The Best M&M’s Cookies — These bakery-style M&M’s cookies are soft, chewy, buttery, and LOADED with M&M’s and chocolate chips. No one can resist these cookies!
Classic M&M’s Cookies Recipe
I love M&M’S® cookies and these are my favorite. And I’m no stranger to M&M’S cookies and recipes. These big, bakery-style cookies are very soft, slightly chewy, buttery, and loaded with M&M’S and chocolate chips.
If you’re looking for a new favorite M&M’S cookie recipe, you’re going to love this one. It’s nearly identical to my Soft and Chewy M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, minus the red and green M&M’S. M&M’S just launched a new Pinterest page where you can check out new recipes for baking inspiration.
I used Dark Chocolate M&M’S because I’m a dark chocolate girl, but anything from Pretzel to Peanut Butter M&M’S would be fun twists.
If you need a slightly bigger batch of cookies, try Soft M&M’S Chocolate Chip Cookies. And make sure to follow my Tips for Cooking Baking Success, like chilling the dough before baking, so the cookies bake up perfectly thick.
These homemade cookies are sure to disappear very quickly because I don’t know anyone who can resist soft, warm, homemade M&M’S cookies.
M&M’s Cookies Ingredients
For this easy M&M’s cookie recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Instant vanilla pudding mix
- Baking soda
- Salt
- M&M’s (any variety)
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make M&M’s Cookies
Combine the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and cream until light in color and well combined (this will take a good 4 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix in the flour, pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. Note that you add the pudding mix as a dry ingredient. You should NOT make the pudding according to the package instructions.
Fold in the M&M’s and chocolate chips, then scoop the cookie dough into balls and flatten slightly with your hands. Chill the cookie dough for at least 3 hours before baking.
Is There a Pudding Mix Substitute I Can Use?
This M&M’s cookie recipe calls for a small amount of instant pudding mix because it adds a depth of flavor you just can’t get without it, and it helps the cookies stay soft for days. But if you don’t have access to or don’t want to use pudding mix, make my Soft and Chewy M&Ms Cookies instead. That recipe uses cornstarch to keep the cookies soft.
Can I Freeze Cookie Dough?
Absolutely! I highly recommend doubling this recipe and freezing half the cookie dough for later. To freeze cookie dough, first scoop the dough into balls and then seal inside a freezer bag. When you’re ready to make the cookies, bake them directly from frozen (note that you may have to add a minute or two to the bake time).
Tips for Making M&M’s Cookies
When creaming together the butter and sugars, it’s important that you give the mixture plenty of time to whip up. At this stage, you’re whipping air into the mixture, which is partly what makes these cookies so soft and chewy.
Also note that you MUST chill the cookie dough. If you skip this crucial step, your cookies will come out flat and will spread a lot in the oven.
Bake the M&M’s cookies for exactly how long I’ve said to (if yours are the same size as mine). Even if the centers of the cookies look pale and glossy, you should still take them out of the oven because the residual heat in the cookies will finish baking the insides.
Want to see how to make M&M’s cookies? Watch the video!
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The Best Soft and Chewy M&M'S Cookies
These bakery-style M&M's cookies are soft, chewy, buttery, and LOADED with M&M's and chocolate chips. No one can resist these cookies!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (not cook-and-serve, not sugar-free)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 3/4 cup M&M’S, plus more for adding to dough mounds (I used Dark Chocolate M&M’S, other varieties may be substituted)
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for adding to dough mounds
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, pudding mix (add it as a dry ingredient, do not actually make pudding; cook-and-serve and sugar-free are not recommended in this recipe), baking soda, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the M&M’S, chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 11 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.*
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 6 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 12 to 13 minutes (if your cookies are smaller than mine, reduce baking time) or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Notes
*Tip: Strategically place a few M&M’S and chocolate chips on top of each mound of dough by taking M&Ms and chips from the underside as well as adding more as necessary for a nice pop of color.
Recipe adapted from my Soft & Chewy M&M's Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
11Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 522Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 317mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 31gProtein: 5g
More M&M’s Recipes:
Soft M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies – Soft, chewy, thick, and people love these big cookies loaded with M&Ms and chocolate!
Triple Peanut Butter Cookie Pie — This fast & easy cookie pie has peanut butter worked in 3 different ways. If you’re a peanut butter lover, this pie is for you!
