M&M Cookie Recipe: Easy one-bowl recipe with chewy centers, crispy edges, a mix of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. Customize with different M&M colors for special occasions.
Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.
The Best M&M Cookie Recipe
Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M cookies or Rice Krispie treats. It made going back to school after a fun summer a little bit easier. And now, I’m the mom and my kids know that after the first day of school, they’ll have a sweet treat waiting.
My personal favorite were the chocolate chip M&M cookie recipe because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten. Over the years, I’ve created my own version of these cookies, and it’s honestly the best I’ve ever had. My kids wholeheartedly agree!
Ingredients
- Butter: Essential for flavor and texture; avoid margarine or shortening.
- Maple syrup: Adds softness and a unique sweetness.
- Brown sugar: Increases moisture for chewiness, balanced with white sugar.
- White sugar: Ensures stability and prevents excessive sweetness.
- Egg: Use a large egg in this M&M cookie recipe.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances flavor.
- Cornstarch: Key for soft and chewy texture.
- Baking soda/powder: Necessary leavening agents.
- Flour: Accurate measurement is crucial for perfect M&M cookies.
How To Make M&M Cookies
- Prepare Dough: Melt butter, then mix with brown and white sugar, egg, vanilla, and maple syrup. Incorporate cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour, M&M’s, and chocolate chips. Chill for an hour.
- Bake: Preheat oven, place dough balls on baking sheet, and bake until edges brown. Add extra chocolate chips to warm cookies.
- Cool and Store: Cool on tray, then on a rack. Store in an airtight container; best enjoyed within a few days.
Tips For Success
- Cool Melted Butter: In this M&M cookie recipe, ensure you cool the melted butter to room temperature to prevent greasy, flat cookies.
- Chill Dough: Allow dough to chill to re-solidify the butter, enhancing flavors and preventing flat cookies.
- Use Silpat® or Parchment Paper: Bake on these liners for even baking and to avoid over-browning the bottoms.
- Measure Flour Accurately: Spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. Over-measuring leads to cakey, less flavorful cookies.
- Prevent Flat Cookies: Ensure adequate chilling and avoid using hot butter. Under-measured flour or high-altitude can also cause flatness.
- Keep Cookies Soft: Cool completely on a wire rack, then store in an airtight container at room temperature. For reviving stale cookies, refer to these tips from Cooks Illustrated.
More Delicious Desserts
M&M Cookie Recipe
M&M Cookies have chewy centers, crispy edges, and are loaded with crunchy M&M’s and melty chocolate chips. Customize the colors for any occasion!
Equipment
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt reduce if using table salt or if sensitive to salt
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup M&M’s
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips divided; or semi-sweet or dark chocolate—whichever is your favorite
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a very large, microwave-safe bowl. Once melted, refrigerate it for 5 minutes. It’s important the butter isn’t hot when you add in the sugars or it will melt the sugar and make the cookies greasy.
- Once butter is cooled to room temperature, stir in the light brown and granulated sugars. until smooth. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and maple syrup until smooth.
- Add cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until smooth. Add the accurately measured (see note 1) flour and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Gently stir in 1 cup of M&M’s and 1/4 cup chocolate chips until combined.
- Cover the bowl tightly and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a pan with parchment paper or use a nonstick liner.
- Roll dough balls into tall, cylindrical balls. Place 6–8 cookie balls on the pan to give the cookies plenty of room to spread. Dough balls should be about 1.7 ounces.
- Bake for 8–12 minutes, erring on the side of underbaking, which keeps them soft and chewy (I like mine right at 9 minutes)! Remember, the cookies will continue to bake a little more out of the oven, so take them out as soon as the edges start to lightly brown.
- Remove from oven and press the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies (ensures even placement of chocolate and also makes them look pretty!). Allow to cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife instead of scooping the flour from the bag into a measuring cup. This method assures the most accurate measurement.
Storage: I like these cookies best on days 1 and 2. They do last up to 1 week, but they begin to lose texture and flavor. Wait until cookies are completely cooled, then place in an airtight container and keep at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 233IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m going to make these M&M cookies for Easter using pastel M&M’s. My grandbaby will love them in her Easter basket and the rest of family will too.
Yay! Enjoy Jean!
LOL…. I accidentally forgot the flour and it turned into a mess! lol
Ooh no! Dangit! You’ll have to give these another try cause they are AMAZING! 🙂
Just wondered if I could substitute something else for the maple syrup? Thank you!
Corn syrup, agave nectar, or regular pancake syrup will all work! 🙂
I love your christmas cookies
Thank you!
Hi Chelsea, I have a question about item 4 of your instructions on this recipe. In the ingredients, you have 1 cup of m&m’s listed and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. I’m just wondering if you meant to put m&m’s there instead of chocolate chips? I also noticed that later on, you say put the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips in the tops of the cookies when they’re done baking. At what point are we supposed to put the first 1/4 cup in? I think you forgot to put that in there.
P.S. I am a huge fan of your recipes! They’re always super delicious and not too hard to make. Thank you for posting such yummy recipes!
Hey Katherine, thank you so much for pointing that out! Yes I did mean M&Ms 🙂 Thanks so much for your help and so happy you’ve enjoyed my recipes, that means the world to me, thanks!