If you’re looking for an easy, straightforward recipe to make with your family during the holidays, look no further. This delicious Christmas M&M’s Cookie Recipe will surely be a hit at any holiday gathering.

They’re colorful, super easy to make, and only require a few ingredients. Oh! And you know the best part? Unlike cutout Christmas cookies, these require no rolling, cookie-cutting, or icing.

So grab your mixing bowl and get ready to add a festive spin to this classic chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter: For the best results, make sure it’s softened at room temperature. Butter will add richness to your cookies and is essentially the component responsible for the cookies’ structure. If you only have salted butter you can use that and skip adding salt.
• Granulated sugar: Sugar not only sweetens the cookie but it also helps to lock in moisture so that your cookies are soft and delicious. I usually use ¾ of a cup for this recipe but you can always adjust it to your liking, just know that less sugar = a drier, more crumbly cookie. 
• Brown sugar: You’ll need ¾ of a cup to give your dough a delicious chewiness. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can always replace it with an additional ¾ cup of granulated sugar. Your cookies might turn out slightly less chewy but they’ll still taste amazing.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds an aromatic smell and sweetness to your dough. It also helps balance out the smell of raw eggs, while enhancing the flavors of the other ingredients.
• Eggs: You’ll need 2 large eggs to bind the dough together.
• All-purpose flour: You’ll need 2 ¼ cups to help the dough hold together and rise. If you prefer a gluten-free cookie, you can substitute the all-purpose flour with your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Other flours will not work here.
• Whole rolled oats: These are optional but they make sturdier cookies and prevent them from spreading too much. You can omit them if you want to.
• Baking soda: Baking soda is essential for your cookies to be light and airy, omitting the rising agent will result in extremely dense cookies. 
• A teaspoon of salt: salt will balance enhance the flavor of the other ingredients and balance out the sweetness of the cookie so it doesn’t taste flat. Some people add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to chocolate chip cookies, but I like to add 1 teaspoon, especially with something as sweet at M&Ms. You can reduce or omit the salt if you needed, but try it sometime! Salt balances sweet.
• M&M’s: I used the green and red ones to give the cookies a colorful and festive touch. But you can use any color, it’s really up to you. You can even crush them a little if you don’t want the pieces whole. Either way, their delicious chocolate center makes them a perfect substitute for chocolate chips. (See substitution ideas below if you need them.)

Check out the printable recipe card below for the recipe and detailed instructions.

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How To Make Christmas M&M Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract for about 2 minutes, until they’re creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. You can’t overmix this part, so make sure to mix it for 2-3 minutes.

3. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients in the following manner:

• Mix in 1 ¼ cup flour until it’s just incorporated.
• Then add the remaining cup of flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until incorporated, be careful not to over-mix. You don’t want to over-mix the flour in cookies because that can make them tough.
• Fold in the candies with a sturdy spoon; reserve ¼ cup to press into the tops. 

4. Cover the dough and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to 12 hours.

Important! Chilling the dough ensures the butter saturates the flour for a better cookie texture. I highly recommend chilling chocolate chip cookie dough like this for 2 hours before baking for the best final texture. You can bake them without chilling, you’ll simply sacrifice a little texture.

5. Scoop and drop 1-inch balls (from a rounded tablespoon or cookie scoop) onto ungreased baking sheets.

6. Press a few M&M’s on top of each scoop to make the cookies look prettier.

Baking Time

9 to 11 minutes.

All ovens are different so I would say keep an eye on them and make sure you take them out once they’re golden brown around the edges. They really shouldn’t take more than 11 minutes.

Once they’re out, let them cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes; you can then remove them and put them on wire racks or a cutting board to cool completely for an additional 15 minutes.

Storing

You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Or freeze unbaked dough balls in an airtight container for up to 3 months to bake cookies on demand. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Yield

This recipe makes 30 cookies. But you can make more or less based on the size of your cookie scoop.

Variations

• Salt-free: You can omit the salt for a low-salt diet, or if the butter is salted.
• Egg-free: You can use 2 flax eggs instead of regular eggs. Learn how to make flax eggs here. Note that using flax eggs will yield a more crumbly, less soft cookie.
• Gluten-free: You can use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend here, but do not use other flours. If you want to use almond flour, check out this almond flour cookie recipe.
• Vegan: You can use vegan butter and the flax eggs to make this recipe vegan. Also make sure your candies are vegan if that is important to you.
• M&M’s and Candies: Any combination of M&M’s, Peanut M&M’s, small candies, or chocolate chips work here. Setting aside ¼ cup to press into the tops of the cookies before baking is also optional.

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