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    You are here: Crunchy Creamy Sweet / Dessert / Cookies / Christmas M&M Cookies

    Christmas M&M Cookies

    Published: Nov 30, 2019 · Modified: Mar 6, 2020 by Anna 30 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Christmas M&M Cookies - my favorite chocolate chip cookie gets all dressed up for the holidays! The addition of bright red and green M&M's makes them Santa's favorite cookie! No chilling required, which is a bonus if you make them with kids! 

    These cookies need to show up on your Christmas platter. Don't forget the Rocky Road Fudge and Gingerbread Bars too!

    Christmas M&M Cookies stacked on white plate.

    December is here and it's time to decide what cookies will Santa find on the plate by the fireplace this year. For my kids, this is a very important decision. Reindeer - that's easy. They love carrots and oats. But Santa - he needs a special treat. After all, he spends the whole night in cold, flying all over the world, delivering presents. That needs to be appreciated. That's exactly what these Christmas M&M Cookies are. We all know that classic chocolate chip cookie is always a winner. Especially one that is soft and chewy and packed with gooey, melty chocolate. But add red and green M&M's and bam! Santa didn't expect that!

    Ingredients

    • all-purpose flour
    • instant vanilla pudding mix
    • baking soda
    • salt
    • unsalted butter
    • granulated sugar
    • brown sugar
    • large egg
    • vanilla extract
    • almond extract
    • red and green M&M candy
    • chocolate chips, any kind

    Instructions

    • In a large mixing bowl, cream butter for 30 seconds. Add both sugars and beat for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.
    • In another mixing bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, soda and salt.
    • Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture and mix with an electric mixer until almost incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, add chocolate chips and M&M's (reserving some) and stir in until well mixed.
    • Scoop the cookie dough with a medium (1 and 1/2 tablespoon) cookie scoop. Roll into balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Press reserved chocolate chips and M&M's onto the balls.
    • Bake cookies for 9 to 11 minutes (10 minutes was the magic number for me).
    Christmas M&M Cookies on plate with red and green candy.

    No chilling the dough

    I always bake cookies with my kids. Especially during the holidays. They love to be involved! Besides what kid can resist colorful M&M's? If you ever baked cookies with kids, you know that they expect to eat the cookies as soon as they are safe to handle. For that reason (and let's be real, when I want a cookie - I want it now), I tend to avoid recipes that require chilling the dough for hours or worse, overnight. Sure, they may come out thicker. I just don't have the patience.

    Can I freeze this cookie dough?

    Yes! You can make the dough, scoop it out and freeze on a baking sheet. Then place in a ziploc bag and store in your freezer for up to 4 months. Take out as many as you need and bake.

    Expert tips

    • butter: Make sure your butter is so soft, you have to use a butter knife to scrape it off the wrapper. It will cream better.
    • candy: My trick to give them pretty "faces" is to save few M&M's and chocolate chips and press them to already formed cookie balls, on the baking sheet, ready to be placed in the oven.
    • pudding mix: The base dough is my very favorite. I love using vanilla pudding mix in my cookie dough as it helps to produce soft but not cakey cookies. It enhances the vanilla flavor in combination with a good pure vanilla extract.
    Broken apart Christmas M&M Cookies.

    More Christmas cookies and candy:

    • Rolo Pretzel Bites
    • Oatmeal Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies
    • Molasses Cookies
    • Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
    • Oreo Fudge

    For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Cookies Category.

    If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

    Christmas M&M Cookies stacked on a plate.

    Christmas M&M Cookies

    Author: Anna
    Christmas M&M Cookies - my favorite chocolate chip cookie gets all dressed up for the holidays! The addition of bright red and green M&M's makes them perfect for Santa! No chilling required, which is a bonus if you make them with kids! 
    5 from 14 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24 cookies
    Calories 189 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature, 1 stick
    • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 3/4 cup cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 3.5 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
    • 3/4 cup red and green M&M's

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Line a baking sheet with Silpat silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, cream butter for 30 seconds. Add both sugars and beat for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
    • Add egg and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.
    • In another mixing bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, soda and salt.
    • Add the dry ingredients to the butter sugar mixture and mix with an electric mixer until almost incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, add chocolate chips and M&M's (reserving some) and stir in until well mixed.
    • Scoop the cookie dough with a medium (1 and 1/2 tablespoon) cookie scoop. Roll into balls and place on prepared cookie sheet, spacing them 2" apart.
    • Press reserved chocolate chips and M&M's onto the balls.
    • Bake cookies for 9 to 11 minutes (10 minutes was the magic number for me). Cool for 2 minutes on the sheet, then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

    Notes

    1. The finished dough tends to be crumbly but it should come together when rolled into balls in your hands. For less crumbly dough, use 1 and 3/4 cups of flour.
    2. Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with

    Nutrition

    Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 53mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.9mg
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment with rating below!

    This recipe was originally published on December 4th, 2015 and updated on November 30th, 2019.

    More COOKIES RECIPES

    • Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
    • Molasses Cookies
    • Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Perfect Sugar Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sly says

      December 01, 2021 at 10:44 am

      Hi! Love these cookies, they are perfect!

      Just wanted to ask, when I want to bake the frozen ones, do I need to wait for them to unfreeze or I can put them straight to the oven from the freezer?

      If it's straight to the oven, do they need to be baked longer?

