Chocolate M&M Cookies
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These chocolate M&M cookies are decadent and chewy, like those from a bakery. For deep chocolaty goodness, they feature cocoa, chocolate chips and M&Ms. Their rich flavor is enhanced with a pinch of flaky salt.
Like white chocolate chip cookies and mint chocolate chip cookies, these hand-held treats are ideal for breakfast, snack time, or dessert. Serve them with coffee, milk or an iced vanilla latte.
Pack them in lunches along with a sandwich and fruit. Tuck them into backpacks for hiking adventures, summer road trips or traveling by plane. They provide a quick energy boost and curb hunger between meals.
Bake chocolate M&M cookies for parties, Game Day gatherings and cookie exchanges. Bring them to potlucks, church socials and picnics. You’re guaranteed to come home with an empty dish. And like the Cookie Monster, you’ll also want to try this no-churn cookie monster ice cream.
KITCHEN SMARTS: Did you know that chilling cookie dough not only controls spread but also changes texture? The longer the dough is chilled the drier it becomes. And the sugar becomes more concentrated. The result is a chewier/crisper cookie with more pronounced sweetness.
MAKE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES SEASONAL treats
Throughout the year, it’s super easy to make seasonal treats with this one simple recipe for chocolate M&M cookies. Just change up the color of the candies. At the supermarket, look for seasonal M&Ms in the candy aisle.
- Valentine’s Day Cookies: Use pink M&Ms.
- St. Patrick’s Day Cookies: Use mint chocolate chips plus green M&Ms.
- Easter Cookies: Use pastel-colored M&Ms.
- 4th of July Cookies: Use red, white and blue M&Ms.
- Halloween Cookies: Use yellow and orange M&Ms.
- Christmas Cookies: Use peppermint morsels plus red and green M&Ms.
INGREDIENTS
- Butter: The flavorful base of our chocolate M&M cookies. It holds the dough together while creating a rich chewy cookie. I use a high-quality salted butter (Tillamook or Costco’s Kirkland brand). But you can also use unsalted butter – just add an extra 1/4 teaspoon salt to the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: If you don’t have it on hand, use either light or dark brown sugar instead. Or if you have both granulated sugar and brown sugar in the pantry, you can increase the flavor of the dough by using both: 1/2 cup granulated plus 1/4 cup (lightly-packed) brown sugar.
- Large Egg: Helps bind the ingredients together. It also contributes moisture to the dough for a beautiful chewy cookie.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the taste of the other ingredients. I prefer using this Mexican vanilla extract. It’s uniquely delicious with a buttery taste and bakery-style aroma.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure for the cookie dough.
- Cocoa Powder: For chocolate M&M cookies that feature a deep dark color (similar to that of a Hershey’s chocolate bar), use Dutched cocoa. I prefer Hershey’s Cocoa Special Dark. But if you don’t have this type on hand, no worries. Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder instead.
- Baking Soda: This rising agent slightly lifts the cookies in the oven so they’re soft and chewy.
- Sea Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: I prefer Toll House Dark Chocolate Morsels or Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips. But you can use any type of chocolate chips you have on hand. For more even distribution of chocolate in the cookie dough use mini chocolate chips.
- M&Ms: I prefer M&Ms Minis for more candies in each bite. But you can also use regular-sized M&Ms if desired. For a more colorful presentation, press additional M&Ms into the top of each warm cookie as soon as they’re pulled out of the oven.
- Flaky Salt: Greatly enhances the flavor of chocolate. It also elevates the look with additional texture and a bit of sparkle. Sprinkle this garnish over the top of the freshly-baked cookies.
RECIPE STEPS
RECIPE PREP: Soften the butter. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats. Put them aside.
- STEP 1: Add softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Cream them together until light and fluffy (about 1 minute).
- STEP 2: Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Add in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sea salt. Mix until dry ingredients are fully incorporated and no large lumps remain.
- STEP 3: Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add chocolate chips and M&Ms. Fold them into the cookie dough with a rubber spatula.
- STEP 4: Preheat oven to 350°F. With a metal scoop (or 2 spoons) scoop rounded pucks of cookie dough directly onto the lined baking trays. Leave 2 to 3 inches between each piece. Chill the trays of dough in the in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- STEP 5: Bake chocolate M&M cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or just until the edges begin to set. It’s better to err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking. Once the tray is removed from the oven, immediately tap it a few times on a firm surface. This will help the cookies sink so their middles can finish cooking while they rest.
