Perfect M&M Cookies

Perfectly Delicious Cookies

A perfect cookie recipe can be a hard thing to find and definitely something to hang on to once you find one. The recipe for these M&M cookies fits the bill. These cookies are soft and chewy but with crispy edges; sweet (of course); and with crunchy chocolate M&M’s.

I highly recommend enjoying a M&M cookie with large glass of ice cold milk or a steaming mug of hot coffee (or a cinnamon dolce latte!). You’ll be making the cookies often so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to try either option.

If you don’t happen to have M&Ms in the house, try my kitchen sink cookies, with all the odds and ends you do happen to have. Simply delicious and fun!

Homemade M&M Cookies

Perfectly chewy! All cookies are delicious and I wouldn’t turn my nose up at any of them but chewy cookies are definitely more my thing. And that’s just the reason why I love this recipe! These cookies fall into the chewy camp (just like our snickerdoodles) and there’s a little secret to their chewiness. Wanna hear it? Of course you do!

The secret ingredient is cornstarch! It’s added right to the dry ingredients and no kidding, it really makes the difference. Try it and see if I’m not right in this.

More cookies with M&Ms! If you’re a fan of M&Ms (and who isn’t?), be sure to try these cookie recipes: trail mix cookies (they start with store-bought refrigerated dough); no-bake monster cookie energy balls, M&M peanut butter bars (with only 5 ingredients).

Ingredient Notes

• All-Purpose Flour: If you prefer, a combination of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat can be used (50/50).
• Cornstarch: Usually cornstarch is used to thicken sauces or to crisp up fried foods. This versatile product also makes perfectly chewy cookies. It’s like a magic powder! (Hint: Cornstarch is found in the baking aisle of the grocery store.)
• Baking Soda and Salt: While you don’t need much of these two ingredients, don’t leave them out! They add leavening and flavor to the cookies.
• Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: Make sure to pack the brown sugar firmly into the measuring cup.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter for baking unless otherwise instructed. Let it come to room temperature before using it. Rock hard cold butter is very hard to incorporate into cookie dough.
• Eggs: Check with your chickens and see if they have a couple of eggs to give you. Just kidding! Store-bought eggs are fine.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds great flavor to baked goods.
• M&Ms! You can use traditional M&Ms or mini M&Ms. (The cookies in the photos were made with traditional M&Ms.)

How To Make M&M Cookies

Cream butter and sugar, eggs and vanilla. Begin by creaming the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until they are incorporated.

Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

Combine. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture until it’s all mixed together.

Fold in M&Ms. Stir in the M&Ms by hand.

Chill dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill out in the fridge for a bit, 30 minutes minimum, but it can be longer than that too.

Preheat oven. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Lining baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat ensures that the cookies won’t stick. If you have a well-seasoned or nonstick baking sheet, you may be able to skip this step.

Form cookies. Scoop up a tablespoon (or so) of dough and form it into a ball. Nothing fancy here, dough balls that look vaguely round are fine.

Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, allowing room for the cookies to spread.

Bake. Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes or just until the edges are barely golden brown. The longer you bake them, the crispier they get. Let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Variations

• Use different M&Ms. Substitute mini M&Ms or another variety of your choice such as peanut butter M&Ms, dark chocolate M&Ms, mint M&Ms, and so. M&Ms come in seasonal colors, too, if you’re baking for the holidays.
• Whole wheat: Whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour can be substituted for half of the all-purpose flour.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Refrigerate/freeze the dough. Make the dough ahead and either refrigerate it for up to four days or freeze it for 3 months or even longer.

If you freeze the dough in one large lump, it’s best to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before shaping it and baking. Alternatively, form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and freeze them in a single layer on a baking pan. Once they are frozen, put them into a freezer safe storage container. Remove them from the freezer as needed and bake immediately. Add a minute or two to the baking time.

Storage Tips

After the baked cookies have completely cooled, store them in an airtight container. They’ll keep on the counter for up to a week and in the freezer for up to three months.

Tried and True!

Nothing makes me happier than hearing your feedback on my recipes, and I’m so glad these cookies are a hit with so many of you!

• “I made these tonight–they are delicious! Nice and soft and yummy. Thanks for sharing!!”
• “I have made these cookies twice now, and they are amazing. Don’t mess with the recipe – it is perfectly perfect.”
• “Wow..I’ve tried them..and they are perfect! I love them. I’m going to try using this recipe for other varieties of cookies . Thanks for this amazing recipe.”