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!
Table of Contents
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.
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
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.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
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 made these last night and swapped the milk chocolate for white chocolate M&Ms. They turned out amazing!! Thanks for the great recipe :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Made these for my son for his birthday, but we used Reese’s pieces instead of M&Ms because his name is Reese. They were perfect. Soft & chewy like promised! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I love the Reese’s/Reese connection :) Happy bday to Reese!
I followed this recipe exactly but my cookies didn’t turn out like the picture :( they spread a lot even though I had then cool in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Is there anything I should do to fix it?
Please read this post for all my cookie tips, i.e. chilling the dough, Silpat, King Arthur flour, etc. https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/02/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html I think if you do ALL those things, you won’t have spreading cookies! Thanks for trying the recipe.
Made these yesterday and they turned out PERFECTLY. I used dark chocolate M&Ms and only used 1 cup of them in the batter, but there were still M&Ms in every bite. Even ate a couple of the cookies for breakfast this morning. Thank you so much for this easy to follow and delicious recipe!! I will be making your Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies next :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out so great for you! Enjoy the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and LMK how they come out!
I see where you said you let the refrigerated chilled cookies set out for 15 minutes before cooking. How long do you let them sit out before cooking if they are frozen???
I always let my dough (chilled or frozen) sit out about 10 minutes, give or take. Just as long as it takes my oven to preheat. Even frozen dough only takes an extra 1 minute or so (maybe) in the oven to bake. Just watch it and bake til they’re done to your liking.
Do these freeze as well as your other Cookies? I was planning to freeze them before cookies them. Your blog is my go to for all baked goods! Thank you!
I think they freeze the same as my others, yes. I always make the dough balls, and freeze the dough, THEN make the cookies fresh for the event. But you can make the cookies and freeze them if you’d like.