Loaded Soft and Chewy M&M’s Cookie Pie – If you like M&M cookies, you’ll love this biggie version! Super easy and always a big hit!
Triple Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Bars – Peanut butter is used 3 different ways and baked into bars. Great for pantry odds-and-ends cleanout!
Homemade Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies – Some of the best brownies I’ve ever made and much more decadent than storebought Cosmic Brownies!
Frozen Chocolate Pudding and Wafer Cake (No-Bake, 3 ingredients) — An easy icebox cake that’s perfect for summer events!
Loaded M&M’s Oreo Cookie Bars – Stuffed to the max with M&M’s and Oreos! Easy, no-mixer recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes. Always a hit! On the cover of Taste of Home Magazine and pinned 650K+ times!
Chocolate Cake Mix M&M’s Cookies — Foolproof cookies made with just 5 ingredients!! If you’re craving chocolate and want to make super EASY cookies that are soft, FUDGY, and delicious, this is the recipe to make!!
Post is brought to you by M&M’S. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
Why does the recipe only call for 1/4 C. of vanilla pudding versus a whole pkg?
Because that’s what I found works best.
Love this recipe and the Quadruple Chocolate version. Have made both many, many times to rave reviews. Curious why the chocolate has two eggs and the vanilla has one?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love the recipes!
One of those baking things that I figured out over trial and error and that each recipe tastes better with the respective amount of eggs called for.
This m&m cookie recipe was a hit at my church! Already planning to make a few dozen for my pastors wife’s birthday celebration next week! :)-Much love-
Thanks for the five star review and glad these were a hit and that you’re going to make more!
I made this and it was sooooo good and everyone loved them. Thanks for the recipe! 😀
I’m glad to hear these were a big hit and loved by all!
I saved this recipe from a few years ago and it always freezes so well! I love making a batch and freezing the dough in individual portions for when I want a nice, warm cookie fresh from the oven. Need to make some again this weekend.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you can enjoy freshly baked cookies in individual portions from your freezer stash when a craving strikes!
I make these cookies for EVERY function and they’re always a hit!! I change it up just a tad and do 1/2 cup m&ms, 1/2 cup dark choc chips and 1/4 cup butterscotch chips! So good!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that these are always a hit whenever you make them!
How many cookies does this recipe yield?
It says at the top of the recipe card.
So sorry! It was really small. Thank you!!!
No worries, enjoy the cookies!
My family loves M&M cookies, thanks for the delicious recipe!
Thanks for trying it and glad they turned out delicious for you!
My 7 yr. old granddaughter and I enjoyed making these together. They were fabulous! Everyone in the family loved them and want us to make them again right away as they disappeared very quickly!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you were able to bake with your granddaughter!
Can I freeze these? I am afraid they will bleed upon unfreezing?
I am fearful of bleeding too although I have done it and it’s not terrible. But better yet, I would freeze the unbaked mounds of dough and then just bake them off when you’re ready for them.
What a great recipe for cookies. I use it all the time. I never get store bought any more.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these have replaced store bought for you!
WOW! These are incredible cookies. I doubled the batch, made ice cream sandwiches and took them to my husband’s fire station for the guys. They were a huge hit! Thank you for the awesome recipe…delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they came out great as ice cream sandwiches! I am the guys at the station were grateful for your baking!
Averie, i want to thank you for this recipe! Just sampling the dough I know the cookies are going to be amazing! Going to have to quadruple the batch to have any left! Thank you
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you knew right away after sampling the dough that these were going to be winners! I hope you love the baked cookies as much as the dough :)
Colorful, pretty and delicious, I am sure my kids will love these :)
Thanks much!
These cookies turned out perfect first time I made them. The next time I only had organic brown sugar (an “oops” purchase when in a hurry) and it totally changed the outcome. They didn’t bake evenly and ended up in the trash :( I’m going to make sure I get the right regular light brown sugar and try again. Â
Ingredients can vary so much and I always bake with ‘conventional’ products rather than organic or anything too ‘fancy’ (except for chocolate, I will go fancy with that). Glad you loved them the first time around.
Oh good. I have the last bag of red and green M&M’s that need using! Thanks!
Perfect! Enjoy!
