M&M Christmas Cookies Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published December 3, 2022. Updated November 15, 2023

Homemade M&M Christmas Cookies – A soft and chewy cookie that’s much like a chocolate chip cookie but replaced with crisp-shelled, sweet, multi-colored M&M’s instead of chocolate chips. They are an absolute treat and so fun for people of all ages!

Favorite M&M Cookie Recipe

These are my favorite cookie from childhood that always satisfies those cookie cravings!

They can be made with regular-sized M&M’s or mini M&M’s, milk chocolate or dark chocolate flavor, and the great part is that you can use any color. It’s fun to switch the M&M’s out with different colors to complement the latest holiday.

You’ll love that they’re perfectly sweet, deliciously buttery, generously sized, and have the perfect texture. Truly a highlight of any celebration or weekend!

This is a cookie that checks all the boxes. Temptingly tasty, fun, and festive. Plus, they’re easy to make!

What’s not to love?

M&M Cookie Recipe Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Light brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Egg and egg yolk
• Vanilla extract
• M&M’s (milk chocolate or dark chocolate)

How to Make M&M Christmas Cookies

1. Whisk dry ingredients: In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Mix butter and sugars: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended.
3. Add liquids: Mix in egg, then mix in egg yolk and vanilla extract.
4. Blend mixtures: Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix just until combined. Then add half of the M&M’s (about 3/4 cup) and mix in.
5. Scoop dough out 3 Tbsp at a time and shape into balls. Press in remaining M&M’s randomly around each dough ball.
6. Transfer to a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a large flat plate), cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
7. During the last 15 minutes of chilling preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Transfer 10 dough balls to lined baking sheet, spacing 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven until done to desired liking, about 13 to 16 minutes.
9. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining cookie dough balls.

Helpful Tips for the Best M and M Cookies

• No need to whip butter and sugar until pale you just want to blend it for a chewy cookie that isn’t overly fluffy.
• To keep cookies from over-spreading don’t skip chilling the cookie dough balls. And if at high altitude use the greater amount of flour listed (I’m at 5,000 ft and 2 1/2 cups works well for me).
• A tip to keep them soft for a few days is to add a slice of bread to the storage container (just don’t place the slice directly atop any of the cookies or lay a piece of parchment beneath it). Crazy enough the moisture of the bread seems to transfer to the cookies and the bread goes stale.

Possible Christmas Cookie Variations

• Add chocolate chips: White chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate.
• Include multi-color jimmies sprinkles: I recommend adding some to the exterior (roll or press them in to stick before chilling).
• Make cookies larger or smaller: Just adjust bake time accordingly. Even bite size cookies with mini M&M’s would be so fun (smaller shouldn’t need much chill time).
• Add nuts: Mix in 1 cups chopped walnuts or pecans when adding M&M’s.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Cookie dough can be made up to 3 months in advance and frozen, or refrigerated for 3 days.
• Baked cookies can also be frozen, up to 2 months.
• Store fresh baked cookies in an airtight container up to 4 days max.

More Tempting Christmas Cookies to Try

• Bite Size Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• No Bake Cookies
• Red Velvet Cookies
• Sugar Cookies