If you’ve been reading What’s Gaby Cooking for the past few years, you know that I’m obsessed with giving homemade gifts. And these Christmas M&M Cookies are top of the list this year.
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!!
Here are some tips and tricks when you're making these Christmas M&M Cookies to achieve perfect results:
#1 - we are REALLY going to cream together the butter and sugar. See the image before, that's what it should look like. 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!
There you have it! My tips and tricks for making the most perfect Christmas M&M Cookies! You can do this with any color palate to mix up the holidays! See below for my favorite tools for crafting these cookies!
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!
Christmas M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (DO NOT MELT)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour measured by scooping the flour and leveling with knife (366 grams or 12.9 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2¼ cups Christmas Colored M&M’s divided
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Fold in 1 ¾ cups of the M&M’s.
- 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.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes if they are scooped into balls. If you’re chilling the dough in the mixing bowl, chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What's Gaby Cooking
These. Are. Amazing!!!!!! Literally made these twice in the last week with regular m&m’s since it’s august. My entire family is obsessed. We roll out all of the dough balls and pop leftovers in a freezer for cookies on demand! Must make!!!