Christmas M&M Cookies
They may be simple, but these fun and festive Christmas M&M Cookies are always a holiday favorite with my friends and family!
Soft, thick, and packed with colorfully festive candies, Christmas M&M Cookies are the quintessential holiday cookie! Made with simple ingredients from your pantry and classic M&M candies, these delicious cookies only take 20 minutes to make!
FUN AND FULL OF CHEER
From childhood, we are conditioned to believe that a freshly baked cookie speckled with colorful M&M candies is the closest thing to Heaven, and it’s true! Even as a grown-up, I can’t resist this colorful cookie! These cookies are way more dangerous as an adult because I know I can have a fresh batch of these bad boys ready in 20 minutes!
If you love M&M studded treats, then you’ve got to try Double Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies and White Chocolate M&M Cookies.
OTHER RECIPES TO SERVE WITH M&M COOKIES
- Homemade Hot Chocolate – This homemade hot chocolate is the perfect pairing to any freshly baked holiday treat.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Hot Chocolate Bombs – If you’re baking to share, these hot chocolate bombs are a great addition to your cookie gift bags!
- Eggnog Cookies – Unique to the holiday season, these delicious cookies are flavored with eggnog and rum!
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients: You’ll need flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and granulated sugar from your pantry.
Wet Ingredients: Grab some softened butter, a large egg, and vanilla extract.
Candies: They won’t be Christmas M&M Cookies without classic red and green holiday M&Ms!
HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS M&M COOKIES
STEP ONE: Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt, and then set that aside for now.
STEP TWO: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Once that mix is smooth, add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat this mixture together until it is fluffy. Slowly add the flour in thirds, incorporating it into the dough by mixing well after each addition until it is all mixed in. Once the dough is mixed, fold the holiday M&Ms into the dough until they are evenly distributed throughout.
STEP THREE: With the dough ready, use a tablespoon to drop heaping spoonfuls of dough onto the lined baking sheet. Push extra M&Ms on top of the cookie dough as desired and bake them for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
STEP FOUR: When the cookies are done baking, remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm for the perfect holiday treat!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- It is important to cream the butter, sugar, and egg mixture well to get these Christmas M&M Cookies to stay nice and thick.
- Don’t worry about how many M&Ms are in each scoop of dough when you’re portioning the cookies because you can always add more candies to the top.
- This recipe will yield about 18 thick, soft and delicious cookies.
HOW LONG DO CHRISTMAS M&M COOKIES LAST
These delicious holiday cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days if stored at room temperature in an airtight container. M&M cookies are perfect as gifts and for holiday cookie exchanges. If you end up baking too many sweet treats this season, you can freeze these cookies in an airtight container for up to three months!
M&M COOKIE SHAKE UP
The truth is that this is a year-round recipe! M&Ms are always in stock, so this recipe is truly evergreen. My favorite thing about this recipe, though, is that it gives me an excuse to try all the crazy seasonal M&M flavors that they come out with each year!
Red and green plain M&M’s are the classic Christmas mix, but they usually come out with holiday flavors too! I’ve seen mint, fudge brownies, cookies and cream, and even orange vanilla flavored M&Ms! If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you never know what you’ll impulse buy from the holiday aisle at Target.
OTHER CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES
- Salted Caramel & Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Butter Pecan Cookies
- Chocolate Frosted Christmas Cookies
- Peppermint Sugar Cookies
- Christmas Wreath Cookies
- Spritz Cookies
Christmas M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup brown sugar firmly packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup holiday M&Ms plus more for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in 2 additions, mixing until just combined after each addition. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir in the M&Ms by hand until evenly distributed.
- Drop the cookie dough using a cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon each) onto the prepared baking sheet. Push some extra M&Ms on top, that way they'll show when the cookies are baked.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the tops are no longer shiny and the edges are slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
