The best M&M Cookies that are bakery quality, without a lot of effort! Get the secrets that make this M and M cookie recipe better than the rest!
Ani has been talking for weeks about her “special day.” It’s the day that she was assigned to celebrate her birthday at Parent’s Day Out. She was so excited to bring treats to share with her friends.
Like a lot of kids, she requested M&M cookies! Because I am a cookie-obsessed adult, who am I to argue with her choice? What’s better than a classic?
I’ve been making M&M cookies for years, but I knew they could be even BETTER. Therefore, I decided to mix it up a little bit and update my M&M cookie recipe to truly take them up a notch.
One of my many obsessions is brown butter – it enhances the flavor of any recipe that calls for butter and in cookies with brown sugar, it creates a toffee-like taste while maintaining a soft, chewy texture.
As a result of this additional step, these cookies truly stack up to bakery M and M cookies. We’ve been making them frequently ever since, because our friends and family always request them! They are a rich, chocolatey cookie that is light and fluffy in texture.
You’re going to want to follow along and make these for your friends and family, I promise. Just be sure to have a “share plan” in place so you don’t eat every last one.
I like to give a lot of detail in my recipe posts to guide readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, feel free to click “jump to recipe” right under the title of this post and you’ll head straight there!
I love that you can change this recipe for the seasons, too! What fun to add holiday M&Ms for Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter, etc. Is there any holiday that can’t benefit from m and m cookies?
I have a lifelong love affair with cookies, and I am not ashamed to admit it! We make a lot of cookies around here, and although cookies are a part of my job description, I love them more than anyone should!
With that said, I can certainly claim to be a bit of a cookie expert. A few reader favorites? Don’t miss my salted caramel sugar cookies, these incredible oatmeal lace cookies, and carmelita cookies!
How to Make M&M Cookies
- Prep – Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brown butter. Above all, don’t skip this step, it gives you that ultimate caramelized flavor! If you don’t know how to do this, just follow the link to watch a quick video – it’s so easy!
- Combine sugars and vanilla in a large bowl, and gradually add in your browned butter (let it come to room temperature, don’t pour it in while it’s extremely hot).
- Next, add eggs. Careful not to over-mix!
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mix until combined.
- Add M&Ms and chocolate chips.
- Freeze Dough (optional) – Place parchment paper on your baking sheets. (Find some of my favorite baking sheets here) Form large dough balls and place in freezer for approximately four hours.
- Bake – Add a crack of sea salt a bake 12 minutes.
Questions and Facts
- Robert asks on Pinterest: “Can I add peanut butter to these cookies?” Robert, while I agree that this sounds delicious, don’t add it to this particular recipe! It will throw your oil ratio off and therefore it really might not work well. Above all, I promise you’ll love is M&M cookie recipe just as it is!
- Katie asks: “Do you have to put these in the freezer?” Katie, it’s worth the extra step to place them in the freezer or fridge! This is how to make M&M cookies soft and will certainly keep them from spreading too much, especially when you’re making larger cookies.
What Readers Say
M and M Cookie Tips
- Don’t over bake – a slightly under-baked cookie is the most delicious cookie of all.
- Don’t over mix the egg.
- Refrigerate or freeze dough {freeze for larger cookies like these}.
- Add candy or chocolate chips to the top of your dough balls just before freezing.
- Use a lot of add-ins {M&Ms, chocolate chips, nuts}. It gives the cookie a little added height.
More Irresistible Cookie Recipes
- Bakery Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies
- Salted Caramel Sugar Cookies
- Frosted Key Lime Cookies
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To see how easy this M&M Cookie recipe is, watch the video this post!
Bakery M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cup flour
- 1 cup M&M's
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- sea salt optional
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Swirl it until brown in color and it reaches a nutty aroma. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, combine sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix browned butter in.
- Gently blend in eggs, careful not to over mix.
- Sprinkle baking soda, baking powder, salt & flour over mixture and fold in until combined.
- Fold in M&M's and chocolate chips.
- Make large balls and place on parchment paper. Freeze for 4+ hours.
- Preheat oven to 350, crack with sea salt and bake 12 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Don’t over bake – a slightly under-baked cookie is the most delicious cookie of all.
- Don’t over mix the egg.
- Refrigerate or freeze dough (freeze for larger cookies).
- Add candy or chocolate chips to the top of your dough balls just before freezing.
- Use a lot of add ins (M&M’s, chocolate chips, nuts). It gives the cookie a little added height.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted January 2015, updated with video 2019, updated with tips and photos 2020.
The browned butter makes the dough warm and the chocolate chips melted, how do I avoid that, I love the recipe and the taste anyway.😊♥️
Just allow the brown butter to cool if you don’t care for the swirling of the chocolate.
Can I use peanut M&Ms?
ABSOLUTELY! Enjoy!
I wanted to make this recipe immediately but I was lacking M&Ms. I substituted dried cherries. I shared them with my food pantry volunteers and they went WILD over them. Freezing them before baking made all the difference. I printed the recipe and put it in a plastic sleeve because this one is going to get a lot of use!
Love it, Holly! Thank you so much for sharing! I appreciate your kindness.
Tried the M&M Bakery Cookies yesterday. Did not have M&M’s on hand so used dried cherries. I’m not sure the brown butter made a big difference but the freezing of the cookies on the baking sheet really did. The touch of sea salt was also enjoyed. The cookies were OUTSTANDING! I shared them with my volunteers at our local food pantry this AM. They received rave reviews. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Thank you SO much for sharing!
I’ve made these cookies a couple of times and absolutely love them!!!
So glad you love them, too Kathleen! Thanks for taking the time to rate this recipe!