Love this recipe! Â Making them for Christmas for my M&M obsessed Mother. Â If I make the dough ahead of time and put in the freezer, do I need to defrost in the refrigerator before baking? Thank you!
No, just put it on a baking sheet while your oven preheats and that is sufficient. Enjoy!
very eager to try your recipe. they look delicious and my 2 year old loves m&m cookies. it’d be great if you had a link that can make it printable like other recipe pages though
Item #31 thanks! https://www.averiecooks.com/faq
when making the dough, the dough seemed very wet but not alarmingly wet, but just enough that it sticks to my hand, it that normal, i followed the exact recipe.
btw, the cookies look heavenly
In the summer/warmer weather and with humidity and with variance in brands of ingredients, you may need a tablespoon or two extra flour and that will reduce the stickiness. Baking is part science, part art :)
Just wondering if you can tell me why my M&M’s bleed. I did a trial run with navy and yellow M&M’s for a wedding and the blue is everywhere. I did not chill the dough before baking. How do I fix this problem?
First I would follow the recipe and chill the dough. That is instrumental in having the cookies bake up as they should.
I have never used navy M&Ms. It could be that the food dye they use in that particular M&M is just prone to bleeding. I have only ever used pastels or the typical M&M colors. You could always write to the M&M company and ask them about it.
Can I bake 1 big cookie on a pizza pan for my daughters b’day using parchment paper and also she doesn’t like chocolate chips can I leave them out and just add more M&M’s? Need to make tomorrow so need info. ASAP! Â Help…….
https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/04/loaded-soft-and-chewy-mm-cookie-pie.html Just make that instead since you want a big cookie and not individual ones. You can alter the chip/M&M ratio as you see fit.
I’m in Bangkok and can’t find the instant pudding mix. Â Any substitution? Or can I leave it out?
Thx
You can leave it out if you can’t find it. The texture of the cookies will change slightly, but they should still turn out.
We ordered some peanut-safe “M&Ms” recently and this was the first recipe we tried with them. They are DELICIOUS!! Doubled the recipe. Recipe keeper!! Thanks!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Glad it’s a keeper and that you doubled it!
Can I use parchment paper instead of mat?
I have only baked with mats for the past 10 years and highly recommend them! I’m sure parchment will be fine, but your cookies won’t turn out as thick most likely. Read up on it here https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
I just made a double batch of these for Christmas…these are everything promised big beautiful and delicious..didn’t do anything different but did skip the chilling time and it made no difference…Great recipe…a keeper!!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Hi again. I’ve followed your instructions and they tourned out great. Thanks so much. They will be for halloween at my son’s kindergarden.
Glad they worked out great and the kindergarteners will love them!
Hi. I am from Portugal and I love american coockies. I’ve tried this recipe and I loved the flavour but they tourned out flat. I guess it was the flour because I can’t find King Arthur’s brand. Any sugestions? Thanks!
Make sure the dough is VERY COLD when you put the cookie sheet in the oven. Well-chilled dough (overnight) will help. Add 1/4 teaspoon extra baking soda and/or add 2 to 4 tablespoons extra flour. All will help firm up the cookies and prevent them from flattening.
These are SERIOUSLY GOOD cookies! Â Thank you for sharing the recipe :-)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
If I were to make the cookies approximately 2 tablespoons per cookie about how long should I bake them for? Â Thanks!
I would start checking at 8 minutes and probably not more than 9, but this is a guess and ovens and baking sheets and climates vary SO much. Use common sense!
Was just wondering if i could mkae the cookies smaller in order to make a larger batch? Should I bake them for a smaller amount of time if I do?
Yes, and yes.
Hi there from Malaysia! Planning to try this soon. By the way sorry but what is a pudding mix? Is it those Jello mixes? Thanks
Yes, Jello Pudding Mix.
how do u get ur cookies to flatten so much? Do u push them down? Or do u put them on the top oven rack? Or what else should I do??? Thanks
Use less flour and/or baking soda (slightly and this will require experimentation!) and/or don’t chill the dough, push down slightly. I don’t bake on the top rack. Most people have cookies that flatten too much but if you’re the opposite there are slight tweaks you can make that could help but will require trialing.
