BEST M&M Cookies

With crispy and crinkly edges and soft and chewy centers, these are the absolute BEST M&M cookies! These cookies are made with melted butter and don't require any chill time, which makes for an extra quick and perfect treat.

what makes these the best M&M cookies?

There are a few features in this recipe that truly make these the BEST M&M cookies around.

First, what makes these M&M cookies especially incredible is all the texture we have going on here! The edges of the cookies get beautifully wrinkly, crinkly, and crisp while the centers remain soft and moist. The dough uses melted butter which makes for an extra dense and extra chewy cookie. And finally, you have those sweet crunchy bites of M&M's and melty mini chocolate chips throughout.

In additional to the look and feel, these cookies are so amazing because of how quick and easy they are to make! The melted butter not only makes for a denser and chewier cookie, it also means you don't have to wait around for butter to soften. It's so much quicker to make and it's also easier to whip up the cookie dough by hand.

And finally, these cookies are just so much fun. If you love chocolate chip cookies, these are the same level of delicious but with a colorful twist. They're so easy to change up for different holidays and celebrations too. You can use different color M&Ms to make cookies for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Valentine's day... you name it!

M&M cookie tips

1. Combining butter and sugars: One of the keys to this no chill cookie dough is whipping the butter and sugar together to incorporate some air and almost emulsify them. This will help the cookies spread perfectly as they bake. Before starting this step, it's important to allow the butter to cool completely to room temperature before adding the sugars. Warm butter will melt the sugar and can cause overspreading. When you whip together the butter and sugars, make sure you mix until the mixture starts leaving ripples behind (as seen in the lefthand photo below). The butter should also stop separating from the sugars around the edges. This will take about 1-2 minutes of whisking by hand or about 30-60 seconds with a mixer.

2. Bring the egg up to room temperature quickly: Using melted butter means we can skip having to wait for butter to soften, but what about the egg? Using a cold egg will cause the melted butter to resolidify, so the egg will need to be at room temperature. To warm it up quickly and easily, simply submerge the egg in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes and it should be perfect!

3. Measuring the flour: One of the most valuable baking tips you can learn - there is a right and a wrong way to measure flour! The most accurate way to measure flour is always using a food scale if you have one. If you prefer to use cups, it's important to lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup. If you scoop the measuring cup directly into the bag of flour, it will pack the flour in and will add more weight and dryness to your dessert. In a cookie recipe, adding too much flour will lead to a crumblier, drier, and thicker cookie.

4. Mixing in the dry ingredients: After combining the wet and dry ingredients, make sure to mix just until the cookie dough is streak free. Overmixing a cookie dough will overwork the gluten in the flour and lead to a denser, harder cookie. It's also especially important to watch out for overmixing when using an electric mixer.

5. Mini M&M's + chocolate chips: Borrowing this tip from the amazing Sally's baking addiction! Using mini M&M's really makes for an all around better cookie experience. They disperse more evenly in the dough and provide the perfect texture when you bite into a cookie. The larger M&M's felt a bit out of place and I also found that they prevented the cookies from spreading properly. If you do want to use regular M&M's, I would recommend at least roughly chopping them up before adding them in so you get better distribution. Since we're using mini M&M's, it made more sense to pair them with mini chocolate chips - again, for the best distribution and spread.

6. Baking and cooling: Make sure to give the cookies ample room on your baking sheet (about 2-3 inches) to give them room to spread and to allow for the best air circulation. The cookies are ready to come out of the oven once they're puffed and golden brown around the edges. The center may appear a little raw, but it will continue to set as they cool. When it comes to cooling, don't leave the cookies on the tray to cool completely or the residual heat from the pan will dry them out. The cookies will be too soft to transfer when they're hot and fresh from the oven - so move the cookies onto a wire rack after about 5 minutes of cooling on the tray.

7. Additional batches: When baking the cookies, only bake one sheet of cookies at a time - again, to allow for the best air circulation in the oven. If you have 2 baking sheets, it's easiest to alternate pans for each batch. But if you only have one baking sheet, make sure it cools down completely before you add the next round of cookies. Placing cookie dough on a warm baking sheet will cause the cookies to overspread.

storage

After cooling the cookies to room temperature, keep them stored in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 1 week on your counter. I find the cookies start to lose their chewy texture after day 3, so ideally, I'd recommend trying to serve them before then.

You can also make the cookie dough ahead and keep it in the fridge or freezer to bake later. After making the cookie dough, scoop out portions onto a parchment lined plate or tray then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking.

If you want to freeze cookie dough, it starts the same: scoop portions of the dough onto a parchment lined plate or tray. Then pop them into the freezer for about 1 hour or until the dough is solid.

Once frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls into an airtight container or plastic bag in a single layer. If you need to stack the dough, separate layers with wax paper or parchment paper.

To bake frozen cookies, arrange the dough balls on your baking sheet (still frozen) and bake at 325F for 12-15 minutes. The lower oven temperature and slightly longer bake time will allow the cookie dough to defrost and bake up normally.

check out these other cookie recipes!

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
• Giant Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Chewy Monster Cookies
• Giant Lemon Cookie Cake
• Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Sheet Cake

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Enjoy!

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