These soft Christmas M&M Cookies are a perfect addition to your holiday baking plans! Loaded with candies in holiday colors, these festive cookies are sure to be a hit.
How much more festive can Christmas cookies get, speckled with red, green, and white? That’s what I thought, too, when I first made this recipe. These simple, soft cookies are sure to light up the faces of everyone you share them with during the holidays!
Why I Love These M&M Christmas Cookies
- Soft with a little crunch. These M&M Christmas cookies have a wonderful cake-like texture to contrast with that bit of crunch from the candies. The brown sugar makes them soft, and the vanilla gives them a lovely flavor to complement the M&Ms. (If you’re looking for a thinner, chewier version, try these Big Chewy M&M Cookies.)
- Perfect for sharing with Santa! These Christmas cookies with M&Ms are easy to make with simple ingredients, which makes them a great choice if you’ve got kiddos who want to help bake cookies for Santa.
- Simple to store. M&M cookies can be stored easily on the counter or in the freezer. Thus, you can snack on them immediately after you make them, or store them for later to share with friends and family. Either way!
What You’ll Need
Just the basics here! The addition of colorful candies is all you need to turn simple vanilla cookies into a holiday favorite. For exact ingredient amounts and the full set of directions, check out the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter – Set out the butter about half an hour before baking to allow it to soften properly. (Learn more by reading up on how to soften butter.)
- Brown sugar – I recommend light brown sugar, as dark might overwhelm the simple flavor of the cookies. If the brown sugar in your pantry has hardened, see how to soften brown sugar for some easy ways to fix it.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs – Set these out when you set out the butter so that they’ll be at room temperature for easier mixing.
- Vanilla extract – Other than the candies, this is the primary flavor here, so use a nice pure vanilla extract!
- All-purpose flour – As always, measure by weight for the best results. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, then spoon and sweep.
- M&Ms – I use red, green, and white M&Ms for a Christmas look, but you can easily change the colors for any occasion.
How to Make Christmas M&M Cookies
This is one of those magical recipes that you can have mixed and in the oven in short order! It’s perfect for the busy holiday season.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Heat the oven to 375°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper, then whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. With an electric hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Next, add the sugars and mix until lightened and fluffy. Finally, add the eggs one at a time, and pour in the vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. With the mixer speed on low, gradually add the flour mixture.
- Add the M&Ms. Gently stir in the candies until they’re well-distributed.
- Portion the dough. Drop the dough by 3-tablespoon portions onto the prepared pans, leaving about 3 inches between them.
- Bake. One pan at a time, bake the cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are browned and the cookies are golden.
- Cool the cookies. Place the pans on wire racks and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for Success
- Use light-colored baking sheets. Dark pans will usually over-bake the bottoms of the cookies.
- Don’t over-mix the dough. Too much mixing means tough cookies.
- Add more M&Ms before baking. If you like, save a handful of candies to press gently on top of the portioned dough for more visual appeal.
- Make them your own! Change the colors of the candies to suit different occasions. Or, add some chocolate chips or nuts in place of some of the candies.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. After the cookies have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container. To keep them looking their best, layer them between sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper. They should keep at room temperature up to 3 days.
- Freezing baked cookies. Place them between layers of waxed paper and put them in an airtight, freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for an hour or so at room temperature.
- Freezing unbaked cookies. Place the portioned cookie dough on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (an hour or two). Then, transfer the frozen balls of dough to an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag. When you’re ready to bake, just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
More M&M Cookie Recipes
Get the Recipe:
Merry & Bright Christmas M&M Cookies
Yield
24
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
12 minutes
Total Time
27 minutes
These easy Christmas cookies baked with red, green, and white chocolate candies are perfectly festive for the holidays and for your Christmas dessert platter!
Ingredients
- 3 & 1/2 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 & 1/2 to 2 cups M&Ms in red, green, and white
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Stir in the M&Ms.
- Drop the dough by 3-tablespoonful portions onto the prepared pans, leaving about 3 inches between the cookies.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden and the edges are lightly browned.
- Place the pans on wire racks, and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies from the pans to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens.
- To store. Place the cooled cookies in an airtight container. To keep them looking their best, layer them between sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper. They should keep at room temperature up to 3 days.
- Freezing baked cookies. Place them between layers of waxed paper and put them in an airtight, freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for an hour or so at room temperature.
- Freezing unbaked cookies. Place the portioned cookie dough on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (an hour or two). Then, transfer the frozen balls of dough to an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag. When you're ready to bake, just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
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9 Comments on “M&M Christmas Cookies”
i was just going to make these too! it’s like we are on the same wavelength. except im a sucker for the m&m’s 🙂
Amanda, I like the M&Ms, too, but I really wanted white-colored candies that I could only get with the Cadbury’s.
These look so pretty and round from the angle you photographed them from! I just made your rum cake, and it smells delicious. It is going to make such a great xmas gift!
I have never heard of the Cadbury choc pieces & most definitely would make them more Christmas-like than the M&M’s. Just red & white for Valentines, then pastels for Easter ?
Thanks, Kelly! I hope your recipient likes the rum cake. It’s one of my favorites.
JEP, that was exactly what I was thinking. Just changing up the colors makes them great for special occasions year-round. I think school colors would be a great idea, too.
Yummy!!! Pretty cookies:)
Thanks, Paula!
What is your Rum cake recipe…the girl said it is one of her favorites. Would you mind giving it to me. I am definatly going to make those Merry and Bright X-mass cookies and change the colore for all occasions. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Kim, the Rum Cake I make is a recipe I got from my grandmother. Here’s a link: Rum Cake