M&M Cookies

By Eric Kim

Published Dec. 7, 2021

M&M Cookies
Anna Williams for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(2,811)
Comments
Read comments

These easy one-bowl cookies make the best gifts and add nostalgia to any cookie plate. But they’re also great for when you just want a really good homemade cookie as quickly as possible. This part is essential: The butter must be soft enough to whisk by hand. Use butter that’s been sitting at room temperature for a long while, even overnight or up to 24 hours. Chopping the M&M’s into rainbow shards creates a more even distribution of chocolate and candy coating throughout the dough. When these cookies bake, they will rise slightly then fall as they cool, one of the most beautiful indicators of deep chewiness.

Featured in: 24 Days of Cookies

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Ingredients

Yield:About 16 cookies
  • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter, very soft
  • 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
  • ¼packed cup/57 grams dark brown sugar
  • 1large egg, at room temperature
  • 1tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) or ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • ¼teaspoon baking soda
  • 1½cups/185 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½cup/96 grams M&M’s
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and salt by hand until smooth and fluffy, at least 1 minute. Whisk in the baking soda, then switch to a rubber spatula. Add the flour, then carefully and coarsely chop the M&M’s, and add them, too. Gently stir to combine. Place the bowl in the refrigerator while you wait for the oven to finish heating.

  3. Step 3

    Using two spoons or a cookie scoop, plop out 2-tablespoon/50-gram rounds spaced a couple of inches apart on the sheet pans. (You should get about 8 cookies per pan.) Bake until lightly golden at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the sheet pan; they will continue to cook as they sit.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,811 user ratings
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Comments

Marge Keller

The only modification I would make with this delicious recipe would be to use mini M&Ms instead of the regular size candy. You end up with more chocolate per bite. I also use mini chocolate chips in my chocolate chip cookie recipe as well. People tend to enjoy the smaller chocolate addition.

Carlie

I just made these for the fam today. I used mini M&Ms and only 150 grams of sugar (cos I don’t love things overly sweet), but otherwise followed the recipe. They were a huge hit. We couldn’t stop eating them. :/

Kelly

I followed the recipe as written and aesthetically these cookies turned out puffier and less attractive than the photos. Flavor and texture-wise were OK, but my family agreed that they were too sweet, and didn’t have enough M&Ms. If I made them again, I would: - Double the amount of M&Ms, and leave more whole (fewer chopped) - Reduce the amount of vanilla, maybe by a teaspoon - Cut the sugar by 1/4 cup - Increase the salt by a 1/4 teaspoon

Meyer

Another trick for softening butter - which I believe is better than the microwave oven: dice the butter in two by two centimeters cubes and put them into a bowl of warm water (baby bath temperature) till they are soft.

Chrissy A

Made with mostly 00 flour because I had less than 1/2 cup AP left (whoops), and these still came out great! I used light brown sugar (didn’t have dark) and reduced the white sugar by 1/2 cup. Used Trader Joe’s “chocolate coated candies” which are a bit bigger than M&Ms, I think - I didn’t chop, but would next time using those. Did half vanilla extract, half vanilla bean paste (Trader Joe’s again). I also added a few mini marshmallows to about half of my scoops; those were the most delightful cookies and gobbled up first. Overall this was a good recipe and scratched my M&M cookie itch! Chewy but crisp, perfection. Liked the strong vanilla flavor in the base dough. I’ll probably always make these with mini marshmallows moving forward.

VWF

I agree with a previous poster - this seems like a cookie intended for the grade school crowd. Just sweet. No depth.

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