The Best Soft and Chewy M&M’S Cookies

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Chocolate Chip M&M’s 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!

M&M's Cookies on plate with M&M's

These big, bakery-style cookies are very soft, slightly chewy, buttery, and loaded with M&M’S and chocolate chips.

These homemade cookies are sure to disappear very quickly because I don’t know anyone who can resist soft, warm, homemade M&M’S cookies.

If you’re looking for a new favorite M&M’S cookie recipe, you’re going to love this one!

Tip: M&M’S just launched a new Pinterest page where you can check out new recipes for baking inspiration!

M&M cookies stacked on white plate

Recipe Ingredients 

For this easy M&M’s chocolate chip cookies recipe, you’ll need: 

  • Unsalted butter
  • Light brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Egg
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Instant vanilla pudding mix
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • M&M’s (any variety) 
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips

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 cookies

How to Make Chocolate Chip M&M’s Cookies

Making chocolate chip cookies with M&M’s is simple and straightforward. Here are the basic steps:

  1. Combine the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and cream until light in color and well combined (this will take a good 4 minutes).
  2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix in the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Fold in the M&M’s and chocolate chips, then scoop the cookie dough into balls and flatten slightly with your hands.
  4. Chill the cookie dough for at least 3 hours before baking. 
  5. Bake the M&M’s cookies for exactly how long I’ve said to (if yours are the same size as mine). Even if the centers of the cookies look pale and glossy, you should still take them out of the oven because the residual heat in the cookies will finish baking the insides. 

Tip for Making Chewy Cookies

When creaming together the butter and sugars, it’s important that you give the mixture plenty of time to whip up. At this stage, you’re whipping air into the mixture, which is partly what makes these cookies so soft and chewy. 

The Best M&M's 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!

Recipe FAQs

Can I use another type of M&M’s?

I used Dark Chocolate M&M’S because I’m a dark chocolate girl, but anything from Pretzel to Peanut Butter M&M’S would be fun twists.

Can I substitute the pudding mix?

This chocolate chip and M&M’s cookies recipe calls for a small amount of instant pudding mix because it adds a depth of flavor you just can’t get without it, and it helps the cookies stay soft for days. But if you don’t have access to or don’t want to use pudding mix, add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch instead.

Is the pudding mix added dry? Or should I mix it with milk first?

Note that you add the pudding mix as a DRY ingredient. You should NOT make the pudding according to the package instructions. 

Why do I have to chill the cookie dough?

You MUST chill the cookie dough. If you skip this crucial step, your cookies will come out flat and will spread a lot in the oven. 

Can I Freeze the Cookie Dough? 

Absolutely! I highly recommend doubling this recipe and freezing half the cookie dough for later. To freeze cookie dough, first scoop the dough into balls and then seal inside a freezer bag. When you’re ready to make the cookies, bake them directly from frozen (note that you may have to add a minute or two to the bake time). 

The Best Soft and Chewy M&M'S Cookies - Big, bakery-style cookies you can make at home that are BETTER than the bakery's! An easy recipe for the classic cookies everyone loves!!

Storage Instructions

Baked cookies: Store airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Raw cookie dough: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Cookie dough can be baked from frozen, no need to thaw first.

Video Tutorial

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4.61 from 51 votes

Chocolate Chip M&M’S Cookies

By Averie Sunshine
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!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 22 minutes
Servings: 11 cookies
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Ingredients  

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix, not cook-and-serve, not sugar-free
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ¾ cup M&M’S, plus more for adding to dough mounds (I used Dark Chocolate M&M’S, other varieties may be substituted)
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for adding to dough mounds

Instructions 

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
  • Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, pudding mix (add it as a dry ingredient, do not actually make pudding; cook-and-serve and sugar-free are not recommended in this recipe), baking soda, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
  • Add the M&M’S, chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
  • Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 11 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.*
  • Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
  • Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 6 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 12 to 13 minutes (if your cookies are smaller than mine, reduce baking time) or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
  • Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
  • Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Notes

*Tip: Strategically place a few M&M’S and chocolate chips on top of each mound of dough by taking M&Ms and chips from the underside as well as adding more as necessary for a nice pop of color.
Recipe adapted from my Soft & Chewy M&M's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 522kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 317mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 31g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Post is brought to you by M&M’S. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.

4.61 from 51 votes (38 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    WOW! These are incredible cookies. I doubled the batch, made ice cream sandwiches and took them to my husband’s fire station for the guys. They were a huge hit! Thank you for the awesome recipe…delicious!

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they came out great as ice cream sandwiches! I am the guys at the station were grateful for your baking!

  2. 5 stars
    Averie, i want to thank you for this recipe! Just sampling the dough I know the cookies are going to be amazing! Going to have to quadruple the batch to have any left! Thank you

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you knew right away after sampling the dough that these were going to be winners! I hope you love the baked cookies as much as the dough :)

  3. These cookies turned out perfect first time I made them. The next time I only had organic brown sugar (an “oops” purchase when in a hurry) and it totally changed the outcome. They didn’t bake evenly and ended up in the trash :( I’m going to make sure I get the right regular light brown sugar and try again. ย 

    1. Ingredients can vary so much and I always bake with ‘conventional’ products rather than organic or anything too ‘fancy’ (except for chocolate, I will go fancy with that). Glad you loved them the first time around.

  4. Love this recipe! ย Making them for Christmas for my M&M obsessed Mother. ย If I make the dough ahead of time and put in the freezer, do I need to defrost in the refrigerator before baking? Thank you!

  5. very eager to try your recipe. they look delicious and my 2 year old loves m&m cookies. it’d be great if you had a link that can make it printable like other recipe pages though

  6. when making the dough, the dough seemed very wet but not alarmingly wet, but just enough that it sticks to my hand, it that normal, i followed the exact recipe.

    btw, the cookies look heavenly

    1. In the summer/warmer weather and with humidity and with variance in brands of ingredients, you may need a tablespoon or two extra flour and that will reduce the stickiness. Baking is part science, part art :)

  7. Just wondering if you can tell me why my M&M’s bleed. I did a trial run with navy and yellow M&M’s for a wedding and the blue is everywhere. I did not chill the dough before baking. How do I fix this problem?

    1. First I would follow the recipe and chill the dough. That is instrumental in having the cookies bake up as they should.

      I have never used navy M&Ms. It could be that the food dye they use in that particular M&M is just prone to bleeding. I have only ever used pastels or the typical M&M colors. You could always write to the M&M company and ask them about it.

  8. Can I bake 1 big cookie on a pizza pan for my daughters b’day using parchment paper and also she doesn’t like chocolate chips can I leave them out and just add more M&M’s? Need to make tomorrow so need info. ASAP! ย Help…….

    1. You can leave it out if you can’t find it. The texture of the cookies will change slightly, but they should still turn out.

  9. We ordered some peanut-safe “M&Ms” recently and this was the first recipe we tried with them. They are DELICIOUS!! Doubled the recipe. Recipe keeper!! Thanks!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Glad it’s a keeper and that you doubled it!

  10. I just made a double batch of these for Christmas…these are everything promised big beautiful and delicious..didn’t do anything different but did skip the chilling time and it made no difference…Great recipe…a keeper!!!

  11. Hi again. I’ve followed your instructions and they tourned out great. Thanks so much. They will be for halloween at my son’s kindergarden.