Learn How To Make Perfect M&M Cookies! These really are the best chocolate chip cookies and I simply can’t wait to share them with you!
The Best M&M Cookies
Are you ready for the best m and m cookies recipe? I’ve been making these M and M cookies for years now and they are ALWAYS a hit. In fact, I’m making a batch today for some neighbor gifts!
What defines a perfect cookie to you? It’s quite different for everyone I imagine. For me, the cookie has to be soft and chewy but crispy around the edges with just the right texture. This cookie that I’ve developed has all of those things which is why this recipe is titled How To Make Perfect M&M Cookies 🙂
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Crowd Favorite. These cookies are a favorite at every party.
- EASY! They’re easy to make!
- Can’t Mess Them Up! Fail proof recipe!
Try my Chocolate Malted Cookies too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration!
What You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make M&M Cookies at home. See the recipe card located at the bottom of the post for full details.
- Salted Butter, Softened– For most of my recipes I use salted butter, but unsalted is just fine here too.
- Granulated Sugar– This fine sugar brings the sweet to the cookies.
- Light Brown Sugar– The light brown sugar also brings the sweetness to the cookies.
- Large Egg– For consistency use large eggs for your baking.
- Pure Vanilla Extract– For best tasting results use pure vanilla extract.
- All-Purpose Flour– Flour is the main dry ingredient for the cookies.
- Kosher Salt- This coarse salt is commonly used in cooking and baking. Find it near the table salt.
- Baking Soda– Baking soda helps the cookies rise during baking.
- Mini Chocolate Chips– Mini chips can be found in the baking section near the other chocolate chips.
- Mini M&M’s– Find the mini M&M’s near the candy section in most grocery stores. Regular size are fine too if you can’t find the mini.
How To Make The Best M&M Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
Cream Butters and Sugars. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined.
Wet Ingredients. Pour in your egg and vanilla mixing to combine.
Dry Ingredients. Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine.
Chocolate. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
Scoop Dough Onto Baking Sheet. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. NOTE: Do not press the cookie dough before baking. Leave just like this. UPDATE: If your cookies don’t flatten after baking as my photo shows below, try pressing the cookie dough to about a 1/2″ thickness before you bake.
Bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Secret Ingredient To The Best M&M Cookies!
Instant Pudding Mix! Add a few Tablespoons of vanilla instant pudding mix with your dry ingredients.
This is how they’ll come out. Perfect! Enjoy friends!
Tips For Making The Best M&M Cookies
- Don’t alter the recipe, use all ingredients as listed.
- For a more firm cookie, refrigerate your cookie dough for 24 hours before baking.
- Always use butter, not margarine. I prefer salted butter for my chocolate chip cookies.
- Don’t skip creaming your butter and sugars for a good 2 minutes. Helps create a fluffy, chewy cookie.
- Try sprinkling dough with just a touch of salt for a perfect sweet and salty combination.
- Don’t overtake your cookies. Cookies will continue to cook on hot cookie sheet when removed from oven.
- Let cookies cool completely before storing in containers. This will keep their crispness
How To Serve
Serve cookies for any occasion where cookies are needed. They make the perfect sweet treat. Great for gifting to neighbors and even bake sales.
How To Store Leftovers
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions
You can freeze the scooped cookie dough, flash freeze on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes then place dough into an airtight container and freeze up to 3 months in the freezer. To freeze the cookies, place them in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw before enjoying.
Try More Delicious Cookie Recipes
- The Best Brown Butter Cookies
- Churro White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Malted Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
How To Make Perfect M&M Cookies
Equipment
- Oven
- cookie sheet
- parchment paper
- mixing bowl
- cookie scoop
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing spoons
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose Gold Medal Flour
- 3 tablespoons Instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 or 1-1/2 cups Mini M and M’s
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined. Add your egg and vanilla mixing to combine. Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
- With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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We are making these this weekend for my daughters wedding that is a month away. Will these keep if we freeze them?
