M&M Christmas Cookies
Incredibly delicious M&M Christmas Cookies are soft and chewy with perfect crisp edges! Red and green M&M’s, plus fun sprinkles add wonderful texture and a festive touch. Kids and adults love these, and they’re the perfect treat to leave out for Santa!
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Say hello to these irresistible M&M Christmas Cookies that my family can’t stop eating. This is one of those Christmas cookie recipes that after one bite, you’re just totally obsessed. When sinking your teeth into these, you’re met with a light crunch of both the M&M’s and the golden crisp edges. Keep going and you’ll meet a tender and buttery center with the perfect amount of chew that is heavenly.
They’re also perfectly balanced with the right amount of sweetness. This recipe comes together quickly and easily – no chill time required. Just mix, scoop and bake! Even though it isn’t completely necessary, there are a few reasons why we always recommend chilling the dough. The number one reason is superior taste and texture. This informative post all about why you should chill your dough gives multiple reasons why it makes all the difference in yielding the best cookies. There is even a visual included of cookies baked after the dough has chilled for different time periods.
Why we love this recipe
- All you need are some basic baking ingredients and a mixer.
- They taste like they came straight from a bakery! So bright and fun, too!
- You’ll love the perfect texture – ridiculously soft and chewy with incredible crunch from the M&M’s and crisp edges.
- They are so versatile! Replace the red and green M&M’s with various colors or other candies depending on the holiday or season!
- So festive and perfect for a holiday party!
Okay, let’s get to all of the details for baking up some delicious Christmas cookies!
Ingredients needed
This M&M Christmas Cookie recipe includes basic baking ingredients with a ratio for perfection! For amazing texture and flavor, we’re using a little extra flour, more brown sugar than granulated sugar, a good amount of vanilla extract and just enough salt to balance the sweetness. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Flour. All-purpose flour is recommended for a soft, tender crumb. Be sure to measure the flour correctly for best results.
- Baking staples. This recipe uses both baking powder and baking soda to lighten the cookies, so they’re not too dense.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness and helps with proper baking.
- Butter. Always use unsalted butter to control the saltiness of the recipe. The butter should be soft but still chilled (more details below).
- Sugars. Not only to make these deliciously sweet, but granulated sugar ensures your cookies spread the right amount and brown sugar provides a lovely molasses taste and a chewy texture.
- Eggs. Two eggs for shape, structure and richness.
- Vanilla extract. Adds depth of flavor and a touch of extra sweetness.
- Add-ins. You can use any M&M’s and sprinkles that you’d like. In the photos, you’ll see we used regular M&M’s, but actually mini M&M’s are great so there’s more in each bite. If you use larger M&M’s, such as peanut M&M’s or peanut butter M&M’s, roughly chop them first. For pretty presentation, press a few extras into the tops when they’re warm from the oven.
Recipe tip
The temperature and consistency of butter can make or break your recipe! Room temperature butter does not mean warm or very soft butter. In fact, room temperature butter is supposed to be cool to the to touch, about 67°F. Allow the butter to sit out on the counter for about 1-2 hours (depending on the weather and how cool your kitchen is) before beginning your recipe. According to Sally’s Baking Recipes, your finger should make an indent without sinking or sliding down into the butter. The butter should not be shiny or greasy. It will be cool to touch, not warm.
How to make this recipe
Just a few simple steps and you’ll be serving Santa Claus the best M&M cookies! Here’s the easy process:
- Prep. Preheat oven to 365ºF or 185ºC. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Whisk together dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients. In a separate large mixing bowl, add softened butter and sugars. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed to beat or cream until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until just combined. With the last egg, add in vanilla extract. Stop the mixer periodically while beating the batter, and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Combine dry ingredients. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture until well incorporated without over-mixing.
- Add M&M’s. Gently fold in the sprinkles and M&Ms without over-mixing the dough.
- Chill. If you’d like to chill the dough, cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but 2 hours or up to 5 days is even better.
