M&M Christmas Cookies are by far the easiest cookie recipe that you will bake this holiday season! These festive, chewy sugar cookies are the perfect treat to snack on as the countdown to Christmas begins.
(p.s. Santa would also love these on his cookie tray!)
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Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies for Christmas!
Who doesn’t love M&M cookies?
Sugar? Check. Chocolate? Check. Personally, I’m sold. The only thing better than a classic M&M cookie, though, is a Christmas M&M Cookie – it’s almost like they’ve got Christmas spirit baked right into them!
These sugar cookies are soft and chewy on the inside, crispy around the edges, and they just about melt in your mouth when they’re warm from the oven.
If your family is anything like mine, more than one batch of these red and green cookies will be needed before the holidays are over! Better make a double batch for Christmas Eve, because Santa is definitely going to be looking for a few on his plate too!
Cookie Ingredients
Time to get baking! Here are the ingredients you’ll need to mix these delicious sugar cookies together:
- Unsalted Butter: make sure to let it soften before making the cookies.
- Granulated Sugar
- Packed Brown Sugar
- Egg: let it come to room temperature.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Red and Green M&Ms: just FYI, you can switch up the colors for other holidays and occasions too!
How to Make M&M Cookies
Now that you’ve got everything you need, here’s how you actually make these M&M sugar cookies. Also, since the cookies are so easy to mix together, you may want to enlist the help of your kiddos!
Line Baking Sheet: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
Mix: In a large bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add: Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until well incorporated.
Mix in Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Pour it into the wet ingredients and stir everything together just until well incorporated. Add in 1 cup of the M&M’s and stir again to combine.
Form Cookie Balls: Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form 1 ½ inch size cookie balls and set six on a baking sheet at a time to allow room for spreading. Using the remaining half cup of M&M’s, press 6-8 M&M’s into the tops of the cookies.
Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden color. Do not over bake.
Let Cool: Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack to allow them cool completely.
Serve and Store: Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Tips for the Best M&M Cookies
Looking for some tricks to the best M&M cookies? Try some of these out:
- Chill the Dough: if you want perfectly-shaped cookies, refrigerate the dough for a little bit before baking so that it will hold together better.
- Add-Ins: throw in some chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or any other candies that you like, for extra sweetness!
- Don’t Over-Mix the Dough: over-mixing the dough can lead to tough, harder cookies.
- Don’t Over-Bake: even if the cookies don’t look quite done, take them out. They’ll finish baking as they cool on the pan.
How to Store These Cookies
You can store these cookies in an airtight container (at room temperature or in the fridge) for about 7 days.
Can You Freeze M&M Cookies?
You can! Store them in an airtight container or a well-sealed freezer bag, and they should last for about 3 months.
If you want to freeze the cookie dough, form the dough into balls and store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to bake again.
These are one of our very favorite Christmas Cookie recipes that we make year after year. Soft, chewy, buttery cookies with slightly crisp edges are filled with lots of red and green M&M’s to create one perfect cookie!
Please leave a review in the comments below with photos if you try this recipe. I love to see what you are baking up! Happy Holidays!
Red and Green M&M Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups red and green M&Ms, divided
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth. Add in the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Pour it into the wet ingredients and stir everything together just until well incorporated. Add in 1 cup of the M&M’s and stir again to combine.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form 1.5 inch size cookie balls and set six on a baking sheet at a time to allow room for spreading. Using the remaining half cup of M&M’s, press 6 to 8 M&M’s into the tops of the cookies.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden color. Do not over bake.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking pan and then transfer them to a cooling rack to allow them cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
More Christmas Cookies to Try
Searching for more Christmas cookie recipes? Check out some of these!
- Meringue Christmas Trees
- Pfeffernusse Cookies
- Snowflake Sugar Cookies
- Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Salted Caramel Cookies
- Gingerdoodle Cookies
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