M&M Cookies filled with festive coloured M&M’s and chocolate chips are fun to make with the kids and delicious for adults to eat!
THE Christmas cookie of choice to have out with a glass of milk (or hot cocoa) for when Santa comes around delivering gifts, these M&M Cookies are irresistibly soft, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth with perfect soft centres.
M&M COOKIES
The best cookies that most of the general population prefer are soft, slightly chewy with crispy, buttery edges and melty chocolate chips (like our popular chocolate chip cookies recipe).
The best part about this Christmas cookies recipe is that you don’t need any weird ingredients or chilling time. Simple steps and simple ingredients with ONE added ingredient for a soft and chewy experience in LESS THAN 15 minutes. Done! This is a classic Cookies recipe!
HOW TO MAKE M&M COOKIES
You’re going to start with your butter. Make sure it is softened…the key to the crispy outer, golden edges. Beat together with brown and white sugars until pale in colour. If you’re tempted to stop when the sugars are just mixed in, please keep going! Use an electric mixer if you need too. The mixture should be light and creamy.
THE SECRET TO SOFT M&M COOKIES
We use syrup to get them super soft:
- golden syrup
- rice syrup
- maple syrup
- coconut syrup
- light corn syrup
COOKIE DOUGH
Beat in the vanilla and the egg until just mixed through. Then add the flour, baking soda, and salt. If you can’t hold the dough in your hands or it is too wet to form into cookie dough balls, add a little more flour at a time (by the tablespoonful) until the dough is still soft, but easy to handle.
Fold in half of the choc chips and m&m’s with your hands. You don’t want to over-mix!
To make jumbo sized M&M cookies: Scoop out 12 balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough) and arrange them at least 3 inches apart. Give them room to spread!
For regular sized Christmas cookies as pictured: Scoop out 18-20 cookie dough balls using a 1 tablespoon capacity cookie scoop.
Press the remaining candy onto the tops.
BAKING M&M COOKIES
Bake for about 11-12 minutes, then check them. M&M cookies will look pale, puffed up and no where near done! Don’t be fooled! If they are golden around the edges, take them out. DO NOT OVER BAKE! Your cookies will set and harden once they have cooled.
You can give the baking sheet a couple of light taps on your counter to deflate them, then leave them to cool on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes.
Soft Christmas cookies.
Looking for more cookie recipes? Try these!
Snowball Cookies
Best Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Chip Skillet Brookie
M&M Cookies (Soft Santa Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (4 oz | 125 g) stick butter, melted (not spreadable)
- 1/2 cup (3.5 oz / 100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (2 oz / 55 g) granulated white sugar (or a granulated sweetener that measures 1:1 with sugar)
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup (or coconut syrup, agave, rice malt syrup, maple syrup or honey may be substituted)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups (8 oz / 230 g) all purpose or plain flour scooped and levelled -- add more as needed -- only up to 1/4 cup extra)*
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup red and green m&m's, divided
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, (dark or milk chocolates can be used)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Microwave the butter for about 30 seconds to just barely melt it (half soft and half melted).
- Beat the butter with the brown and white sugar/s until creamy and pale in colour and sugar has dissolved. Pour in the syrup, vanilla and the egg, and lightly beat until just mixed through.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing until combined. If needed, add in one tablespoon of the 'extra' flour at a time until the dough is still soft but easy to handle and firm enough to form one large ball (the dough should not be dry. I only needed 3 tablespoons of the extra flour).
- Fold in half of the chocolate chips and m&m's with your hands.
- Scoop out 18-20 balls* and arrange them on a lined baking sheet with parchment paper. Press the remaining candies onto the tops of each cookie.
- Bake for about 10-11 minutes. The cookies will look pale and puffed up, but should be golden around the edges. DO NOT OVER BAKE or your cookies will become hard once they have cooled.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes.
Maja says
Turned out great! Enjoyed making these with my son for Santa:). Def saving this recipe and thanks!
Jeanie Spencer says
What is golden syrup? And where do you find it?
Karina says
Hi Jeanie! Golden syrup is found in Australia and the UK. You can normally find it at international stores in the US. But you don’t have to use it, you can use Maple syrup, coconut syrup, rice malt syrup, honey, or corn syrup.
Angela says
So good! We are in the midst of a snowstorm here on the west coast of Canada, and I was looking for a fun cookie recipe to make with my 2 and 4 year old. This was the one! I subbed mini candy Reese’s pieces for the M&M’s and added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. My husband said these were the best cookies I’ve made in a long time. Thanks, girl!
Mary says
Hi, I think the recipe is missing the amount of chocolate chips?
These are def getting made for Christmas!
Karina says
Thank you Mary! I’ve just updated it! I hope you love them!