Soft and Chewy M&M’s Cookies — Super soft, chewy, buttery M&M’s cookies that totally are irresistible! Loaded with M&M’s and perfect for springtime, Easter, Mother’s Day and more!
The BEST M&M’s Cookies
I hadn’t made M&M’s cookies in ages, but seeing the pretty Easter and springtime pastel candy in the stores changed all that. Something about springtime candy is just so inviting. Pastels are just so much prettier than red-and-green or black-and-orange candy to me. I was quite miffed when I opened my bag of M&M’s to find like 8 pinks. How dare they.
What better way to put my pastel candy to use than my making homemade M&M’s cookies? Store-bought M&M’s cookies are usually hard, dry, cakey, or crumbly. Such a shame that perfectly good M&M’s were wasted.
I tweaked my favorite all-purpose Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies recipe. Most notably, I switched from a combination of both bread and all-purpose flour, to solely using all-purpose. Bread flour makes things extra chewy, gives a heartier rather than softer structure to cookies, and if you’re not careful, it can dry things out.
For these M&M’s cookies, I wanted a slightly softer dough base, with no possible issues of dryness, and all-purpose flour was perfect. The interior stayed buttery soft and the edges have just the right amount of chewiness.
I also shortcut some of the stopping and starting that’s found in the beginning of the original recipe. There was a lot of beating, stopping, adding one item, more beating, bowl-scraping, repeating.
Cornstarch is the secret ingredient that helps these cookies bake up super soft. Cornstarch is why pudding cookies and Cake Mix Cookies bake up so soft, and it’s a trick I learned with the Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies.
It worked like a champ here, keeping the cookies soft and tender, without being cakey.
I wasn’t skimpy with the M&M’s, to the point that when you’re forming the dough mounds before baking, it may seem like you have as many M&M’s as dough in your mixing bowl. Just stuff them back into the dough if they’re trying to fall out, and later you’ll savor each and every crunchy candy-coated bite.
It’s a blessing and a curse to have plates of cookie dough in the fridge. It makes it very easy to bake up a few fresh, warm cookies for dessert. Or with morning coffee. Or as an afternoon snack. Or as a midnight snack.
Let’s not even talk about the frozen golf balls in Tupperwares in the freezer. Sometimes I’m not quite sure what I’m grabbing, but after 10 minutes at 350F I find out that oh yes, these are the Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies not the Maraschino Cherry White Chocolate Cookies. Sometimes surprises are good.
These easy homemade cookies turned out so soft, moist, and tender in the interior with perfectly chewy edges. The dough is buttery, with hints of vanilla.
There’s an abundance of M&M’s in every bite and I love biting into their shells. The dichotomy of smooth, supple dough, generously flanked with candy, and hearing those little shells crack and crunch as I bite down, and feeling the crunchy coating bits between my teeth, like sweet little eggshells, it’s just something I love.
They’re the best M&M’s cookies I’ve ever had.And not just because there’s pink M&M’s baked in, but that doesn’t hurt.
What’s in These M&M’s Cookies?
To make this M&M’s cookie recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Milk chocolate M&M’s
How to Make Springtime M&M’s Cookies
Now, this is some of the easiest, fastest, and least fussy cookie dough you’ll ever make!Here’s how these spring cookies are made:
- Combine the butter, egg, sugars, vanilla, and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and mix.
- Fold in the M&M’s and you’re done. So easy.
- After the dough comes together, form two tablespoon-sized mounds.
- Place all the mounds on a large plate, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days, before baking. If you bake with warm dough, your cookies will spread more and won’t stay as thick and puffy, which is why I always bake with chilled dough.
- Bake the cookies at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, no more.
How to Tell When M&M’s Cookies Are Done
I made these cookies fractionally smaller than in the original recipe by about a half-ounce. Doesn’t sound like much, but I didn’t want those pretty M&M’s in the oven any longer than absolutely necessary for fear they would bleed, run, or crack.
The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled for two days, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and then baked for 8 1/2 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark.
The cookie tops should be set, but barely, and will be pale, glossy and appear underdone, but they firm up as they cool.
Baking any longer than 10 minutes and you run the risk of the bottoms browning too much, the M&M’s cracking, or ending up with hard, dry, rock-like hockey pucks after cooling.
Everyone’s ingredients, oven, climate, and personal preferences are different, but they taste best when they’re not over-baked and are softer.
Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?
Yes, you MUST chill the cookie dough for at least 2 hours. If you bake warm dough, your cookies will spread in the oven.
Can I Prep the Cookie Dough in Advance?
Yes, you can make the cookie dough and shape it into balls and then chill or freeze the dough to bake off later.
Can I Use Different M&M’s?
Yes, you’re welcome to use any variety of M&M’s you’d like in this recipe.
Can I Add Other Mix-Ins?
Yes, you’re welcome to add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and more to these cookies. Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t add more than 1 1/2 cups mix-ins total.
Can I Freeze M&M’s Cookies?
Most definitely! You can freeze the baked cookies or the cookie dough.
How to Store M&M’s Cookies
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Recipe Substitutions
This is a classic M&M’s cookie recipe, but there are a few ingredient swaps you can make:
- M&M’s color:To make these M&M’s cookies appropriate for any season or get-together, simply switch up the M&M’s colors you use. I used pastel M&M’s for Easter, but these cookies are easily customized!
- Chocolate chips:If you don’t have M&M’s on hand, you’re welcome to use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead.
- Bars:If you don’t feel like making individual cookies or don’t have time for the dough to chill, press the dough into an 8- or 9-inch baking dish and bake until golden around the edges and just set in the center.
What Readers Are Saying
Since I first posted this recipe in 2013, I’ve received over 200 glowing comments and reviews about it — and counting! Here are just some of the 5-star reviews people have left on these M&M’s spring cookies:
“I have made these several times already and they are always delicious!” — Gerbie
“I’ve been making these cookies for years! Ever since you first posted the recipe. I always double it and freeze extra dough balls so I can bake as we want them. Otherwise we would eat them all at once. Perfect recipe!”— Amanda C.
“These were delicious, thank you for the recipe! I made a small batch to taste test before making several large batches with red and green M&M’s for Christmas.” — Sera
“Ok, seriously, these are by far, the best cookies. This recipe has survived two moves, two toddlers, two laptop deaths and a marriage. It is printed out multiple times (I lose the recipe every time), but thank goodness I’ve saved you to my faves. You are literally CLOUD storage worthy.” — Michele Ryber
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4.41 from 61 votes
Soft and Chewy M&M's Cookies
By Averie Sunshine
Super soft, chewy, buttery M&M's cookies that totally are irresistible! Loaded with M&M's and perfect for springtime, Easter, Mother's Day and more!
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 18 minutes minutes
Servings: 22
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 ½ cups milk chocolate M&M's, or another variety of M&M's, or chocolate chips may be substituted
Instructions
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
Add the M&M's and fold in by hand.
Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds very slightly with your palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread.
Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray. and place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart; I bake 8 cookies per sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than ten minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled for two days, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 1/2 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark. They have chewy edges with soft pillowy centers).
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1, Calories: 155kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 82mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Originally posted March 12, 2013 and reposted with updated text April 1, 2022.