- STEP 6: While the cookies are still warm, hand press additional M&Ms onto the tops (optional) and sprinkle with flaky salt. Let cookies cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
HELPFUL RECIPE TIP: For perfectly round cookies (optional), swirl the warm cookies inside a round cookie cutter. This reshapes the sides of the cookies so they’re all evenly round, equally sized, for a nice clean-line look.
recipe faq
These are the most commonly asked questions when making chocolate M&M cookies, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
Yes you can. If you don’t have cocoa powder on hand, use an additional 1/4 cup flour instead. Your cookies will be pale (like regular chocolate chip cookies) rather than a deep-dark chocolaty color.
Softened butter is important so it can cream correctly with the sugar, forming tiny air pockets throughout. Those little air pockets are vital for fluffy cookies that will cook evenly in the oven.
Unwrap butter. With a sharp knife, cut it into very small cubes. Let it sit on the countertop to soften. It’ll come to room temperature in about 15 minutes. Land O Lakes shares more ways for how to soften butter.
Add 1 extra egg yolk or 2 teaspoons cornstarch to the cookie dough. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The cookies will slightly rise in the oven, then fall as they cool. This is a good indication that your freshly-baked cookies are super chewy.
Chilling cookie dough controls spread. As the dough chills, the fat in the butter solidifies. Cold fat takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. The longer the butter remains solid, the less the cookies will spread while baking. Chill cookie dough 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge (but no longer than that – for chewy cookies), or 15 minutes in the freezer.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop balls of cookie dough directly onto the tray. Freeze until solid, about 5 hours. Line an airtight container with 2 layers of parchment paper. Arrange frozen balls inside, dividing layers with parchment paper. Freeze up to 3 months.
Cool cookies completely after baking. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Arrange cookies on the tray in a single layer. Freeze until solid. Stack cookies with small squares of waxed paper to keep them separated. Transfer to a large freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months.
MORE YUMMY COOKIES
Hungry for more cookie inspiration? Try these popular time-tested recipes. They provide comfort, satisfaction, and pure food joy. For safekeeping, print your favorites for later or pin them to Pinterest.
- Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vanilla Creme Sandwich Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Biscotti Cookies
- Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Iced Oatmeal Cookies
RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taste testers rated these the BEST chocolate M&M cookies. They were delighted with the chewy texture, chocolaty flavor, and the mix of chocolate chips and M&Ms. They enjoyed the crunchy texture of the flaky salt.
If you agree these are bakery-quality cookies, give them a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with a friend.
Chocolate M&M Cookies
- Total Time: 20 Minutes
- Yield: 18 Cookies 1x
Description
These chocolate M&M cookies are packed with chocolaty goodness. Each chewy bite is filled with bits of candy. They’re super delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup M&M Minis (plus more for garnishing)
- Optional: Flaky sea salt (for garnishing)
Instructions
RECIPE PREP: Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats. Put them aside.
- Add softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Cream them together until light and fluffy (about 1 minute).
- Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Add in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sea salt. Mix until dry ingredients are fully incorporated and no large lumps remain.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Add chocolate chips and M&Ms. Fold them into the cookie dough with a rubber spatula.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. With a metal scoop (or 2 spoons) scoop rounded pucks of cookie dough directly onto the lined baking trays. Leave 2 to 3 inches between each piece. Chill cookie dough in the freezer for 15 minutes, or in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or just until the edges begin to set. It’s better to err with undercooking rather than overcooking. Once tray is removed from the oven, immediately tap it a few times on a firm surface. This will help the cookies sink so their middles can finish cooking while they rest.
- While the cookies are still warm, hand press additional M&Ms onto the tops (optional) and sprinkle with flaky salt. Let cookies cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Let cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
HOW TO SOFTEN BUTTER QUICKLY: Unwrap the butter. With a sharp knife, cut it into very small cubes. Let it sit on the countertop to soften. It’ll come to room temperature in about 15 minutes. Using softened butter is important so it can cream correctly with the sugar, forming tiny air pockets throughout. Those little air pockets are vital for fluffy cookies that will cook evenly in the oven.
WHY CHILLING COOKIE DOUGH IS IMPORTANT: Chilling cookie dough controls spread. As the dough chills, the fat in the butter solidifies. Cold fat takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. The longer the butter remains solid, the less the cookies will spread while baking.
HOW TO ACHIEVE PERFECTLY ROUND COOKIES: While the cookies are still warm, swirl them inside a round cookie cutter. This will reshape the sides of the cookies so they’re all evenly round, equally sized, for a nice clean-line look.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES > JOIN THE CONVERSATION
When do you bake up treats the most? Is is during the holiday season, for summer parties, or to satisfy cookie cravings? Are you looking forward to making these chocolate M&M cookies? Share your thoughts below!
Fabulous cookies! Love everything about them. I’d been craving something chocolatey with M&Ms, and these were amazing. I’m currently making another batch (they’re in the oven right now) to take to the office tomorrow.