These rainbow M&M cookies are soft-baked style with extra chewy edges. We recommend mini M&Ms so you can pack more into each cookie. Chilling the cookie dough for 2 hours is an imperative step, so make sure you set aside enough time.
This was one of the first recipes ever published on my website. It’s always been a favorite, but I recently began adding a little extra baking soda and flour so the cookies hold shape better. (You’ll see 1 teaspoon of baking soda and an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour listed in the written recipe below.) I figured you’d want a reminder about these cookies or, if you’re new to my website, a little encouragement to try them!
One reader, Austin, commented: “These are probably some of the best cookies I’ve ever had. Even the next day they are so incredibly soft and chewy. I have made many cookies in my day (too many), and these make the top 3 easily. ★★★★★”
Here’s What to Expect:
- Texture: Think about a soft-baked chocolate chip cookie. Truly, does anything compare? These M&M cookies have the same tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. They’re extra chewy with dozens of mini M&Ms packed in each cookie. Do you crave even more texture? You’ll enjoy my oatmeal M&M cookies.
- Flavor: I use extra brown sugar in this cookie dough, so you’ll taste that warm and classic flavor in each bite. Pair that with plenty of butter and oodles of chocolate candies.
- Ease: We have a pretty straightforward cookie dough here. After chilling the dough, roll into balls, then bake. A beginner could easily master this recipe.
- Time: Set aside enough time to chill this cookie dough. It’s a fairly sticky dough and without time in the refrigerator, your cookies will melt all over the baking sheet.
Soft-Baked M&M Cookies – Key Ingredients
A few ingredients add to their signature flavor and texture. Here’s how:
- Flour: I used to prepare this cookie dough with 2 cups of flour, but started adding another 2 Tablespoons. This helps soak up more liquid (butter, egg) so the cookies stay thicker.
- Cornstarch: A touch of cornstarch helps create a softer, thicker cookie. I add it to many of my cookie recipes, including these super soft chocolate chip cookies. By the way, that cookie dough is pretty similar to this one. Here we’re using a little more flour, sugar, and an extra egg yolk. (And thus yields more cookies.)
- Butter: Room temperature butter is the base of this cookie recipe.
- Granulated & Brown Sugar: Sugar does more than sweeten the cookies. The granulated sugar helps them spread and the brown sugar keeps them soft. For extra soft and tender cookies, we use more brown sugar than white granulated sugar here.
- 1 Egg + 1 Extra Egg Yolk: Have you ever baked my chewy chocolate chip cookies before? They’re the most popular cookie recipe on this website. I swear by using 1 extra egg yolk in that dough because it helps bind the ingredients and maintains a moist, chewy cookie. We’re doing the same thing here.
- Mini M&Ms: You can use any M&Ms, but I recommend mini so there’s more in each bite. If the M&Ms are larger, such as peanut M&Ms or peanut butter M&Ms, roughly chop them first. If desired, grab an extra 2 Tablespoons of M&Ms and press a few into the top of each cookie when they’re warm from the oven. This is purely for looks!
Success Tip: Chill The Dough!
The cookie dough is pretty soft, so make sure you take the time to chill it in the refrigerator. The cookies will spread into puddles otherwise. If you don’t have time to chill the dough, I recommend making these soft baked M&M cookie bars instead.
After chilling, roll the cookie dough into balls and bake:
Small, Medium, & Large
Do you have a copy of Sally’s Cookie Addiction cookbook? If so, you’ll see Giant M&M Cookies on page 31. My cookbook recipe yields massive cookies, but today’s are regular/medium size. Do you like teeny tiny treats? Try these mini M&M cookies instead. They’re bite-size cookies and the dough doesn’t require chilling in the refrigerator. All 3 recipes pretty much use the same exact ingredients, just in different quantities and ratios. You can’t go wrong with any, especially if you love M&M cookies!
And if you need a gluten free option, try these flourless monster cookies.
Print
Soft-Baked M&M Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These rainbow M&M cookies are soft-baked style with extra chewy edges. I recommend mini M&Ms so you can pack more into each cookie. Chilling the cookie dough for 2 hours is an imperative step, so make sure you set aside enough time.
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (230g) mini M&Ms (plus 2 Tablespoons for topping, optional)
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed until creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar, then beat on medium-high speed until creamy and combined, about 2 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Pour in 1 cup M&Ms and beat on low speed for 20 seconds or until combined. Once completely combined, cover cookie dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 5 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. I like to use a medium cookie scoop here. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. While the cookies are still warm, press the remaining 2 Tablespoons of M&Ms into the tops of the cookies. This is optional and just for looks. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Allow to come to room temperature and continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Keep Dough Cold: It’s best to keep unused cookie dough in the refrigerator as the batches are baking.
- Add Chocolate Chips: You can easily add chocolate chips to this cookie dough. I recommend reducing the amount of M&Ms to 3/4 cup and adding 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Stick with about 1 – 1.5 cups total add-ins.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
My grand kids love this cookie! They do tend to overspread for me, so I really appreciated tips on preventing overspreading.
