Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Sweet without being cloying thanks to just the right amount of salt.
Texture: Ultra soft in the center and chewy throughout with studs of slightly crunchy M&Ms and gooey chocolate chips throughout.
Ease: Super duper easy and if you ever struggle with cookie baking, I’ve got tons of tips below.
Appearance: So festive and fun without any decorating skills or effort!
Pros: Fun, festive, and tasty recipe you’ll want to make year round.
Cons: None… except these cookies really are best when you have enough patience to chill the dough for at least 24 hours.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
M&M Christmas Cookies are the perfect easy last-minute cookie you need this time of year.
Is there anything better than Christmas cookie season?
My ideal December night involves baking cookies while blasting Christmas music (surely annoying my neighbors in the process) and then eating a couple cookies warm and fresh from the oven with a cold glass of milk.
There’s truly nothing better! Except maybe going to or hosting a cookie party where you get to sample tons of different cookies. Oh, how I adore this time of year.
I’ve included TONS of cookie baking tips below, to all but guarantee these to be your best Christmas cookies ever. Believe me, I’ve got quite a few to share after writing an entire 200+ page cookbook on cookie baking.
These M&M Christmas Cookies are soooo good, you’ll be making them again and again!
How to Make Easy M&M Christmas Cookies
How to Make SOFT, CHEWY M&M Christmas Cookies
- Measure your flour correctly by weighing it with a digital scale. If you don’t have one, use the spoon and level method (learn more about that here) to avoid creating cakey, dense, or tough M&M Christmas Cookies that don’t spread.
- Don’t skip the cornstarch! Cornstarch is a tenderizing ingredient that helps create an ultra-soft, chewy cookie.
- Don’t skip the extra egg yolk. This adds moisture and richness, for a soft and chewy texture.
- Don’t overbake. I prefer to take them out of the oven just before they look done, while the top center still looks a bit ‘wet.’ The residual heat of the oven and pan will continue to cook the cookies to soft and slightly gooey-in-the-middle perfection.
Butter Temperature is KEY to THICK Chewy Cookies
If your butter gets too warm at any stage before baking your cookies, you’ll likely end up with flat sad M&M Christmas Cookies. You want to be sure to start with butter at a cool room temperature, about 67°F. Then keep the dough around that temperature until it hits the oven.
In the image below, both cookies came from the same batch of dough, baked (separately) in the same oven at the same temperature for the same amount of time. The only difference? The cookie on top came from the last bit of dough that had sat on the counter near a sunny window for about half an hour before baking. In that time, the dough warmed up considerably and the resulting cookies look melted and flattened. So if you’re baking multiple batches of cookies, pop the remaining dough in the fridge while they wait to enter the oven.
Why You Should Chill Your Cookie Dough!
It might be a little annoying to see that I recommend chilling the dough for a minimum of 24 hours in this recipe – but believe me, it makes a big difference here. Both the taste and texture will improve during this time. Think of it as a marinating time where everything just gets better and better!! If you can’t wait, bake off a few cookies to satisfy your craving now, then save the rest for baking after the dough has marinated.
Check out my full article explaining the magic of chilling your cookie dough HERE.
Quick Tip for Picture Perfect Cookies!
Dotting each M&M Christmas Cookie dough ball with more chocolate chips and/or M&Ms on top prior to baking makes more beautiful and perfect-looking cookies. Press the chocolate chips and/or M&Ms into the top of the ball of dough closer together than you think, as they’ll spread apart as the cookie bakes and spreads.
If refrigerating or freezing your dough, wait to dot each ball until right before baking as the M&M colors can bleed into your cookie.
Get more tips in my How to Bake Picture Perfect Cookies article.
What Type of M&Ms do I Need for M&M Christmas Cookies?
I used regular-size green and red Christmas M&Ms for this recipe, but you could also use mini, peanut butter, or peanut M&Ms if you prefer! Just depends on your texture preferences.
How to Store M&M Christmas Cookies
M&M Christmas Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and will stay soft for up to 3 days. If you need to store these cookies longer, see the freezing instructions just below.
How to Freeze M&M Christmas Cookies
- Make the cookie dough as the recipe directs. Use a spring-loaded cookie scoop to portion out balls of dough, and place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Cover the tray well with plastic wrap, to prevent the dough balls from drying out in the fridge, and chill for 24-72 hours.
- Place the tray of cookie dough balls in the freezer. Freeze until firm and solid.
- Remove the balls of cookie dough to a labeled and dated airtight container.
- M&M Christmas Cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
More Christmas Recipes You’ll Love:
- Christmas Brownies
- Loaded Peanut Butter Christmas Cookie Bars
- Christmas Funfetti Sheet Cake
- Crispy Gingersnaps
- Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Icing
- Gingerbread Cookies
P.S. Check out ALL my Christmas desserts HERE!
M&M Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups (380 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (247 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 (12 oz or 340 gram) bag Christmas M&M® candies
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- If baking the cookie dough immediately, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl before adding in the vanilla, eggs, and egg yolk, beating well after each addition, and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the M&M candies and chocolate chips with a rubber spatula, reserving about 1/4 cup M&Ms to garnish each cookie dough ball.
- For best results, if time permits, wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. This will improve both the flavor and texture of the cookies. Let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop.*
- Using a spring-loaded scoop, divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Press a few extra M&M candies into the top of each ball of dough.
- Bake at 350°F for about 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown but still ever so slightly wet looking on top. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Recipe Notes
- Make the cookie dough as the recipe directs, portion out the dough balls, and place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Cover the tray well with plastic wrap, to prevent the dough balls from drying out in the fridge, and chill for 24-72 hours.
- Place the tray of cookie dough balls in the freezer. Freeze until firm and solid.
- Remove the balls of cookie dough to a labeled and dated airtight container.
- Cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
This post was published in 2021 and has been updated with additional recipe tips. Photos by Joanie Simon | The Bite Shot
M&M Christmas Cookies Made By Our Community!
Tag @handletheheat and use the hashtag #handletheheat for a chance to be featured!
An obvious switch, but this recipe works great for all holidays! This batch had Cupids blend m&m’s for Valentine’s Day and they are absolutely adorable. Everyone always loves these cookies!
So pretty! They look delicious, Kate!
Hi! I made the dough and it came out super wet and not particularly doughy. I followed the measurements exactly but substituted margarine for the butter. Could this be the culprit? The dough is in the fridge now. Will update after baking.
Hi Carly! We haven’t tested these cookies with margarine, and I do suspect that was the culprit. I hope you will give these cookies another try using butter sometime – they really are delicious 🙂
Hello, I am going to make this recipe and freeze an additional batch. How long do you recommend thawing the dough before you put it in the oven?
Hi Steph! You can let the dough defrost for a couple of hours at room temp (or overnight in the fridge), or you can bake directly from frozen! Check out more details here. Enjoy your cookies!
LOVE these cookies. I always make a double batch so I can have some in the freezer and bust them out with the craving strikes!
This is the third M&M cookie’s recipe that I’ve tried and while they are all good. Tess’s is the best. I let the dough rest overtime before baking. The cookies were thicker than the other recipes. Definitely a keeper.
I made this recipe this evening and included some cinnamon for that extra festive feel and they turned out great 🙂