These M&M Cookies are sweet with chewy interiors and crispy edges. They’ve got bright pops of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. These cookies are simple to make and you only need one bowl and a spoon — no hand or stand mixer required! They’re also great to customize for holidays or special events by using certain color M&M’s.

Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.

Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M’s 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 cookies because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten (haha).

M&M Cookie ingredients

• Butter not shortening: These cookies use butter which gives them a great flavor base and wonderful texture. I don’t recommend substituting margarine or shortening in these cookies.
• Maple syrup: Seems like a strange ingredient but it keeps these cookies ultra soft and chewy. It also adds a really delicious subtle sweetness different from the sugars.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than white sugar and thus will produce a chewier cookie than if you just used white sugar. 
• White sugar: We also include white sugar for cookie stability and to ensure the cookies aren’t overly sweet (using only brown sugar would result in extremely sweet cookies).
• Egg: Make sure to use a large egg in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: It’s added for flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
• Baking soda/baking powder: The leavening agents ensure these cookies bake properly
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure this ingredient accurately (more on this below). It’s the most important measurement to ensuring you get the perfect M&M cookies!

Tips for these cookies

• Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy, flat cookies.
• Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill to allow the butter to re-solidify so you don’t have flat cookies. The chilling time also allows the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper: This helps the cookies bake more evenly and keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

QUICK TIP

Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are most likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield cakey and less-flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. The printable recipe includes gram measurements if you prefer to measure using a scale.

Avoid flat M&M cookies

If your cookies come out flat, it’s most likely because the cookies did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again. Also, if the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, they’ll likely end up a bit flat and greasy.

Another reason these cookies could be flat is if the flour was under measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area. 

Keeping the M&M cookies soft

After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Once cooled, place cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature. For tips on how to “revive” no-longer-soft cookies, check out these tips from Cooks Illustrated.

I recommend freezing dough balls instead of freezing the baked cookies. To freeze: Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake: You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.)

M&M cookie variations

More delicious desserts

These M&M Cookies are sweet with chewy interiors and crispy edges. They’ve got bright pops of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. These cookies are simple to make and you only need one bowl and a spoon — no hand or stand mixer required! They’re also great to customize for holidays or special events by using certain color M&M’s.

Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.

Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M’s 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 cookies because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten (haha).

M&M Cookie ingredients

• Butter not shortening: These cookies use butter which gives them a great flavor base and wonderful texture. I don’t recommend substituting margarine or shortening in these cookies.
• Maple syrup: Seems like a strange ingredient but it keeps these cookies ultra soft and chewy. It also adds a really delicious subtle sweetness different from the sugars.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than white sugar and thus will produce a chewier cookie than if you just used white sugar. 
• White sugar: We also include white sugar for cookie stability and to ensure the cookies aren’t overly sweet (using only brown sugar would result in extremely sweet cookies).
• Egg: Make sure to use a large egg in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: It’s added for flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
• Baking soda/baking powder: The leavening agents ensure these cookies bake properly
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure this ingredient accurately (more on this below). It’s the most important measurement to ensuring you get the perfect M&M cookies!

Tips for these cookies

• Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy, flat cookies.
• Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill to allow the butter to re-solidify so you don’t have flat cookies. The chilling time also allows the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper: This helps the cookies bake more evenly and keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

QUICK TIP

Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are most likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield cakey and less-flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. The printable recipe includes gram measurements if you prefer to measure using a scale.

Avoid flat M&M cookies

If your cookies come out flat, it’s most likely because the cookies did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again. Also, if the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, they’ll likely end up a bit flat and greasy.

Another reason these cookies could be flat is if the flour was under measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area. 

Keeping the M&M cookies soft

After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Once cooled, place cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature. For tips on how to “revive” no-longer-soft cookies, check out these tips from Cooks Illustrated.

I recommend freezing dough balls instead of freezing the baked cookies. To freeze: Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake: You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.)

M&M cookie variations

More delicious desserts

These M&M Cookies are sweet with chewy interiors and crispy edges. They’ve got bright pops of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. These cookies are simple to make and you only need one bowl and a spoon — no hand or stand mixer required! They’re also great to customize for holidays or special events by using certain color M&M’s.

Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.

Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M’s 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 cookies because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten (haha).