They’re so delicious!!! Thank you for your wonderful recipes, i did banana muffins too and they were great!! My best wishes from Chile 🙂
Thank you, Camila!
We made these last weekend and they are the perfect texture! I froze some for later!
I can never eat just one of these!
Who doesn’t love M&Ms?? These cookies are great!
These cookies were so good! My kids can’t get enough of it!
We love these cookies! Browning the butter gives them a yummy rich flavor, and of course you can’t go wrong with M&M’s!
Browning the butter is a genius idea! The flavor of these cookies is so good!
These are THE perfect cookies!
Thank you so much for the tips and the recipe! My kids can’t stop eating these!
SO soft, chewy and delicious!!! My family LOVED these!!
I would eat an entire batch of these cookies in like 30 seconds!
Definitely my favorite recipe for M&M cookies!
YUM! These are always my favorite cookies. Can’t wait to try this out at home!
Okay I have to try these!! They look amazing!!
Such a great cookie recipe!
HI, could you tell me what that means after the m&m’s in the recipe, didn’t quite understand it. Thanks Sharon
I’m sorry, I don’t understand your question.
Thank you for this recipe. It is perfect for the upcoming fall baking season!
Thanks Sherry! Enjoy!
Julie these cookies look all so yummy, can’t wait to make some. Thanks so much for sharing. My family are going to go nuts eating these cookies. Yum!
Have a beautiful weekend! Enjoy!
I might have to make these, they look so yummy. Can you explain a bit what you mean by don’t over mix the eggs? What is considered over mixing? I have the same issue when a recipe says not to overmix after adding flour. What is overmixed? How do I know before I get to that point? Also would the baking time be the same in a convection?
It is, Heidi. Sometimes we can become over-ambitious when making cookies. Just until the egg is incorporated.
I want one right now!!!
Thanks for the recipe. Do the cookie balls need to be covered or wrapped in the freezer?
Julie
Unless I’m freezing for an extended period of time, I don’t. Enjoy!
I froze my cookies in ball form, but they did not spread when cooked. Do you have any recommendations to help them move from ball shape to flatter cookie shape? Thank you.
Just refrigerate them or allow them to slightly thaw. Sorry about that! Did you enjoy them?
Do you have to put it in the freezer
Or refrigerator – it keeps them from spreading. It’s worth it, I promise!
These look great, I was just curious if I could add peanut butter to this recipe? If so how much would I add? I am excited about making them this weekend!!
Thank you
Rebekah
Peanut Butter would completely change the consistency of the dough {additional oil} and would have to be tested to see if adjustments would need to be made. You will LOVE these as is!
I have made these twice this week. They are very tasty and soft but do look quite a bit different from the ones in Julie’s pictures. Mine don’t have the gooey, melted look but were delicious and received many compliments. I love having them in the freezer ready to bake. Thank you Julie for the tip on browning the butter and freezing the dough in balls! This recipe might replace my current go-to for cookies!
Thanks for sharing, Laurie! If you want them slightly gooey, consume them right away {which I’m always guilty of} or decrease bake time. Unfortunately, bake time slightly varies from one oven to another. I think I might whip up a mini batch tonight just for the dough!
This is the recipe I have been searching for. Hope to use them to bless a group of volunteers donating time and energy to my favorite cause. I will have to check out your other recipes when I have time. Thanks for sharing.
They never disappoint! That’s so sweet of you, Carol, I’m sure they’ll enjoy them!
Thank you for this amazing recipe. Made these for my family yesterday and they did not last the night. Making batch two tonight 🙂 the flavor of the dough is really wonderful, the browned butter definitely brings out the rich caramel flavor in the brown sugar without making it super sweet. Will definitely be adding this to my cookie rotation!
This is the same recipe I use for chocolate chip as well, just crack a little sea salt on top and they’re perfection! Thank you for taking to share! I hope you’re enjoying the holidays.
Sincerely,
Julie
Followed all directions and the dough balls didn’t flatten into cookies????
Did you refrigerate the dough or freeze it? I haven’t had that issue and have made them a number of times.
thanks, julie, for such a quick response.
happy baking!
I’d like to use these with a small group of alzheimer patients. plan to put the dough in individual zip baggies and have each patient add m & m’s and “knead” the bag to distribute the m & m’s. thus employing the manual dexterity skills with the fun of baking and tasting these cookies. can i make dough – divide it into individual baggies and refrigerate it for a day or 2 before using? (not freeze it) then bring it out for the patients to add m & m’s to baggie and squish dough/candies around in the bag before forming dough balls and putting on cookie sheets? approx. cooking time with cool but not frozen dough? thanks for your help.
Of course! You don’t need to adjust the baking time as I use chilled dough as well. Great idea!
Omg!!! The browned butter totally changes it! We LOVED them! I used the small Pampered Chef scoop and got 50 med sized cookies. They were perfect, thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks for the feedback, Sue! I’m totally craving them right now. Have a great weekend!
Just made these today to use up leftover Halloween candy. I got 21 balls and was firmly convinced that there was NO way they’d flatten out like a cookie from a frozen state in only 12 minutes. And then a miracle occurred. These are really good!
Glad you enjoyed them as much as we do!
Glad you enjoyed them as much as we do, David!
Julie, when using browned butter, does it need to be chilled so it can be creamed when combining? I’m guessing it gets combined with the sugar and eggs?? Thanks
It does, but I only let it cool slightly (to not scramble your eggs) and gradually incorporate it since I’m always impatient and later refrigerate the dough.
What does “crack with sea salt” mean??
Hi Cynthia! I always use sea salt that comes in a grinder – the thick flakes are full of flavor. It’s my secret to really great cookies! Enjoy!
These look utterly divine! I’ll have to try the browned butter trick!