Festive Christmas M&M Cookies
These Festive Christmas M&M Cookies are soft and chewy with just the right amount of crunch from the candy coating. They come together quickly with simple ingredients and add a pop of color to any cookie tray. A great holiday bake that's easy enough for beginners and always a crowd-pleaser.
These cookies are a go-to during the holidays, but they're also a great idea anytime you want a sweet treat that kids, and adults, can help with. Inspired by the easy-from-scratch vibe of my other recipes, they pair really well with my crispy Sourdough Crackers with Parmesan & Nutritional Yeast, adding a savory crunch to your cookie spread
Quick Look
- Prep time: 15 mins
- Cook time: 10-12 mins per batch
- Servings: 24-36 cookies
- Main ingredients: Flour, butter, sugars, eggs, M&M's, chocolate chips
- Cooking method: Mix dry + wet 🡢 fold in candies 🡢 scoop & bake
- Difficulty: Easy
- Serving ideas: Great for holiday treats, cookie swaps, or a cozy snack with coffee
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Important Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Festive Christmas M&M Cookies
- Baking Schedule
- 💭Crucial Success Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- How To Store Festive Christmas M&M Cookies
- Other Delicious Recipes
- Festive Christmas M&M Cookies
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Important Ingredients
- Flour, baking soda, and salt give structure, lift, and balance-not optional.
- Softened unsalted butter and sugars (white + brown) build that chewy, rich cookie base. Butter should be room temp so it blends evenly.
- Vanilla and eggs bring flavor and bind the dough-add eggs one at a time for smooth mixing.
- Christmas M&M's and semi-sweet chocolate chips bring festive color and double the chocolate fun.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Gluten-free: Substitute a 1-for-1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Kid-friendly tweaks: Try mini M&M's or add a pinch of cinnamon for a twist.
- Chocolate swap: Use white or caramel chips instead of-or along with-the semisweet.
How to Make Festive Christmas M&M Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt with a whisk, then set aside (Image 1).
Step 2: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until the mixture looks light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes (Image 2).
Step 3: Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time (Image 3), beating well after each addition.
Step 4: Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients (Image 4), stirring until everything comes together but not overmixed.
Step 5: Fold in the M&M's and chocolate chips until evenly spread throughout the dough (Image 5).
Step 6: Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one (Image 6). Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look slightly soft.
Step 7: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely (Image 7).
Step 8: Serve and enjoy these festive Christmas M&M cookies with milk or your favorite holiday drink (Image 8).
Hint: As soon as cookies come out, gently press a few extra M&M's on top for extra flair while they're still warm.
Baking Schedule
- Prep dough: 15 mins
- Bake batch 1: 10-12 mins → cool 5 mins
- Repeat for remaining dough
- Total time around 30-35 mins depending on how many batches you bake
💭Crucial Success Tips
Don't skip the step of letting the cookie centers look slightly underdone, they'll finish cooking as they cool and stay wonderfully soft in the middle.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Scoop the dough onto a tray, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Absolutely. Any colored M&M's work, but red and green make them festive.
Yes, you can use white chocolate, milk chocolate, or even peanut butter chips depending on your taste.
How To Store Festive Christmas M&M Cookies
Separate layers with parchment when freezing baked cookies for easier access. For dough, freeze on a tray first, then transfer to a bag, bake from frozen adding an extra minute to bake time.
Other Delicious Recipes
- Baked Crepes with Sweet Cheese Filling (Oven-Baked Palatschinken)
- Creamy Baked Chicken with Ham and Cheese (Easy Oven Recipe)
- How I Cut Our Grocery Bill Without Giving Up Healthy, Homemade Meals
- Fast Sourdough Bread Recipe
If you tried this Festive Christmas M&M Cookies or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below! Happy Baking!
Festive Christmas M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs large
- 1 ½ cups M&M's Christmas, red and green
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt with a whisk, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until the mixture looks light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring until everything comes together but not overmixed.
- Fold in the M&M's and chocolate chips until evenly spread throughout the dough.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look slightly soft.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve and enjoy these festive Christmas M&M cookies with milk or your favorite holiday drink.