M&M Cookie ingredients

• Butter not shortening: These cookies use butter which gives them a great flavor base and wonderful texture. I don’t recommend substituting margarine or shortening in these cookies.
• Maple syrup: Seems like a strange ingredient but it keeps these cookies ultra soft and chewy. It also adds a really delicious subtle sweetness different from the sugars.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than white sugar and thus will produce a chewier cookie than if you just used white sugar. 
• White sugar: We also include white sugar for cookie stability and to ensure the cookies aren’t overly sweet (using only brown sugar would result in extremely sweet cookies).
• Egg: Make sure to use a large egg in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: It’s added for flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
• Baking soda/baking powder: The leavening agents ensure these cookies bake properly
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure this ingredient accurately (more on this below). It’s the most important measurement to ensuring you get the perfect M&M cookies!

Tips for these cookies

• Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy, flat cookies.
• Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill to allow the butter to re-solidify so you don’t have flat cookies. The chilling time also allows the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper: This helps the cookies bake more evenly and keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

QUICK TIP

Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are most likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield cakey and less-flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. The printable recipe includes gram measurements if you prefer to measure using a scale.

Avoid flat M&M cookies

If your cookies come out flat, it’s most likely because the cookies did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again. Also, if the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, they’ll likely end up a bit flat and greasy.

Another reason these cookies could be flat is if the flour was under measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area. 

Keeping the M&M cookies soft

After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Once cooled, place cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature. For tips on how to “revive” no-longer-soft cookies, check out these tips from Cooks Illustrated.

I recommend freezing dough balls instead of freezing the baked cookies. To freeze: Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake: You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.)

M&M cookie variations

More delicious desserts

These M&M Cookies are sweet with chewy interiors and crispy edges. They’ve got bright pops of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. These cookies are simple to make and you only need one bowl and a spoon — no hand or stand mixer required! They’re also great to customize for holidays or special events by using certain color M&M’s.

Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.

Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M’s 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 cookies because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten (haha).

M&M Cookie ingredients

• Butter not shortening: These cookies use butter which gives them a great flavor base and wonderful texture. I don’t recommend substituting margarine or shortening in these cookies.
• Maple syrup: Seems like a strange ingredient but it keeps these cookies ultra soft and chewy. It also adds a really delicious subtle sweetness different from the sugars.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than white sugar and thus will produce a chewier cookie than if you just used white sugar. 
• White sugar: We also include white sugar for cookie stability and to ensure the cookies aren’t overly sweet (using only brown sugar would result in extremely sweet cookies).
• Egg: Make sure to use a large egg in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: It’s added for flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
• Baking soda/baking powder: The leavening agents ensure these cookies bake properly
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure this ingredient accurately (more on this below). It’s the most important measurement to ensuring you get the perfect M&M cookies!

Tips for these cookies

• Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy, flat cookies.
• Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill to allow the butter to re-solidify so you don’t have flat cookies. The chilling time also allows the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper: This helps the cookies bake more evenly and keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

QUICK TIP

Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are most likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield cakey and less-flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. The printable recipe includes gram measurements if you prefer to measure using a scale.

Avoid flat M&M cookies

If your cookies come out flat, it’s most likely because the cookies did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again. Also, if the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, they’ll likely end up a bit flat and greasy.

Another reason these cookies could be flat is if the flour was under measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area. 

Keeping the M&M cookies soft

After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Once cooled, place cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature. For tips on how to “revive” no-longer-soft cookies, check out these tips from Cooks Illustrated.

I recommend freezing dough balls instead of freezing the baked cookies. To freeze: Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake: You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.)

M&M cookie variations

More delicious desserts

These M&M Cookies are sweet with chewy interiors and crispy edges. They’ve got bright pops of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. These cookies are simple to make and you only need one bowl and a spoon — no hand or stand mixer required! They’re also great to customize for holidays or special events by using certain color M&M’s.

Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.

Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M’s 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 cookies because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten (haha).

M&M Cookie ingredients

• Butter not shortening: These cookies use butter which gives them a great flavor base and wonderful texture. I don’t recommend substituting margarine or shortening in these cookies.
• Maple syrup: Seems like a strange ingredient but it keeps these cookies ultra soft and chewy. It also adds a really delicious subtle sweetness different from the sugars.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than white sugar and thus will produce a chewier cookie than if you just used white sugar. 
• White sugar: We also include white sugar for cookie stability and to ensure the cookies aren’t overly sweet (using only brown sugar would result in extremely sweet cookies).
• Egg: Make sure to use a large egg in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: It’s added for flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
• Baking soda/baking powder: The leavening agents ensure these cookies bake properly
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure this ingredient accurately (more on this below). It’s the most important measurement to ensuring you get the perfect M&M cookies!

