These festive red and green M&M Christmas cookies are perfect for gifting or Santa’s cookie plate! These easy Christmas cookies have a soft and chewy center, crisp edges and are bursting with chocolate flavor.
Love cookie recipes? Don’t miss my original M&M cookies and chocolate m&m cookies.
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Table of Contents
Favorite Christmas Cookie
- The pop of color from the M&M’s make them the perfect Christmas cookies to add to your holiday cookie platter.
- These M&M Christmas cookies are perfect to make for Santa or bring to a cookie exchange or holiday party.
- You can even gift the cookie mix in a jar with a cute holiday tag and ribbon. They are always the first dessert gone and get rave reviews by those who try them.
How to Make M&M Christmas Cookies
- DOUGH. Start by creaming the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla just until combined. Mix in the dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate. Chill the dough for 15-30 minutes if you have the time.
- SCOOP. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto a lined baking sheet. Place about 2 inches apart, so the cookies have enough room to spread a little in the oven.
- BAKE. Bake at 375°F for about 7 to 10 minutes. The edges should be barely golden brown when you remove them. Let set on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips for Perfect Christmas M&M Cookies
- Chill the dough. To achieve a super thick and delicious texture, chill your dough for 15 to 30 minutes before baking.
- Chocolate chips. Use a mix of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips to add even more flavor.
- Extras on top. For an extra pretty cookie, add a few more M&M’s on top of the cookie dough balls before baking. Alternatively, you can also press more M&M’s on top of the baked cookies as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Don’t overbake. Remove from the oven when the edges are barely golden (but the center is still soft). They may look a little underdone, but they’ll continue to set as they cool. This will give them the perfect soft and delicious centers!
- Other sizes. Make M&M cookie bars by scooping the dough into a 9×13″ pan, then baking for 30 to 35 minutes. For bite sized mini M&M cookie recipe use mini M&M’s and a small cookie scoop.
Freezing M&M Christmas Cookies
- Prepare dough as directed, then use a large cookie scoop to scoop onto a baking sheet. Then flash freeze the cookie dough balls in the freezer for about 30 minutes so they don’t stick together.
- Once hardened, place in a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
- When ready to bake, place on a cookie sheet and set on top of the oven while it warms. Then bake according to directions. They may need to bake for a few extra minutes, so be sure to keep a close eye on them!
- Learn more about how to freeze cookie dough and bake from frozen.
Love easy Christmas desserts? You gotta try this cute reindeer cookies recipe and our favorite Christmas crack!
More Festive Christmas Cookies
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M&M Christmas Cookies
Thick and chewy M&M Christmas cookies with crispy edges, a soft center and bursting with chocolate flavor. These are the ultimate cookie recipe to make this holiday season!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (more if desired)
- 1 cup Christmas M&M’s (more for tops if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with beaters. Mix for 1-2 minutes, or until creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix just until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and M&M’s. Refrigerate dough for 15 to 30 minutes if time allows.
- Using a large cookie scoop (about 3 Tablespoons), scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place any extra chocolate chips or M&M’s on the top of the cookies if desired.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges are barely golden brown. Allow cookies to set on pan for 2-3 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack.
Notes
Storage: Store once cooled in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer and hour before ready to serve or microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
Nutrition
Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Holiday Cookies, Kid-Friendly
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I have made not only these cookies but I change the m&ms for each occasion. I’ve even frozen the dough for future baking and they warily turned out as if I just made the dough!
Love love love these cookies. Nothing compares
Aren’t the holiday M&M’s just so fun?! So glad you love these cookies Christian!
why can you only keep 3 days in airtight container?
Hi Brenda! You can keep longer. I just think they taste best if eaten within 3 days.
Hi, soooo unfortunately I think I did something wrong in the recipe, yours in your photos look like a thicker high kind of cookie, Where my cookies spread out way too much. What could I have done wrong? Should the dough of been like really really cold? I did refrigerate it for 30 minutes but by the time I scooped and my daughter added The extra M&Ms on the top. It was close to room temperature is chilled at best. 😔 kinda bummed.
Hi Katherine! There are many reasons that cookies fall flat while baking–not enough flour, over mixing the ingredients, butter is too warm, etc. I would try adding 1-2 Tb extra flour and refrigerating the dough for longer next time!
Awesome and they freeze great!
Yum Yum
The scoop measurement of 3 Tbsp was too much. It should probably be like 2 Tbsp. I had to bake for 2-3 minutes longer since they were so big. But the cookies are very yummy!
I love this recipe this is the second year I have used it thanks so much so easy to make
I’m so glad to hear you love them!
Turned out great
I have made these cookies 2 times and both times they turned out really hard can you tell me what I did wrong even scooping them was hard
Everyone measures flour differently. I would use a little less flour next time and bake them a couple minutes less.
very good recipe for people with braces and who can’t eat chewy stuff! Really takes you back to the olden days.
if i use a standard cookie scoop how many cookies would i get
About 24 cookies :)
How long to bake if making cookies bars?
Here is our recipe for bars: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/mm-cookie-bars/
Can you use self rising flour instead of plain flour? And what exactly is fine sea salt?
I would stick to all purpose flour for these. You can use table salt instead of sea salt.
Just wondering…how long do you, yourself, bake these cookies for? Thanks….they look delicious!
Soft delicious will make again
Yum! I love the festive look, can’t wait to make these for Christmas!
My kids love making these cookies with me. And everyone loves them!
Yum! I need to make these with my kids. Thanks for the recipe!
I hope you enjoy! :)