate chips & m&ms!
These are super dry maybe ill add an extra egg next time.
I saw a comment above about their dough being dry, and I believe that’s how it should be as mine was as well. I didn’t mess with the recipe and cooked them as was, and my cookies came out great – nice, thick, and chewy!
I tried this recipe, I followed in instructions and it came out completely dry. I had to add in extra stuff that wasn’t part of the recipe.
easy to make and delicious
Literally these are perfect and thick and chewy. I didn’t change a single thing other than adding more chocolate lol. These will always be my go-to! Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
These are so good. I had to use regular sized chocolate chips and the dough is pretty raw. Adding some additional time in hopes that it still works. Yum yum.
They tasted great straight out of the oven, but then after plating and eating after dinner they were hard as rocks. I followed the recipe exactly, but I thought the dough seemed very dry, almost wet sand like, and took a lot more effort to be formed into cookie dough balls. I’ll probably try adding another egg and another half stick of butter next time. I’m not sure what else would have caused this? Any ideas??
It’s really hard to say but it sounds like you added too much flour. What method did you use to measure the flour? Did you scoop it or spoon it into the measuring cup?
Stacy,
Many reviews here are saying it is too dry. Mine is too dry. Can you please explsin why you think spooning flour into a measuring cup vs pouring flouring into a measuring cup will change this recipe enough? This recipe needs to be taken down and is by no means 4+ stars. I feel like someone should reimburse me for the ingredients and my time at this point. What a waste.
Thick and chewy M& M cookies were a big hit, everyone loved them. Love the fact they are not flat!!! I have made these several times!!! This recipe is in my cookbook.
Made these the other day with my granddaughter and not only did they look exactly as pictured but were amazing! Everyone loved them. Will definitely be making these again and again.
These cookies were so delicious. Will definitely be adding this to my cookbook
Tasted so yummy!
My favorite recipe for M&M or basic chocolate chip cookies! It’s a huge hit for kids AND adults at parties.
My favorite recipe for M&M or basic chocolate chip cookies! It’s a huge hit for kids AND adults at parties.
Really good!! I loved the amount of m&ms in this recipe – 1 did 1.5 cups m&ms and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. So thick and chunky! They are a great chewy cookie and follow her instructions – take out just when light golden on the edges. Will definitely make again!
The recipe seemed to call for too much butter as the first batch just almost completely melted.
I make these all the time!!! I switch out the regular m&Ms for Reese’s pieces, and dark chocolate chips. They are SO good!!! Great recipe
Truthfully, I am not a fan of M&M cookies. The candy always seemed to dominate the flavor of the cookie. This cookie is not your typical M&M cookie. This is the best tasting M&M cookie I’ve ever had. The cookie has the taste of a real butter cookie with M&Ms.
The batter seemed drier than most cookie batters, and I don’t know why. I used room temp butter and egg and measured my flour the right way. I made some changes, partly by mistake and partly on purpose, but they should not have had that affect on the batter. I intentionally used a 10 oz. bag of M&Ms and omitted the chocolate chips. That’s the way my niece and nephews like them, and there was still candy in every bite. My cookies were not too soft or chewy because I missed the instruction to make the cookies 3 tbsp. Next time I’ll either take them out sooner or make them bigger. There will be a next time and this will be my g0-to M&M cookie recipe.
Had to hold my boys back to let them cool before they had one. The cookies were wonderful, it seemed they weren’t as sweet as others. We all loved them. Thanks for the post.
They both look and taste good! The batter was thick which makes it harder to mix. There’s lots of Chocolate…not complaining since I’m a Chocoholic!! Definitely recommend this recipe.
Thank you so much for a delicious and easy recipe!
Yes mine came out very runny and it turned into a cookie cake but when I took it out I’m just cutting them into squares it said to use 3 tablespoons of the batter I think we only need a tablespoon or less
I baked up a double batch of these today and was glad I did because they very delicious and super easy. And colorful! I used up the mini M&Ms I had in my pantry. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
And your Instant Pot ribs recipe is the only reason I bought an Instant Pot! No joke!😂
I really enjoyed these cookies except mine turned out not as thick, turned more chewy. Any ideas?
Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for a great and easy recipe!
How large are the cookies? 12 to 14 does not seem to be very many cookies for a batch. Do you make them larger then a regular sized cookie. Looking for a recipe for a Cookie party, actually two parties. I need to make 12 dozen cookies this weekend! Looks like a great recipe 🙂