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!
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These easy homemade M&M’s 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.
Ingredients Needed
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
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make 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.
Tip for Rolling the Cookie Dough Balls
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.
Recipe Variations
This is a classic chewy 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.
Recipe FAQs
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! It worked like a champ here, keeping the cookies soft and tender, without being cakey.
Yes, you MUST chill the cookie dough for at least 2 hours. If you bake warm dough, your cookies will spread in the oven.
Yes, you can make the cookie dough and shape it into balls and then chill or freeze the dough to bake off later.
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.
Yes, you’re welcome to use any variety of M&M’s you’d like in this recipe.
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.
Storage Instructions
Baked cookies: Store the chewy M&M’s cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Raw cookie dough: Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
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Soft and Chewy M&M’s Cookies
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Cookie Recipes with M&M’s:
M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies — These bakery-style M&M’s cookies are soft, chewy, buttery, and LOADED with M&M’s and chocolate chips. No one can resist these cookies!
Chocolate Cake Mix M&M’s Cookies — Foolproof cookies made with just 5 ingredients!! If you’re craving chocolate and want to make super EASY cookies that are soft, FUDGY, and delicious, this is the recipe to make!!
The BEST Oatmeal Chocolate Chip M&M’s Cookies — Between the chewy oats, the gooey melted chocolate, and the slight crunch from the M&Ms, there’s wonderful texture in every bite.
Soft M&M’s Pudding Cookies — This is my new favorite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. They’re soft, buttery, and this version is loaded with milk chocolate M&Ms and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Monster Cookies — My recipe for classic monster cookies that are chock full of creamy peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and M&M’s makes both kids and adults reach for just one more cookie! Fast, EASY, soft, perfectly chewy, and they’ll become a family FAVORITE in no time!
Santa’s Kitchen Sink Cookies — Santa and everyone else won’t be able to resist these AMAZING cookies loaded with everything but the kitchen sink!! EASY, festive, salty-sweet treats with a FUN ingredients list!!
Originally posted March 12, 2013 and reposted with updated text April 1, 2022.
I LOVE M&M cookies! It has been way too long. I need to work on that.
Bring on Easter! I love M&M’s in cookies. I swear I’m going to try using cornstarch in my cookies very soon. I love how thick and puffy yours look!
You’re going to Love the results!
Agreed, the pastel candies are so much prettier than christmas or halloween! These look perfectly moist. My son just peeked over my shoulder and asked if we could make them!
He’s got good taste :) LMK if you try them!
Such happy looking cookies! M&M cookies are one of my favorites, and seasonal M&Ms make it even better! These look sooo soft I just wanna reach through the computer screen and grab one!
These look perfect! I still need to try the cornstarch cookie!
Cassie it’s one of those blogger-phenomenon that I never would have known about otherwise, like bread flour in cookies (which I didn’t do with these but almost always! do the past 6 mos) that you’re just going to LOVE the results!
I went into the M&M store in Vegas the last time I was there–several floors of chocolate and all sorts of things to put them in. Such a colorful place! I think I love just about any kind of candy in cookies–and M&M’s are a favorite. I heard about a new flavor–white chocolate carrot cake. I think they are only sold off the shelves at Wal-Mart and are out for a limited time. I like some of the other flavors so I’m very curious about these! I also wanted to let you know I tried the Ghiardelli Cabernet matinee and it is excellent. I have been on the look out for it (can’t remember when you wrote that post) and was excited to finally find one!
white chocolate carrot cake M&Ms sound dangerously good! And glad you tried that Ghira cabernet bar – also good! I swear I need to make a trip to Walmart just for those M&Ms and some Hershey’s Special Dark – the only place in my area I’ve heard that carries it anymore!
M&Ms are my favorite candy to snack on. They are perfect in a batch of cookies, and I love that you didn’t skimp on them!
Silly M & M’s, why didn’t they give you more pink one?? I have never tried cornstarch in my cookies, but I think it’s time to give it a try. Lovely spring cookies!
Those just look so pretty. Plain and simple…pretty. Perfect for an Easter celebration or even a baby shower. Thankfully most of my friends are done with those!
They screamed baby or bridal shower food to me as well!
Beautiful as always. Will you be putting out a Cookie Cookbook for all your delicious and mouthwateringly photographed creations?
I’d love to write a cookie cookbook one day! Not sure editors think there’s a market for one (so saturated) but if they did, I’d love to write it :)
I am not sure if I’ve ever baked an M&M’s cookie…though I find myself grabbing them when I have the option! Smarties cookies are pretty popular too here in Canada.
It’s funny I only buy seasonal M&M’s for baking. I never buy the regular ones….. Easter colors are just so much more fun! These cookies look great, and perfect kid treat for Easter.
I always think seasonal M&Ms taste better than regular…not sure why. But that must mean these cookies are extra delicious! They certainly are pretty in their pastels!
There’s an M&M store in Chicago that has EVERY color under the rainbow. It’s amazing. And sorta fun. :) Personally, for my cookies, I prefer big chunks of dark chocolate. Simple and delicious. But no matter what, chewy is key!!
I didn’t use to eat M&Ms when I was a kid, but I developed a sweet tooth in my old age. :) My favorite candy to bake with is Heath Bars actually. There’s a recipe that I tore out of a magazine when I was in high school, that is my absolute favorite go to cookie recipe for company.
If it’s that good, do tell! (okay but only if it’s really soft and chewy…Lol) Heath bar cookies have a tendency to turn really hard. I have a few recipes with Heath bars from ages ago but that’s a good idea…to make something new with them. I LOVE Heath Bars, too!
I always do M&Ms cookies because everyone loves them, it’s always such a hit. I want to try your recipe though because they look so chewy (mine aren’t that much)!
They’re totally the perfect soft & chewy cookie and I think you’ll love them!