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.
This has become my family’s favorite cookie 😁
Yay! Glad to hear they love it, Joy :)
Just made a batch of these with Easter m&ms for coffee hour at church. This is probably the fourth time I’ve used this recipe and they turned out wonderfully, like the other times. Usually I have problems with cookies spreading too much in the oven, and these ones stay nice and perky. Great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that, Barb! They are a favorite of ours as well :)
I made a batch of these and brought them to work — they were gone within an hour! Thanks for this great recipe, happy holidays!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for your comment and review, Alice :)
These cookies are awesome! I made them last night and they are perfect. Soft and chewy. I used the baking m&ms and the chocolate chips. I will be making these again. My favorite go to recipe now! Thank you!
Yay! So happy to hear the recipe was a hit. Thanks for your comment and review, Julie!
The best cookie! Followed all your directions and they came out perfect.
So happy to hear that! Happy holidays, Marcia :)
I am making the bar cookies. Do you need to grease the pan, use parchment paper. I’m using the Pampered Chef 9×13 bar pan
Hi Julia – here’s the recipe for the cookie bars: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/mm-cookie-bars/. I like to line my pan with parchment paper or foil (leaving an over hang for easy removal) and then also spray with non-stick spray.
These look amazing! Deff want to make them this christmas 😍💗
Definitely give them a shot! They are a favorite at our house :)
How did you make them so fluffy? Mine taste great, they’re just flat.
Did you refrigerate the dough? Your butter may have been too soft. Chilling the dough for about 30 minutes will help to give them a thicker consistency.
How many cookies does this make?
24 cookies :)
I made these for Christmas goodies and they turned out great!
I’m so happy to hear that, Ashley!
Hello, my cookies did not come out soft and chewy. Any suggestions?
How long did you bake for? You want to remove them from the oven when the edges are just BARELY golden. This way the center will still be soft and they will set as they cool. I also like to refrigerate my dough to help them stay thick and chewy.
I made them last Christmas, so I don’t remember how long I baked them for, but it was likely around the recommended time. The dough could probably be chilled longer I’m guessing. Can the dough be made and chilled a couple of days in advance?
Thanks for the advice!
Yes, definitely! Just set the cookie dough balls out on a baking sheet on top of the oven while it preheats. Then baked as directed (although you may need to bake for an extra minute or so since the dough has been chilling for awhile, so just keep an eye on them!)
I was looking for a new holiday cookie for a party and honestly printing this recipe because I never want to lose it. It was AMAZING and such a hit! My husband kept a stash for himself!
This comment just made my day! I’m so glad you and your hubby loved them so much :) Thanks for your comment and review, Jordan!
look delicious
I was looking for a new Holiday cookie to make and come upon this recipe. I have to say these might be the best cookies I have EVER made! My 8 and 10 year old agreed. I did use mini choc. chips because that is what I had in the pantry, but we LOVED them. This will be the new goto cookie for us!
Yay, this makes me SO happy to hear! I’m so glad they were a hit with your family :)
I would like to use a graham cracker crust. Would that be possible with this recipe? Could I press the cookie dough onto the graham cracker crust, or would the cookie crumble/or break apart.
I’ve never tried but I think that should work! Let me know how it goes if you give it a shot!
Hi! I’ve been making these Christmas m&m cookies in a jar for years (70 of them for my kids schoolmates)! I can’t seem to locate the printable labels from prior years – where can I get them to print off? Thanks so much!
Hi Krista! You can download the free printable labels from this post: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/cookie-mix-in-a-jar/. Enjoy :)
Thank you. I go to that link and where it says to put my name and email to get access to the pro tables, I do so but still haven’t gotten anything?
Everybody really liked them and so did I.
So happy to hear that, Donna! Thank you for your comment :)
Love this recipe! I make it all year long, exactly as written and I have also used Reese’s pieces. I have shared this with many people. Thank you for this keeper!
Yay, this makes me so happy to hear Michelle! I’ll have to try it with Reese’s pieces soon :)