These cookies were amazing! the perfect texture and taste. I did not see the “refrigerate for 3 hours” until I was ready to pre-heat the oven, but I put them in the freezer for 1 hour and then took them out to thaw at the same time I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees. When oven was ready I put them in and at 10 minute mark I checked on them as my oven cooks faster on the bottom rack than the top so the bottom came out a bit earlier, no big deal. Did I say these cookies were amazing? Thank you can’t wait to try your other recipes
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! LMK if you try other recipes!
You make the best looking cookies on the planet! They get me craving them every time!
You are way too nice….thank you :)
M&M cookies are by far my favorite. These look perfect!
Gosh Avery, could you make something actually resistible for once? I NEED THESE IN MY LIFE, STAT.
Melissa http://www.designeatrepeat.com
Those cookies look so scrumptious, I wish I could reach into my screen and just grab them. And yay for dark chocolate M&Ms!
the texture of these cookies is amazingg! sooo chewy and gooooey!
I’m in post-Passover craving mode, and these just hit that spot! Wow. These look like the best M & M cookies out there, and there are a LOT out there. You win! As always. ;)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and hit those post Passover cravings :) Have a great rest of your weekend!!
It’s very true that M&M cookies are irresistible. Â I think it’s 50% the bright colors and 50% childhood memories… at least for me. Â These look great! Â Chilling is really so necessary to get a good soft cookie.
These look delicious…gotta try it http://www.lovelysharice.com/shop/
LOVE!! M&Ms, pudding mix, puffy thick cookies, all of it. I’d eat the whole batch, not joking!
Had to donate these to Skylar’s friends, asap, because I totally hear you! :)
thesr look so good! Do any adjustments need to be made for high altitude baking?
Not sure since I live at sea level (San Diego) so not familiar with altitude baking. I’d review the King Arthur Flour website. They have a great tutorial!
My daughter is peeking over my shoulder now in excitement. She wants me to make these cookies for her and I don’t blame. They look colorful and definitely worth a try! :D
LMK if you try them!
Yum! I’ve decided that there’s nothing better than m&ms and cookies!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
You’ve outdone yourself with these, Averie – M&Ms are my all time favorite!
Thanks, Sue :)
I can’t get over how huge these are! M&M’s cookies are one of my favorites! I need one for breakfast.
Hi Averie! These cookies look amazing, love soft and chewy cookies, one of my faves! Adding M&M’s is a great idea :)
I also love M&M cookies, and especially when they are loaded with M&Ms just like yours. Your cookies always make my stomach growl!
Your original recipe was fabulous–I love dark chocolate, so these sound terrific, although the pretzel M&M’s are also intriguing …
Thanks for making the original recipe! These are pretty similar to a few others I have on my site with a few slight tweaks because you can never have too many M&M recipes, right :)
Wow these really do look like the best m&m cookies ever :) Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Aimee!
Averie, I’ve made these at least three times already and they are ALWAYS a hit!!Â
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you every time you made it!
These cookies are so pretty! So colorful! My mom is slightly obsessed with M&M’s (and my slightly obsessed I mean she has an M&M dispenser collection, M&M pajamas, and stashes of M&M’s throughout the house) so M&M cookies are one of our favorites! Love how thick and soft these look!
I love how INTO M&M’S she is! That’s cute!
Your cookies always make me swoon Averie! These are no exception. I totally need a cookie in each hand right now!
I never met an M&M I didn’t love, but I do prefer dark chocolate. Â I love cookies that have both the chips and the M&Ms so you get the melty chips and the crunch from the candy shell…I love when you post cookie recipes they’re the best.
Thanks for saying you still like my cookie recipes :) I feel like I have SO many but you can never have too many cookie recipes, right! :) Especially varieties of M&M and/or chocolate chip cookies!
I’m a dark chocolate lover too (but I seem to like all the M&M varieties). I like the chips and M&M’s together for a little textural difference…and thick cookies are simply the best!
I adore these. Actually, anything with M&Ms are amazing. In college, I used to eat way too many M&Ms. I would buy them in the big bags and then they would slowly disappear throughout the way. I don’t know how I didn’t gain like a million pounds. Anyway, these are beautiful and I bet they really are the best. :D
Because in college we were all 19 and could do that. If only we could do that again :)
Chewy cookies are my favorite! And I love that there’s M&Ms AND chocolate chips so that you get the crunch of candy but also the hit of chocolate from the chips. Mmmm.