Perfect Christmas M&M Cookies

If you’ve been reading What’s Gaby Cooking for the past few years, you know that I’m obsessed with giving homemade gifts, like Christmas cookies. And these Christmas M&M Cookies are top of the list this year.

Why I Love This Recipe

As someone who loves to bake, spread the love, and eat my fair share of cookies… this is my time to shine. I mean, what says Happy Holidays more than a giant plate of Christmas M&M Cookies? This time of year the What’s Gaby Cooking kitchen is fully stocked. I have all the ingredients on hand at all times so I can make a batch of these cookies or M&M cookie bars at a moments notice!

These Christmas M&M Cookies have been a long-standing Dalkin family tradition for years. As kids we’d BEG my parents for those giant cookies at the mall – do you guys remember those? Ugh, they were so good!! And these are them – but better because they are made with love and in small batches ☺ So next time you’re at the market, grab an extra bag of M&M's and get to work whipping up a batch of Christmas M&M cookies. And then send some to me because I LOVE THEM!!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Unsalted Butter at room temperature
• Brown Sugar
• White Sugar
• Eggs at room temperature
• Vanilla Extract
• All Purpose Flour
• Kosher Salt
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Christmas Colored M&Ms

*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.

How to Make Christmas M&M Cookies

Step 1: Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

Step 3: Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated.

Step 4: Fold in 1 ¾ cups of the M&M’s.

Step 5: Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough, and transfer to a baking sheet, they can be closely spaced together as this is how they will chill.

Step 6: Once chilled, place 12 of the cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add a few M&M's on top of each cookie, making sure the M&M's stick into the dough.

Step 7: For cookies that are soft in the middle, bake for 11-13 minutes until just slightly golden around the edges. If you want them crisp, bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before transferring them off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack.

How to Store Christmas M&M Cookies

You can store these at room temperature in an airtight container and they will stay fresh for about a week. You can also refrigerate them to keep them fresh for longer, for about 2-3 weeks.

How to Freeze Christmas M&M Cookies

Once you've baked the cookies, let them cool and then transfer to an air tight container and store in the freezer. Then when it’s time to eat, take a few out, let them come to room temp and devour.

To freeze the cookie dough, portion the dough into 2 tablespoon scoops and freeze on a flat surface. Once the balls are frozen, you can transfer the frozen balls into a freezer bag and save for later. When ready to bake, let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes before baking at the same time and temp as listed in this recipe.

Tips & Tricks

#1 - we are REALLY going to cream together the butter and sugar. You have to let it cream together for 3 minutes to ensure the butter and sugar properly combine. The color should be a pale light yellow and look like the image featured below.

#2 - I am a scoop and level kinda girl. The weighted conversion is listed in the recipe box below. If you spoon and level, that will not result in enough flour. I scoop my measuring cup into the flour and then use a knife to level it out. When you mix everything together, just mix the dry ingredients until JUST combined. No need to overmix.

#3 - there are 2 ways to chill the dough. If you're pressed on time, scoop the dough into balls and pop them side by side on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes or chill in the fridge for about an hour. If you don't want to scoop, then you can chill the entire vessel of dough for 2 hours to really let the flavors come together. If you have time to chill the dough overnight, even better!

#4 - once the dough has chilled and you're ready to bake, pop a few M&Ms' into each cookie dough ball before transferring them to the baking sheet. That will ensure that some M&Ms stay visible while baking. Then pop them into the oven and let them bake! You can do this with any color palate to mix up the holidays!

FAQs

If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today