M&M Christmas Cookies
M&M Christmas cookies are a classic holiday dessert perfect for gifting. This simple cookie recipe is loaded with red and green M&M candies!
‘Tis the season of giving! I absolutely love giving baked goods this time of year. As my baking giving list grows, I need a simple recipe that makes a lot of cookies. These Christmas M&M cookies are just the trick! Christmas M&M cookies are soft, chewy cookies packed with red and green M&M candies. It’s a simple recipe that doubles (and triples) quite easily!
How to make M&M Christmas cookies
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in dry ingredients just until combined, then stir in M&M candies.
- Chill the cookie dough: Cover the bowl and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bake cookies: Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and bake cookies for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve.
Helpful tips
M&M Christmas cookies are best when the you chill the cookie dough. It helps make thick, chewy cookies. For consistency, chill the cookie dough between baking batches of cookies. Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. This is more accurate than measuring ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, other M&M colors and flavors may be used in this recipe.
Whisk a teaspoon of cornstarch in with the flour for softer cookies.
Chill the cookie dough before baking. Also, an egg yolk makes chewier cookies.
Place the cookie dough in an airtight container or wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before scooping and baking.
Related recipes
Baking with M&M’s add a seasonal flair to your desserts (I did a similar recipe with these Easter cookies). If you want a peanut butter cookie, try my peanut M&M cookies. They are so thick and soft! You can also add M&Ms to monster cookie bars or magic cookie bars. If you are looking for more Christmas cookies, try my peanut butter reindeer cookies, which have red M&M candies as the nose!
Cookies aren’t the only thing you can give this year. I chose to give back to a charity this year, Cookies for Kid’s Cancer. The non-profit organization was founded by a mom whose 2-year-old son battled cancer. She and her husband pledged to support the funding of research for safer, more effective treatments for children battling cancer. To kickstart the funding, she and 250 volunteers baked and sold 96,000 cookies, raising more than $400,000 for research.
Now if that’s not a reason to bake cookies, I don’t know what is! This holiday season I encourage you to give cookies not only to your family and friends, but also those outside your circle of loved ones. This holiday season, donate to Cookies for Kid’s Cancer. I personally love the idea of hosting a holiday bake sale to raise money for the charity!
Get the Recipe: M&M Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (280 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup M&M's
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat on medium speed the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until combined, 20 to 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the dough. Careful not to over beat. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the M&M’s by hand.
- Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.1
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop a heaping tablespoons of the chilled cookie dough. Shape it into a ball, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat placing each ball of cookie dough about 2-inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.2
2 Comments on “M&M Christmas Cookies”
This recipe was amazing!!!! I was reluctant to refrigerate these cookies because I wanted them ASAP but it was so worth it. They are so chewy and delicious. Love this recipe!!