M&M Cookies
- By Amy Dong
- Published Dec. 11, 2023
- Updated Dec. 30, 2023
This M&M Christmas Cookies recipe is a must-have for your holiday baking list. They’re not only festive and delicious – both the dough and baked cookies freeze well.
In This Article
Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
Why This Recipe Stands Out
We all love a good cookie, but these M&M Christmas cookies are a game-changer.
- Simple: Most of the ingredients are like our recipes that use simple pantry staples, and we’re sure you probably already have them in your pantry.
- Versatile: You can easily swap out the M&M colors according to the season or occasion to suit your cookie needs, like we did in our Double Chocolate M&M Cookies.
- Make-Ahead: Just like our many easy cookie recipes, the dough and baked cookies freeze beautifully, making them a great make-ahead dessert recipe.
- Texture: These cookies are soft and chewy, just the way a perfect cookie should be.
- Flavor: The combination of vanilla pudding, white chocolate chips, and M&Ms results in a cookie that’s bursting with flavor. For something a bit different try these M&M coconut cookies.
- Festive: The addition of Christmas sprinkles makes these cookies perfect for the holiday season. They’re ideal for cookie exchanges, cookie gifts, and dessert tables.
- Customizable: You can add chopped nuts, toffee bits, or pretzel bits for more crunch, just like our Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars.
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Instant Vanilla Pudding – The dry powder is a secret ingredient that makes the cookies extra soft and chewy.
- White Chocolate Chips – These add a creamy sweetness to the cookies and take the flavor to the next level.
- Sprinkles and M&M’s – These make our cookies festive and fun and add an extra chocolate flavor to them. Change up the colors to suit the occasion.
- Optional Add-ins – For a twist, consider adding chopped nuts, toffee bits, or pretzel bits for more crunch.
Substitutions And Variations
Our M&M Christmas Cookies recipe is a festive favorite, but it is also flexible! Here are some tasty variations you can try:
- Seasonal Colors: Swap out the M&M colors according to the season or occasion to keep these cookies relevant year-round, like we did in our Double Chocolate M&M Cookies.
- Chocolate Variations: If you don’t like white chocolate, then try some semi-sweet chocolate chips instead, as we do in our Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies. Alternatively, you can drizzle the cookies with white or semi-sweet chocolate instead of using sprinkles.
- Bigger Bites: If you prefer larger cookies, make 1.5” dough balls and slightly flatten them. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are golden.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, whisk thoroughly, and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract, blending well.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until fully incorporated. Mix in the white chips and 1/2 cup of M&M.
- Add sprinkles, if using, and cover tightly and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
- Form 1-inch dough balls and lightly press them down to form 1/2-inch rounds. Place these rounds 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Add more sprinkles on top of the dough rounds and press the remaining 1/2 cup of M&M on top for good measure. Bake at 350F for 8 minutes or until the edges are golden.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
These M&M Christmas cookies are not only festive and delicious, but they’re also a breeze to make ahead of time. Take a look at our favorite prep-ahead strategies for this recipe:
- Refrigerate: The cookie dough can be made in advance and refrigerated. After mixing all the ingredients, cover the dough tightly and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight. This makes the dough easier to handle and enhances the flavors too.
- Freeze: Both the unbaked dough and the baked cookies themselves can be wrapped airtight and frozen for 1-2 weeks. This is a great option if you want to have cookies ready to bake or serve at a moment’s notice.
Commonly Asked Questions
The instant vanilla pudding mix in the dough helps to keep these M&M Christmas cookies soft and chewy. It also adds a nice hint of vanilla flavor to the cookies.
Chilling the cookie dough allows the fats in the dough to solidify. When the cookies are baked, the fats melt slowly, helping the cookies to hold their shape better and preventing them from spreading too much.
Yes, you can use salted butter in this recipe. However, you’ll need to reduce the amount of table salt you add to the dough to compensate for the salt in the butter.
The cookies are done when the edges look golden brown. They may seem slightly underdone in the middle, but they will firm up upon cooling. Be careful not to over bake them.
These M&M Christmas cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to a week. If stored in the freezer, they can last for up to 3 months. Always store them in an airtight container to maintain their freshness.
Yes, you can freeze either the dough or the baked cookies. Cover airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. If freezing dough, defrost it overnight in the fridge.
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M&M Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp table salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened just to room temp
- ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding, dry powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup M&M's, your choice of colors, divided
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together well and set aside.
- In bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar on medium high, until light and fluffy. Add pudding mix and beat until incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla extract, blending well.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, fold dry and wet ingredients together just until fully incorporated. Add the white chips and 1/2 cup M&Ms and mix into the dough. If it gets too hard to mix, use clean hands.
- Gently work in 3 TB sprinkles, taking care not to manipulate the dough too much, which may result in the bleeding of sprinkle colors.
- Dough will be a bit sticky. Cover tightly and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form 1-inch balls* of dough and lightly press down on dough balls to form 1/2 inch rounds. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
- Sprinkle on more of the colored sprinkles on top (or lightly roll cookie tops in a bowl of sprinkles.) Press on the remaining 1/2 cup of M&M’s on top of each dough round.
- Bake about 8 minutes or just until edges look golden brown. Cookies may seem slightly underdone, but they will firm up upon cooling. Don’t over bake.
- Cool on baking sheet about 10 minutes, and remove to wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- To ensure your M&M Christmas cookies have the perfect texture, don’t overmix the dough; just stir until the flour is incorporated to keep them soft and chewy.
- Remember, the dough will be sticky before chilling, so don’t skip the refrigeration step—it makes handling the dough easier and helps the cookies maintain their shape while baking.
- Love bigger cookies? Make 1.5-inch dough balls and flatten them slightly on the baking sheet; just remember to space them 2 inches apart and bake a bit longer until the edges are golden.
- Customize your cookies for any occasion by choosing M&M colors that match the theme—red and green for Christmas, pastels for Easter, or your favorite team’s colors for game day.
Nutrition (per serving)
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