Tips for these cookies

• Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy, flat cookies.
• Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill to allow the butter to re-solidify so you don’t have flat cookies. The chilling time also allows the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper: This helps the cookies bake more evenly and keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

QUICK TIP

Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are most likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield cakey and less-flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. The printable recipe includes gram measurements if you prefer to measure using a scale.

Avoid flat M&M cookies

If your cookies come out flat, it’s most likely because the cookies did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again. Also, if the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, they’ll likely end up a bit flat and greasy.

Another reason these cookies could be flat is if the flour was under measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area. 

Keeping the M&M cookies soft

After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Once cooled, place cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature. For tips on how to “revive” no-longer-soft cookies, check out these tips from Cooks Illustrated.

I recommend freezing dough balls instead of freezing the baked cookies. To freeze: Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake: You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.)

M&M cookie variations

More delicious desserts

These M&M Cookies are sweet with chewy interiors and crispy edges. They’ve got bright pops of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. These cookies are simple to make and you only need one bowl and a spoon — no hand or stand mixer required! They’re also great to customize for holidays or special events by using certain color M&M’s.

Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.

Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M’s 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 cookies because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten (haha).

M&M Cookie ingredients

• Butter not shortening: These cookies use butter which gives them a great flavor base and wonderful texture. I don’t recommend substituting margarine or shortening in these cookies.
• Maple syrup: Seems like a strange ingredient but it keeps these cookies ultra soft and chewy. It also adds a really delicious subtle sweetness different from the sugars.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than white sugar and thus will produce a chewier cookie than if you just used white sugar. 
• White sugar: We also include white sugar for cookie stability and to ensure the cookies aren’t overly sweet (using only brown sugar would result in extremely sweet cookies).
• Egg: Make sure to use a large egg in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: It’s added for flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
• Baking soda/baking powder: The leavening agents ensure these cookies bake properly
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure this ingredient accurately (more on this below). It’s the most important measurement to ensuring you get the perfect M&M cookies!

Tips for these cookies

• Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy, flat cookies.
• Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill to allow the butter to re-solidify so you don’t have flat cookies. The chilling time also allows the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper: This helps the cookies bake more evenly and keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

QUICK TIP

Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are most likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield cakey and less-flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. The printable recipe includes gram measurements if you prefer to measure using a scale.

Avoid flat M&M cookies

If your cookies come out flat, it’s most likely because the cookies did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again. Also, if the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, they’ll likely end up a bit flat and greasy.

Another reason these cookies could be flat is if the flour was under measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area. 

Keeping the M&M cookies soft

After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Once cooled, place cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature. For tips on how to “revive” no-longer-soft cookies, check out these tips from Cooks Illustrated.

I recommend freezing dough balls instead of freezing the baked cookies. To freeze: Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake: You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.)

M&M cookie variations

More delicious desserts

These M&M Cookies are sweet with chewy interiors and crispy edges. They’ve got bright pops of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. These cookies are simple to make and you only need one bowl and a spoon — no hand or stand mixer required! They’re also great to customize for holidays or special events by using certain color M&M’s.

Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.

Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M’s 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 cookies because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten (haha).

M&M Cookie ingredients

• Butter not shortening: These cookies use butter which gives them a great flavor base and wonderful texture. I don’t recommend substituting margarine or shortening in these cookies.
• Maple syrup: Seems like a strange ingredient but it keeps these cookies ultra soft and chewy. It also adds a really delicious subtle sweetness different from the sugars.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than white sugar and thus will produce a chewier cookie than if you just used white sugar. 
• White sugar: We also include white sugar for cookie stability and to ensure the cookies aren’t overly sweet (using only brown sugar would result in extremely sweet cookies).
• Egg: Make sure to use a large egg in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: It’s added for flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
• Baking soda/baking powder: The leavening agents ensure these cookies bake properly
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure this ingredient accurately (more on this below). It’s the most important measurement to ensuring you get the perfect M&M cookies!

Tips for these cookies

• Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy, flat cookies.
• Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill to allow the butter to re-solidify so you don’t have flat cookies. The chilling time also allows the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper: This helps the cookies bake more evenly and keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

QUICK TIP

Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are most likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield cakey and less-flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. The printable recipe includes gram measurements if you prefer to measure using a scale.

Avoid flat M&M cookies

If your cookies come out flat, it’s most likely because the cookies did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again. Also, if the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, they’ll likely end up a bit flat and greasy.

