M&M Cookies

Soft, chewy, and has the right amount of crunch, these Red, White, and Blue M&M Cookies are the perfect dessert for your patriotic festivities!

Can you believe it’s already July?! Where has this year gone? With Independence Day here, it’s the perfect time to gather with friends and family for BBQs, sunshine, and of course, cookies!

If you’ve made my Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Pink Velvet Cookies, then you’ll fall in love with these M&M Cookies. I use the same base with a few variations to make them mouthwatering.

Ingredients:

• Unsalted Butter
• White and Light Brown Sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Red, White, and Blue Mini M&Ms

Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter is going to help make these M&M Cookies light and fluffy. You want to make sure you’re using unsalted butter so you can control the salt intake in your M&M Cookies. Also, make sure your butter is softened to room temperature. Leave it out on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour before baking, or use this quick tip.

Sugar: We are using a mix of light brown sugar and white sugar in this recipe. The white sugar helps the cookies get those crisp edges we all know and love, and the brown sugar helps give the cookies a soft and chewy interior.

Eggs and Vanilla Extract: We’re using two eggs, which help bind the cookies together. The vanilla extract gives the cookies that extra punch of flavor.

Flour, Baking Soda, and Salt: These are the dry ingredients for the M&M Cookies. We’re using all-purpose flour as the base of these cookies. Make sure you spoon and level the flour, and don’t pack it in. Baking soda helps leaven the cookies, which creates the soft and fluffy cookie you’re looking to achieve. I always add a little bit of salt to my cookies because it helps balance out the sweetness. If you’re using salted butter instead of unsalted, forgo the salt in this recipe.

Red, White, and Blue M&Ms: These are perfect for any patriotic holiday. We’re using mini M&Ms in this recipe so we can get that chocolatey, crunchy texture in every bite.

How to Make M&M Cookies?

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the butter, white, and brown sugar. Cream together until you get a light and fluffy paste. This should take about three minutes. 

Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract into the sugar and butter mixture. Crack both eggs in the bowl and add the vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Make sure you do not overmix.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt into your bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix until combined. Be sure to start at a low speed to avoid a cloud of flour in your face. Work your way to medium. You’ll know to stop mixing when you barely see bits of flour in your dough.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the mini M&Ms. You can use your mixer to mix in the M&Ms, but you’re more likely to overwork your dough that way. It’s best and easy enough to fold it in.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for one hour. Don’t skip this step! Skipping this will cause your cookies to spread unevenly in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 350º Fahrenheit, and line a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop the dough with a cookie scooper onto the baking tray. I highly recommend using a cookie scooper. It will give you perfect and evenly shaped cookies.

Bake the M&M Cookies for 10-12 minutes. Allow them to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

Gluten-Free: To make these M&M Cookies gluten-free, sub out your regular all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour.

Dairy-Free: This recipe might be a little tricky to make dairy-free, but completely doable. Substitute the butter with margarine, same ratio. You can also use vegetable oil which is what I prefer. Keep in mind: when you use vegetable oil, you won’t be mixing the oil and sugar the same way you would with the butter. Mix until combined. See notes below for more details.

I have successfully made these cookies with oil, and they are just as delicious as when using butter. Remember to use 3/4 cup oil for every one cup of butter. It might seem like a lot of oil, but this recipe yields about three dozen cookies.

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