SO, I don’t have butter but can i use margarine? I also have the pudding mix. If I can use margarine can I still use the pudding mix?
mine did not flatten on. The were just mounds
I am looking forward to making these cookies! Have you ever made the dough and then frozen it? I am wondering if the cookies will be as good if the dough is frozen ahead of time. I love to keep home-made cookie dough balls in my freezer 🙂
I haven’t tried freezing this dough Michelle, but I don’t see why it would be a problem 🙂 Let us know if you give it a try!!
My dough came out crumbly added an extra egg and turned out great! Thank you!!!
Thank you for the recipe!
they tasted DELISH!!
One issue, mine did not seem to flatten out and expand.
So, on my second batch in the oven I flatted them with a spatula before baking.
Any ideas how to fix this?
Hi there!
I just made this. They melted and now are just one really big retangular cookie. I followed your recipe to the letter. It tastes ok, but they are reaaaaaally greasy. I just ate one and my hand got all shiny… I put the exact same amount of everything, and the only thing different was that my M&M’s are the normal size, not minis. 🙁
It actually is the second time I tried the recipe. The first one I didn’t have the pudding mix, so I wasn’t surprised when they ended up all melted, but were not greasy, and tasted good.. This time I used the mix (dry, not prepared) and followed the recipe. I thought I’d finally make cookies that looked like cookies 🙁 (Mine always have something wrong…maybe the cookie god isn’t fond of me)
I found this recipe on Pinterest and have made them 3 times in the last month!!!! Love them!!!
This was a very good recipe. I didnt have instant vanilla pudding but had the cook and serve and it turned out great.
I do agree with some of the other post about the batter being very dry but they still turned out really good.
Thanks for sharing this one!
Have just found this recipe via Pinterest and I must say your cookies look divine! Will be giving this recipe a try soon!
These are so yummy…already made them twice and I just found the recipe last week. My boys and husband loved them. The first time I made them they were perfect…exactly like the picture! The second time they seemed to run a bit and seemed thinner-still yummy but not as fluffy? Any ideas why? My only thought was the 1st time I had the dough in the fridge.
Super easy came out perfect, I doubled the recipe because between the guys in my house and the neighbors they would be gone in 15 mins. I also chilled the dough for 15 mins!
Ray, thank you for the comment. 🙂
I just made these cookies and they were amazing! I used peanut butter mnm’s just because I was feeling the peanut butter vibes… but they turned out so good!! Definitely going to make these again really soon!!!! 🙂
Tayler, thank you for sharing!
Can’t wait to try these! Can you freeze/refrigerate this dough? If so, up to how long? I need them for next Friday but I’d like to go ahead and make the dough now while I have time!
Hi Heather, yes you should be able to freeze up to 3 months and refrigerate for 1 week.
These cookies are beautiful to look at! They have a rich taste that we all love. We searched for mini M&Ms in WA state but couldn’t find any so we settled for regular size. Our dough was crumbly and wouldn’t stay together unless we packed them. The packing made them lose the amazing chewiness that we all love in a good cookie. The next time we will reduce the chocolate and see if that helps. Thank you for sharing!
I made these in WA state as well but I ended up finding the mini m&m’s in the candy dispensers at WinCo! I also resorted to buying the tubes at Fred Meyer when I needed a little extra.
I made these cookies and I followed the recipe exactly, they were perfect! My only problem was that the cookies didn’t flatten when they baked and they stayed as little mounds when they came out of the oven and as they cooled off. Any way I could maybe fix this? Still delicious either way and everyone loved them!
Yes, you can flatten each cookie with your hand before you bake them. That should fix the cooking mound. 🙂
I am a long time baking blog reader, but never think to comment on things I’ve tried. I just had to say that these are amazing! They turned out perfectly! I chilled the dough in the freezer for a bit as I was impatient… They are thick and soft and beautiful.
The pudding mix is a very rare find in Ireland but I happened upon it in a shop in Dublin. It is super pricey here, but I’m converted. I am going to stock up pronto while I can!
Thanks for a recipe I will use again and again 🙂
So glad to hear it, thanks for your feedback 🙂
Wow – those look amazing! I’ll have to give them a try sometime, my kids would love them I’m sure!
This was my first Picky Palate recipe ever, and it was a success! I used peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips, and I highly recommend that 🙂 Delicious!