Another reason these cookies could be flat is if the flour was under measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area. 

Keeping the M&M cookies soft

After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Once cooled, place cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature. For tips on how to “revive” no-longer-soft cookies, check out these tips from Cooks Illustrated.

I recommend freezing dough balls instead of freezing the baked cookies. To freeze: Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake: You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.)

M&M cookie variations

More delicious desserts

These M&M Cookies are sweet with chewy interiors and crispy edges. They’ve got bright pops of crunchy M&M’s® and melty milk chocolate chips. These cookies are simple to make and you only need one bowl and a spoon — no hand or stand mixer required! They’re also great to customize for holidays or special events by using certain color M&M’s.

Try our other favorite cookie recipes next: snickerdoodles, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or pistachio cookies.

Every year after our first day back to school, my mom would surprise us with either M&M’s 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 cookies because it also meant there was a bag of the rest of the M&M’s somewhere that could also be eaten (haha).

M&M Cookie ingredients

• Butter not shortening: These cookies use butter which gives them a great flavor base and wonderful texture. I don’t recommend substituting margarine or shortening in these cookies.
• Maple syrup: Seems like a strange ingredient but it keeps these cookies ultra soft and chewy. It also adds a really delicious subtle sweetness different from the sugars.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar has a higher moisture content than white sugar and thus will produce a chewier cookie than if you just used white sugar. 
• White sugar: We also include white sugar for cookie stability and to ensure the cookies aren’t overly sweet (using only brown sugar would result in extremely sweet cookies).
• Egg: Make sure to use a large egg in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: It’s added for flavor.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to keep these cookies soft and chewy.
• Baking soda/baking powder: The leavening agents ensure these cookies bake properly
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to measure this ingredient accurately (more on this below). It’s the most important measurement to ensuring you get the perfect M&M cookies!

Tips for these cookies

• Let the melted butter cool: Once the butter is melted, it needs to cool back to room temperature. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy, flat cookies.
• Chill the dough: Since we melted the butter, the dough needs time to chill to allow the butter to re-solidify so you don’t have flat cookies. The chilling time also allows the flavors and textures to meld together and intensify.
• Bake on a Silpat® liner or parchment paper: This helps the cookies bake more evenly and keep the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown.

QUICK TIP

Measure carefully: The most important measurement is the flour. If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour you are most likely packing in way too much flour– which will yield cakey and less-flavorful cookies. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a table knife. The printable recipe includes gram measurements if you prefer to measure using a scale.

Avoid flat M&M cookies

If your cookies come out flat, it’s most likely because the cookies did not chill long enough. Since there is melted butter in the batter, it needs a chance to firm up again. Also, if the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, they’ll likely end up a bit flat and greasy.

Another reason these cookies could be flat is if the flour was under measured. One other factor that comes into play is if you live in a high-altitude area. 

Keeping the M&M cookies soft

After baking the cookies, let them cool completely on a wire rack (this will keep the bottoms from getting soggy from the steam). Once cooled, place cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature. For tips on how to “revive” no-longer-soft cookies, check out these tips from Cooks Illustrated.

I recommend freezing dough balls instead of freezing the baked cookies. To freeze: Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls into an airtight container/bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake: You can bake the cookies straight from the freezer; just add 1-3 minutes onto the cooking time. (Or thaw the dough in the fridge and bake according to directions.)

M&M cookie variations

More delicious desserts

The best soft, chewy, and thick Snickerdoodles. Sharing all my tips and tricks for making delicious snickerdoodle cookies with chewy centers and perfectly crisp edges!

Once you’ve become hooked on these snickerdoodles, try these other delicious cookies: oatmeal cookies, chewy chocolate chip cookies, or white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. And if it’s Snickerdoodles you have a hankering for, I have more: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles and Caramel Snickerdoodles are both based on the original recipe but have their own unique twist.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Snickerdoodles have always been just an “okay” cookie for me; I’d much rather have mine stuffed (or dipped) in as much chocolate as possible. But when my soon-to-be brother-in-law said snickerdoodles are one of his favorites, I set out to perfect the snickerdoodle cookie.

My sister and her fiancé are having a cookie bar at their reception with 10 different kinds of cookies and I volunteered to develop the recipes and make the cookies (luckily I have a lot of help on the baking!). I’ve been working on my final cookie recipes for months. (I get way too excited over these kinds of things!)