      Thank you,
      Sly

      Reply
    2. Eden says

      December 02, 2019 at 1:14 am

      5 stars
      These were SO good!! Chewy and moist and my kids LOVED the m&ms! Can't wait to make them again!

      Reply
      • Anna says

        December 06, 2019 at 1:16 am

        Thank you, Eden! I am so glad they were a hit!

        Reply
    3. Cyd says

      December 01, 2019 at 3:16 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a good classic cookie recipe! The addition of the pudding mix makes them so soft.

      Reply
      • Anna says

        December 02, 2019 at 12:48 am

        Right? So delicious! Thanks, Cyd!

        Reply
    4. Katie says

      December 01, 2019 at 1:45 am

      5 stars
      Made these for the family and they were a hit!

      Reply
      • Anna says

        December 02, 2019 at 12:49 am

        Thank you so much, Katie!

        Reply
    5. Brittany says

      December 20, 2017 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      Great cookies! Batter stayed together even with making them a little bigger. So delicious!!

      Reply
      • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

        December 21, 2017 at 1:03 am

        Hi Brittany! I am so happy to know you love these cookies! Thank you for letting me know!

        Reply
    6. Susie says

      December 16, 2017 at 9:11 pm

      5 stars
      Hi! I've made these cookies twice...and the first time they turned out amazing. Looked just like the pictures. I made them again, and I doubled the recipe, doubled everything correctly. And they turned out hard, and flat. The only thing I could think that I messed up was I beat the mixtures too long. Could that of made them hard and flat?

      Reply
    7. Ren says

      January 26, 2017 at 8:54 pm

      5 stars
      Just made these and they look quite colorful and tasty. Hubby loves them but I found them a tad too sweet.

      Reply
      • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

        January 30, 2017 at 12:35 am

        Thank you so much, Ren!

        Reply
    8. Arianna says

      December 18, 2016 at 2:11 pm

      How many cookies does this recipe yield?

      Reply
      • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

        December 18, 2016 at 11:32 pm

        Hi Arianna! This recipe will make about 2 dozen cookies. 😀

        Reply
    9. Cayla says

      December 14, 2016 at 9:39 am

      5 stars
      This is the first time I looked for a monster cookie recipe. i normally just do a chocolate chip and then toss m&ms and any other candies i have on hand. So I followed the recipe word for word and it came out too crumbly for cookies, so instead I made monster cookie brownie with the dough instead. I'm excited to see what my boys thing:-)

      Reply
      • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

        December 18, 2016 at 11:33 pm

        Hi Cayla! The dough is definitely not sticky but it will come together when you roll it in your hands. I also make it into bars and they are thick and delicious! I hope you enjoyed them! 😀 Happy Holidays! - Anna

        Reply
    10. Desiree says

      February 03, 2016 at 4:29 pm

      I just made these, and the dough doesn't quite come together - it stays pretty dry. What am I doing wrong?

      Reply
      • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

        February 03, 2016 at 4:55 pm

        Hi Desiree! The dough should not be sticky at all. It may look dry but if you scoop it out and roll in your hands - it should come together nicely.Let me know if this helps!

        Reply
      • Mary says

        April 27, 2016 at 4:48 pm

        5 stars
        When I made these the first time the dough turned out to be crumbly so I added an extra egg and 1/8 cup shortening and they turned out amazing. After tweaking them my significant other said they were the best M&M cookies he has ever had. These are a regular in our house with the modification I made.

        Reply
    11. Lori @ RecipeGirl says

      December 06, 2015 at 9:53 am

      5 stars
      These are just the sort of Christmas cookie that people LOVE. So delicious and pretty. Everyone loves M&M's!

      Reply
    12. Tonia from TheGunnySack says

      December 05, 2015 at 10:11 pm

      Why is that the holiday M&Ms are even better than the regular ones? These cookies look awesome!

      Reply
    13. Kristyn says

      December 05, 2015 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      YUM! These sound delicious! Can't wait to try these!

      Reply
    14. Becky Hardin | The Cookie Rookie says

      December 04, 2015 at 10:33 pm

      5 stars
      MMM! Doesn't get better than these! Perfection.

      Reply
    15. Roxana says

      December 04, 2015 at 2:53 pm

      5 stars
      Awesome cookie roundup and these M&M cookies are so festive and tasty looking! I'm such a sucker for cookies with M&Ms in them. 😀

      Reply
    16. Katerina @ Diethood says

      December 04, 2015 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      First. I LOVE the new look! It's beautiful!
      Second. DO YOU DELIVER?!? Your cookies are always so, so gorgeous!

      Reply
      • M says

        December 15, 2019 at 3:10 pm

        After the cookies are baked, do they freeze ok?

        Reply
    17. Angie | Big Bear's Wife says

      December 04, 2015 at 2:03 pm

      5 stars
      I just pinned these because I just love how they look! The M&Ms are perfect and they just look so super soft!

      Reply
    18. Medha @ Whisk & Shout says

      December 04, 2015 at 12:11 pm

      These m&m cookies look incredibly pillowy and soft- obsessed ! Pinning 🙂

      Reply
    19. Melanie | Melanie Makes says

      December 04, 2015 at 10:53 am

      Soft AND M&Ms? Totally a no brainer - Santa would love these! 😉

      Reply
      • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

        December 04, 2015 at 4:58 pm

        Thanks, Melanie!

        Reply

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