Can I double this batch to make my grands happy?☺️
Hi Bonnie! Cookie recipes usually double well, yes!
I love the colors that M&Ms add to any recipe; however; with all the candy that has red and yellow dyes added, to mention a few, I wish there was another alternative to this recipe and still keep the colors.
Hi Carol, there are some dye-free chocolate coated candies on the market. They would work well here. Or, you could use dye-free sprinkles, too.
There is a brand called Unreal that sells similar coated candies without the dye. I’ve seen them at target and Whole Foods
FYI: To get 30 cookies, one ball should be about 30g.
I bake often. Butter right temperature, rested in the fridge for almost 4 hours. These were a greasy mess and spread. Made snickerdoodles the same day and they came out perfect.
Question – Would it work to add shredded coconut and/or Heath bits to these cookies, along with the mini M&Ms?
Hi Jan, absolutely. Keep the total amount of add-ins about the same (1 cup).
These are delicious and soft in the middle, just as my kids like them. They didn’t last long !
These were excellent cookies! They’re definitely soft and chewy. I used regular size M&M’s but next time I’ll use mini’s so there’s more in each bite. I did a full video review on my YouTube channel, The Real Deal Recipe Reviews, where I always try to make recipes as written and give honest reviews and opinions. These are highly recommended!
Love this delicious recipe. What’s the best amount of time to refrigerate dough before baking? 2 hours or 24 hours?
Hi Jasmine, the dough should be good to bake anywhere in that time frame. It needs at least 2 hours to chill, and after that, the longer it’s in the fridge the harder it will be to scoop. You can let it sit out at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before scooping and rolling if the dough has been in the fridge for a while.
Not sure how anyone got this recipe to work. Experienced baker. Followed the recipe precisely. Cookies were greasy and spread horribly.
Same
Hi Sally
Thank you for this recipe. I just made them today and absolutely delicious. They are really easy to make and as for the taste, yummy yummy. I will definitely be making these again and again
Thank you, they’re delicious! I went a little light on the sugar, used salted butter (I don’t buy unsalted), used 2 full eggs (I didn’t want to waste 1/2 an egg) and didn’t chill the dough. Still yummy yummy yummy!
I love your recipes! They NEVER fail me…that said, would it be possible to include metric measurements as well? I like to use scales for accuracy and would love having that information more accessible. Thank you!!
Hi Helena, yes, metric measurements are included in the recipe card!
Would this recipe work using Cadbury mini eggs and chocolate chips? If so, what quantity of each would I use?
Hi Lisa, absolutely! You can use any combination, keeping the total amount of add-ins about the same (1 cup). We’d recommend chopping the chocolate eggs before adding to the dough, so they disperse more evenly.
Delicious!! I measured everything in grams, and chilled the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes since I was pressed for time. They turned out perfectly!
These cookies are delicious and very forgiving. I was in a big rush making a double batch and added half the amount of egg required.
I didn’t realize my mistake until I was shaping the cookies. To my surprise and delight the cookies still turned out delicious. I love any recipe that covers for my mistakes!
Can I add valentine sprinkles to the dough?
Definitely.
Amazing flavor and texture!
These are the absolute best m&m cookies!! You can sub with heath bits too for delicious toffee cookies!
Can I substitute for gluten free flour?
Hi Laila, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hello can the dough be rolled into logs then chilled and sliced?
Hi Patty, you could certainly give it a try. The cookies may be a bit thinner that way, but should still work. Let us know if you give it a try!
I was just wondering what the serving sizes and how many calories per cookie
We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
What the vanilla pudding?
Just curious,because I only have salted butter. Can I use it instead of unsalted butter for the MnM cookies? Thank you~
Hi Felicia! You can use salted butter here. Reduce the added salt to 1/4 tsp.
Can you make shapes of the cookies
I made these cookies and followed the recipe to the t, but they didn’t spread. They basically stayed the same shape, and had sort of a muffin texture. What did I do wrong?
Hi Shanessa, when cookies don’t spread, it usually means there is a bit too much flour soaking up the wet ingredients. See this post on 5 cookie baking tips (“What if my cookies AREN’T spreading?”) for more info. Thank you for giving these a try!
Yum! These cookies were soft and delicous. I am a fan of a lot of Sally’s recipes, but this is one of my favorites! So good.
girl i haven’t made them yet but this website and instructions seem very detailed but also easy to follow
My family loves these cookies! They taste bakery quality!
Do you thunk it would work to use cut up Halloween chocolate candies instead of just M&M’s?
Hi Michele, yes, absolutely!
1st time trying recipe. Family loved it. Thank you for always making recipes easy to understand.
I loved these cookies! Maybe a silly question, but approx how many grams in one cup of mini M&M’s?
Hi Joanna, One cup of M&M’s weighs about 200 grams.
Cookies taste ok but came out incredibly flat. Literally followed the recipe to a T. Bummed!
Hi Janette, Did you use proper room temperature butter? It’s cooler than you may think. Here’s more tips for preventing cookies from spreading for your next batch.