Brit, I’m happy your first PP recipe worked out. Good idea on the PB chips. Hope you enjoy many others! 🙂
I have made these about 8 times now, and they come out perfectly EVERY time. This is the BEST cookie recipe out there!
Angelica, thank you for your feedback. We love to hear it! Glad you enjoyed.
I’ve made the cookies a few times now and everyone who tries them says they are the best cookies they’ve ever eaten. Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad to hear it Valerie! Thanks 🙂
These are delicious cookies, but I will definitely add another egg or some milk next time. My batter was super crumbly. And then I would cut the chocolate to maybe 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup m & m’s. I had leftover chocolate in the bottom of my bowl too. Which was delicious to eat but didn’t help my batter stick together any better. Definitely will make again though! Great flavor!
Thank you for sharing Monica!
I am not a fan of chocolate chip cookies. But my husband and I have been craving somthing sweet before bed. We have tried ice cream and fro yogurt but nothing is just right. I found this the otger day and it looked so good I tried it tonight. I am in love with these cookies. My husband loves them too.just the pefect sweet treat before bed. I am wondering if you can use the secret ingredent in other cookie recipes? Mmmm so good.
So glad to hear it, thanks so much!! Yes, you can use the pudding mix in other cookie recipes, I do it all of the time!
Loved this recipe! I have made them several times. I found that the cookies were extra chewy if I made the dough and put it in the fridge for a while or even until the next day.
Lisa, thanks for sharing. Yes chilling the dough is a great step in making cookies!
These looked yummy. But failed for me. The were really puffy and I followed the recipe word for word. Maybe its because of the high altitude!!
Kerani, thanks for sharing even though they didn’t work out. I wonder if the altitude is the problem but hard to tell.
What is the reason for using kosher salt? What is the difference and will the cookies come out differently if I just use table salt?
Kallie, sorry for the late reply. If you use regular salt you will need to use less quantity. I don’t know how much less exactly.
I do have to say that I was skeptical that these would be perfect…but you are SO RIGHT! I just blogged about making these. Everyone in my family has loved them so far! I just used less m&m’s and chocolate chips- but you made a great recipe!
http://asgoldasitgets.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/the-best-cookies/
Thank you Lindsay for sharing your thoughts!
My daughter and I just made these together. We bought an M&M cookie at the mall yesterday and I saw this pinned today so I was inspired to try. SUCCESS! My daughter declares they are better than the ones at the mall, and I must agree! Thank you you sharing! This is my new go-to cookie recipe for sure!
Thank you Nadda. Glad you enjoyed!
Just made these…perfect! Thanks for sharing the recipe, I would have never thought to add pudding mix to a cookie recipe!
Thanks for sharing Jackie!
I just made these and they were delicious! I just put in 1 cup of M&Ms and placed a few on top of each scoop of dough on the baking tray. Crispy edges, soft middles – PERFECT (as the name suggests) Thanks for the recipe! I’m thankful for a thick tasty cookie that does not require chill time.
Thank you for sharing Jillian!
For the 1 – 1 1/2 cups of mini m and ‘s is that 2cups and a half??
no, its one and a half cups
Esther, sorry about the confusion. I changed the recipe to be more clear. It means you can use 1 cup or 1-1/2 cups of m and m’s.
Just a question about your recipe. I live in a very humid state. Would I need to add pudding to make them nmoist, or do you think the air would have an effect on them? We moved here only a week ago, so the humidity thing is new for me. Is it humid or dry where you live?
Thanks!
I didn’t have vanilla pudding on hand since I grabbed white chocolate on accident. Wow. I’m glad I did! White chocolate gave it a different flavor than I was expecting; dare I say, a better one! White chocolate m&m cookies will be happening again, for sure.
Jenn, thank you for sharing! Keep up the creativity!
1stick of unsalted butter, correct? These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them 🙂 thanks
Yes, this is correct, thanks Kara!
looks amazing…and they are delicious
Does your pudding trick work on other cookie recipes?
Lottice, sorry for the late reply. Yes, you can use pudding in most cookies/.