So I’ve worked on Snickerdoodles for a few months now and have made dozens of batches, trying to get them just right. And if I’m being honest, these cookies have not only converted me to a Snickerdoodle lover, but they’ve also been deemed by the almost brother-in-law to be the “BEST EVER.” These Snickerdoodles have just the right amount of cinnamon and are soft on the inside with perfectly crisp edges. The flavor is incredible, and the texture is unbelievable.

If you’ve never experienced the joy of a Snickerdoodle, you might be wondering what they taste like. Well, they’re buttery and sugary with a hint of vanilla and a little tang from the cream of tartar. The dough has a hint of cinnamon and the unbaked dough is rolled in cinnamon sugar before being baked, further enhancing the cinnamon flavor.

First things first: Snickerdoodles are sometimes confused with sugar cookies since they have a lot of the same basic ingredients.

What’s the difference between a sugar cookie and a Snickerdoodle?

There are two main differences between sugar cookies and snickerdoodle cookies. First, Snickerdoodles contain cream of tartar, which gives the flavor that signature tang. Secondly, Snickerdoodles are rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mixture, making the cinnamon flavor stand out strongly. Sugar cookies rarely have cream of tartar and don’t contain cinnamon.

So you might be wondering…

Why are Snickerdoodles called Snickerdoodles?

The Joy of Cooking writes that Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, but it’s also very possible that the name is simply a nonsense word without any particular meaning.

Before we get started on the process and talking tips, let’s talk about the ingredients!

Snickerdoodles are made of:

• Butter: Use unsalted butter to ensure you perfectly control the amount of salt. (If you use salted butter, omit the extra salt addition.)
• White sugar
• Brown sugar
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk: The extra yolk adds so much flavor. Use leftover whites in these Spinach and Feta Wraps
• Pure vanilla extract: for flavor!
• White all-purpose flour: Make sure to spoon and level this measurement so you’re getting the right amount of flour.
• Cream of tartar: This is what gives these Snickerdoodles that classic “tangy” flavor; it’s also a stabilizer.
• Salt: To intensify all the ingredients’ flavors
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon: It’s added to the dough and the topping– for extra flavor!

QUICK TIP

What is cream of tartar, anyway?  It’s a dry, powdery, acidic byproduct of fermenting grapes into wine. (Note: there is no alcohol content in cream of tartar.)  It’s official name is potassium bitartrate or tartaric acid. It’s often used in cooking as a stabilizer. For instance, recipes for homemade whipped cream or whipped egg whites often call or cream of tartar to keep the fluffiness from deflating.

How to make Snickerdoodles

For these cookies, we start with partially melted butter. I don’t melt it all the way, because it tends to make the cookies a bit greasy. 

It may seem silly to melt the butter and then let it firm up a bit. Why not just use softened butter, then? Well, melted butter adds an incredible texture to these snickerdoodle cookies. But if you add hot melted butter to the batter, it melts the sugars, and that creates greasy cookies. So, let the melted butter sit for a minute or so to cool down. When you add that melted-but-cooled butter to a cookie recipe, chilling the dough is a MUST before baking. This matters because the fats need to re-solidify. If the dough is baked immediately with melted butter in it, the cookies will spread while baking and become thin, hard, and crispy. The longer the fat stays solid, the less the cookies will spread.

The sugar in the dough also gradually absorbs liquid so when you chill the dough, the sugar has a chance to absorb more liquid, further preventing spread.

Who knew so much science was involved in baking cookies?!

Baking Tips

• Correctly measure the flour: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour, you will pack in way too much flour (which will result in cake-like cookies with the wrong texture). To accurately measure the flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it’s overfilled. Then use the back of a table knife to level the measuring cup at the top. You’ll have a perfect flour measurement now!
• Use room temperature eggs: This ensures the eggs disperse more evenly into the batter and gives these Snickerdoodles a lighter texture (the eggs trap air). Soaking refrigerated eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for about 10 minutes is a quick way to warm them. Otherwise, pull the eggs out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before use.
• Roll tall cookie dough balls: Instead of rolling a perfectly round ball, I’ve found if you roll the dough so it’s taller and skinnier, when the cookies bake you’ll get that perfect thick and chewy center AND the crisp edges. Using this technique, the bottom of the cookie ball bakes first, which will push out and become the crisp edge. The top of that tall cookie dough ball then becomes the thick and chewy center. Perfect texture every time! (See the second picture in this post for how I roll my cookie dough balls.)

Testing began with these cookies on Genius Kitchen and evolved to become this recipe! 

More Delicious Cookie Recipes