- Roll. Use a cookie scoop to scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough, and roll it into balls. Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake. Place in the oven and bake for about 10-12 mins, or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look soft. Do not over bake. If desired, while the cookies are still warm, press a few extra M&M’s into the tops. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Expert tips
Here’s some simple baking tips, so your Christmas M&M Cookies turn out fabulous every single time you make them!
- Brown sugar. It’s important that your brown sugar is soft and moist. The moisture in the brown sugar is what helps to create chewy cookies.
- Fresh ingredients. Like the brown sugar, be sure that your baking soda and baking powder are fresh! They lose potency over time. When you open a new can, write the date on the lid with a Sharpie. Discard the opened can after 6 months.
- Chill the dough. As previously mentioned, these bake up fine without taking the time to chill the dough. However, we prefer the texture and heightened flavor when the dough has been chilled. More information in the recipe card.
- Bake on parchment or silicone. Parchment paper or silicone baking mats are best for baking. Greasing the pan adds too much oil, and can increase the likelihood the cookies will spread too much. The mats also promote even browning.
- Don’t overbake. For crisp edges and soft centers, do not wait until these cookies look done to pull them from the oven. Remove them from the oven just prior to being done and then they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
Frequently asked questions
Most Christmas cookies will keep for approximately 7 days, so if you want to be able to enjoy these even after Christmas Day, we recommend making and baking them no more than about 3 days before the big day.
Yes, if you mix the dough too much, you’ll add excess air within the batter, causing it to rise and then fall flat in the oven. It can also lead to excess gluten development, resulting in a dense texture. See this article on why over-mixing matters and how to avoid it.
If you ask me, I would say Snickerdoodles! I’m obsessed with the slightly crisp edges, perfectly soft and chewy centers, the classic tangy flavor and irresistible cinnamon-sugar coating. They’re just too good! According to Cookie Bouquets, chocolate chip cookies are the favorite. Snickerdoodles came in sixth place, and these M&M Christmas Cookies ranked nine out of ten.
Variations
This cookie recipe is a great base for adding in different mix-ins! This recipe is really convenient to use to make a variety of festive treats for holiday parties and/or cookie exchanges! You could even gift a cute cookie jar filled with an assortment of these holiday cookies! Here’s some of our favorite ideas:
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. Swap out the M&M’s and sprinkles for about 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup dried cranberries, plus a bit more of each for topping the cookies (while still warm) for presentation.
- Chocolate chip cookies dipped in white chocolate. Using the same base recipe, omit the M&M’s and sprinkles. But, add 1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus a bit more for topping the cookies (while still warm). Let cookies cool and set, then dip in melted white chocolate and sprinkle with holiday sprinkles. See instructions in this recipe for melting the white chocolate.
- Candy Cane Cookies. Instead of M&M’s and sprinkles, use semi-sweet chocolate chips as your add-in, and mix in 1 teaspoon peppermint extract to the batter. Roll the cookie dough balls in crushed candy canes, like these peppermint crunch cookies!
- Chocolate Chip Cookies. Classic chocolate chip cookies never go out of style!
Storage recommendations
- Storing leftovers. Cookies will stay fresh for up to 7 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Freezing. 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. To freeze the cookie dough balls, place in the fridge for 1 hour. Then, place the solid and cold dough balls into a labeled zipped-top bag. Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature and place the bag in the freezer.
If you try these, let us know! Leave a comment and if your family loves them as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
M&M Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cup 390g all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) 226g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups 288g light or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup 100g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sprinkles
- 1 cup M&Ms + more for tops
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 365ºF or 185ºC. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add softened butter and sugars. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed to beat until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until just combined. With the last egg, add in vanilla extract. Stop the mixer periodically while beating the batter, and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture until well incorporated without over-mixing.
- Gently fold in the sprinkles and M&Ms without over-mixing the dough.
- If you’d like to chill the dough, cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but 2 hours or up to 5 days is even better. (see note)
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough, and roll it into balls. Arrange 3 inches apart on the lined baking sheets.
- Bake for about 10-12 mins. Remove from the oven right when edges start getting golden. The centers will look soft. Do not over bake. If desired, while the cookies are still warm, press a few extra M&Ms into the tops. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
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