Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies

These are a little variation on my family chocolate chip recipe. These chocolate chip M&M cookies are so fun to make for These chocolate chip M&M cookies are a little variation on my family’s chocolate chip cookie recipe, and they’re so fun to make for the holidays. Just grab a festive bag of M&Ms, add them to your cookies, and BAM. Festive cookies that everyone loves.

The best part? You can use the exact same recipe year-round. Just change the M&M colors for Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, or whatever holiday you’re celebrating.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This chocolate chip cookie recipe originally belonged to my mom, and I’ve made a few adjustments over the years.

Her original recipe used shortening, but I decided to double up on the butter and remove the shortening because we’ve been trying to avoid seed oils where we can.

We do what we can, right? I’m not a crazy person about it, but when I can make an easy substitution that works for our family, I will.

These cookies are also ridiculously easy to customize. You can make them festive for practically any holiday without changing the actual recipe.

And with chocolate chips AND M&Ms? What’s not to love?

Ingredients

You’ll need your typical chocolate chip cookie ingredients, plus a couple of fun extras:

• Butter: 1 cup
• Granulated sugar: 1 cup
• Brown sugar: ½ cup
• Eggs: 2
• Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
• All-purpose flour: 2½ cups
• Baking soda: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: 1 teaspoon
• Chocolate chips: ½ bag
• M&Ms: ½ bag

Since Valentine’s Day was coming up when I originally made these, I grabbed the festive Valentine’s M&Ms. My daughters loved them.

That’s what makes these chocolate chip M&M cookies so easy to dress up for the holidays. Same cookie, different colors.

Equipment

• Stand mixer
• Cookie sheets
• Silicone baking mat
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Cookie scoop
• Wire cooling rack

Ingredient Notes & Holiday Variations

Butter Instead of Shortening

My mom’s original chocolate chip cookie recipe used shortening, but I’ve adjusted it to use butter instead. It’s a simple change I’ve made for our family, and we love how the cookies turn out.

Chocolate Chips and M&Ms

I use both because why choose? 😂

The recipe calls for half a bag of each, but honestly, this is one of those situations where I think you should add the mix-ins with your heart.

Get your Costco-size bag and keep dumping until your cookies look like they have enough chocolate.

Just remember to save a handful of both for the tops!

Make Them Festive for Any Holiday

You don’t need a separate cookie recipe for every holiday. Just swap out the M&M colors!

• Valentine’s Day: Pink, red, and white M&Ms.
• Easter: Pastel M&Ms.
• Halloween: Orange, purple, and other Halloween colors.
• Christmas: Red and green M&Ms.

You can also skip the M&Ms altogether and make regular chocolate chip cookies.

How to Make Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies

Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugars

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together.

Step 2: Add the Eggs and Vanilla

Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then mix until combined.

Step 3: Add the Dry Ingredients

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.

Step 4: Mix in the Chocolate Chips and M&Ms

Add your chocolate chips and M&Ms to the cookie dough.

Save a handful of each to decorate the tops before baking.

Step 5: Scoop and Decorate the Cookies

Scoop the cookie dough onto your prepared cookie sheets.

Now, here’s the little trick that has CHANGED my baking game for the better.

Take a few of your leftover M&Ms and chocolate chips and press them into the tops of each cookie dough ball.

Yes, the cookies still have chocolate chips and M&Ms inside even if you can’t see them from the top. But you WANT to see them from the top.

It makes your cookies look better, and when they look better, they taste better, right?

They do. It’s SCIENCE. 😂

Trust me. Look at your little cookie balls on the sheet and add a few extra mix-ins to each one. They look so much better.

Step 6: Bake and Cool

Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1–3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Those are some cute and happy cookies right there.

Tips for Success

Save Some Chocolate Chips and M&Ms for the Tops

This is my number one tip. Notice how my cookies don’t have two of the same M&M color right next to each other on top? Yes, that’s because I am slightly crazy and hand-placed those M&Ms. 😂 I even added a few chocolate chunks to some of them. Those cookies look like they want to be eaten.

I know when I’m picking out a cookie, I’m judging it by the top. I’m grabbing the one with the most yummies showing. You don’t have to be quite as particular as I am, but adding a few extra mix-ins on top makes a huge difference in how your cookies look.

Don’t Be Afraid to Switch Up the Mix-Ins

Chocolate chips, M&Ms, chocolate chunks — use whatever combination sounds good to you.

You can also use different holiday M&Ms to make the same recipe feel completely different throughout the year.

Storage & Freezing

These cookies taste AMAZING frozen.

You can freeze some for later, but my family tends to eat them straight out of the freezer anyway.

Maybe it’s the Vegas heat, but frozen chocolate chip cookies are seriously underrated. 😂

I love having a batch in the freezer when we want something sweet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these cookies with different holiday M&Ms?

Absolutely! That’s one of my favorite things about this recipe. Use Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, or Christmas M&Ms to match whatever you’re celebrating.

Can I make these without M&Ms?

Yes! You can skip the M&Ms and make regular chocolate chip cookies. You can also use chocolate chunks or adjust the mix-ins however you like.

Can I freeze chocolate chip M&M cookies?

Yes! I love these cookies frozen. You can freeze some for later, although I can’t promise your family won’t eat them straight out of the freezer like mine does. 😂

How do I make my M&M cookies look prettier?

Save some of your chocolate chips and M&Ms and add them to the tops of the cookie dough balls before baking.

That way, you can actually see all the good stuff instead of having it hidden inside the cookies.

Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies Are Always Good Idea

I hope you love these chocolate chip M&M cookies as much as my family does.

They’re an easy way to turn a classic chocolate chip cookie into something festive without having to learn an entirely new recipe.

Just switch out the M&M colors, add the mix-ins with your heart, and make sure you save a few for the tops. 😂

If you try them, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a rating or comment and let me know which holiday version you made.

This recipe is part of my 5 Easy Cookie Recipes We Make on Repeat — a roundup of the cookies my family asks for again and again.

Other Cookie Recipes Readers Love

If you’re in a pumpkin mood or want to try another family favorite, here are a few more cookie recipes from my kitchen.

• My Famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
• The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
• Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Easter Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies