Deck the halls with our easy, one-bowl Christmas m&m and chocolate chip cookies for a very merry holiday season! These soft, chewy, and festive cookies are perfect for gifting, cookie exchanges, or setting out for Santa.
My mom and I have been doing a holiday cookie baking marathon for nearly 20 years now. We love making family favorites and trying new cookie recipes too! These festive m&m cookies are being added to our rotation because they’re festive, easy, and loved by kids and adults alike (we’ve done lots of testing to confirm)! With our detailed instructions and step-by-step photos, you’ll be able to successfully bake up a great batch of these holiday cookies the first time you try.
So next time you’re at the store, be sure to toss a bag (or two) of the milk chocolate holiday m&ms into your cart so you can add these cookies to your Christmas recipes this year! And if you happen to drop a bag of holiday hugs and a bag of square or holiday shaped pretzels into your cart too, you can use up your holiday m&ms with our easy Christmas pretzel treats too!
Why You’ll Love Our Christmas m&m Chocolate Chip Cookies
No chill time needed! These cookies are mixed, baked, and ready to eat in 30-minutes! So you don’t have to wait long for a fresh batch of these chocolate chip cookies with m&ms.
The perfect cookie texture. This recipe creates wonderfully chewy cookies that have a fun little crunch thanks to the candy coating on the m&ms! Simply put, they’re just really enjoyable to eat.
Always a crowd pleaser. Kids and adults alike tend to gravitate towards these festive cookies. Because these m&m cookies are a fun variation on a basic chocolate chip cookie, people feel comfortable reaching for it (and then going back for more).
Make-ahead option (freezer friendly). If you’d like to prep these up ahead of your holiday festivities, you can freeze either the dough balls or the baked cookies! We love having a freezer stash of dough balls so we can bake up a small amount of fresh cookies anytime we want! See detailed instructions in the ‘How to Store’ section below.
Ingredients Needed to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with m&ms
- Salted Butter. Butter adds richness, tenderness, and structure to cookies.
- Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar. Using a combination of white sugar and brown sugar creates cookies with the perfect level of sweetness, moistness, and chewiness.
- Large Egg. Using a whole egg (instead of using just an egg yolk or an egg white) helps provide structure, leavening, and moisture to our cookie recipe.
- Vanilla Extract. Adds depth of flavor in our cookie recipe.
- Salt. Salt helps to balance our the sweetness of our cookies and enhances the other flavors as well.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder. Using a combination of baking soda and baking powder creates chocolate chip m&m cookies with the perfect texture, rise, and shape.
- All-Purpose Flour. All-purpose flour has the optimal protein range for baking cookies resulting in cookies that are chewy and soft when baked properly. Plus, it’s the type of flour we always have on hand and I’m guessing you do too (and if you don’t, it’s easy to find at any grocery or convenience store).
- Holiday m&ms and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Chocolate chip m&m cookies have such a nice balance of chocolatey goodness and textures as compared to cookies that only use m&ms.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients, measurements, and directions.
Ingredient FAQs
How do I soften the butter?
If you didn’t set out your butter to warm up to room temperature before you start (no judgement, I rarely do this), simply use the microwave to soften your butter. It will take about 20-30 seconds from refrigerated, and up to a minute if from frozen, to soften your butter. If you end up with some melty parts, don’t worry! You’ll still get a great batch of cookies if your butter melts a little.
Recipe Variations
Add sprinkles for an extra pop of fun! Like our 4th of July m&m cookies, you can roll your dough balls in festive holiday sprinkles for an extra pop of color (and a nice addition of texture in my opinion).
Use mini holiday m&ms and mini chocolate chips. They’re extra cute and fun, so why not?!
Switch out the semi-sweet chocolate chips for a different mix-in. You can try white chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or just more m&ms if you’d prefer!
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
These cookies are vegetarian as written, but since classic milk chocolate m&ms are gluten free, one simple swap you can make these cookies gluten free too! Replace the all-purpose flour with your favorite 1-to-1 gluten free flour. I’ve had success using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour Blend in a variety of baked goods, and would expect it to work well in this cookie recipe too.
I also like to remind people if you’re serving someone with a specific dietary need, always double check the labels on your ingredients to ensure you’re meeting their needs.
How to Make m&m Christmas Cookies
Preheat your oven to 375°F and get out two full-size cookie sheets (optionally lining with parchment paper if desired).
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) cream together the softened butter and both sugars (the mixture will be a bit grainy, look kind of pale yellow, and be a bit fluffy).
Add in the egg and vanilla extract (the remaining wet ingredients) and mix until combined.
Slowly mix in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and the all-purpose flour (your dry ingredients) until a dough is formed.
Gently stir in the holiday m&ms and chocolate chips until they’re distributed throughout the dough.
Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (about 2 Tablespoons), portion out the dough into balls (rolling in your hands if needed) and placing them 2″ apart on a cookie sheet.
Gently press 3-4 additional m&ms on top of each dough ball.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden brown and the edges look set.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Baking Tip for Super Chewy m&m Chocolate Chip Cookies
For ultra chewy cookies, be sure to not overbake them (they will continue to set up once pulled out of the oven). Allow your cookies to rest and begin to cool down on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store (with Option to Freeze!)
Store fully cooled m&m chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days (but I’d be surprised if they last that long!).
How to Freeze Before Baking
You can freeze m&m chocolate chip cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. To do so, make the dough as directed in the recipe card. Scoop dough into balls onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet and “flash freeze” them in the freezer for 1 hour. Once the dough balls are cold and solid, transfer them to zip-top freezer bag that’s labeled with the recipe title, date the dough was made, and baking instructions (time and temperature). You can bake from frozen by placing frozen cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet, and adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time noted on the recipe card.
How to Freeze After Baking
You can also freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months! To do so, make sure the cookies are completely cooled prior to freezing. Gently place the cookies into a large zip-top freezer bag or into an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper (this helps prevent the cookies from sticking together). When you’re ready to enjoy, simply thaw frozen cookies in the refrigerator or on the counter.
Recipe FAQs
Can I Make These into Cookie Bars Instead?
Yes you can! If you’d like to make these into bars, simply make a single batch of the dough as directed and press it into an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan to bake. To help prevent overly hard edges, I recommend baking your cookie bars at 350°F (instead of 375°F as noted for our regular cookies). Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are set and beginning to brown, and the center is puffed up (your cookie bars should not look really wet and “jiggle” if you gently shake the pan). You can also check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the bars. If it comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it, you’re good to go!
If you’d like to make a bigger batch, make a double batch of the dough per the recipe card and press into a 9×13 pan.
Love This Recipe? Try One of These Christmas Cookie Recipes Next!
Christmas m&m Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl -or- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
- ½ Cup salted butter, softened
- ⅓ Cup brown sugar* (light or dark)
- ⅓ Cup granulated sugar*
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 Cups all-purpose flour
- ½ Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ Cup red and green holiday m&m candies + additional for pressing onto the top of each cookie dough ball (milk chocolate m&ms)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set out two full-size cookie sheets (option to line with parchment paper if desired).
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment) cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar (it will be a bit grainy, look kind of pale yellow, and be a bit fluffy).
- Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
- Slowly mix in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and all-purpose flour until a dough is formed.
- Gently mix in the chocolate chips and red and green m&m candies until well distributed throughout the dough.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop (about 2 Tablespoons), make dough balls.
- Gently press 3-4 additional red and green candies on top of each dough ball and place them 2" apart on the baking sheet(s).
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies are done when they begin to turn lightly golden brown and the edges look set.
- Allow cookies to rest for a few minutes on the baking sheet(s), then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Vivienne says
Thanksgiving is over and our family is off to the Christmas cookie marathon. This easy and yummy recipe was first on the list. Perfect! So good! Good for other holidays too with the seasonal M &Ms.
Meredith says
So glad to be apart of your family’s holiday! Thanks for giving these m&m cookies a try 🙂
Curtis B says
They’re a classic for a reason! Great cookie and really easy to put together.
Meredith says
Glad to hear you enjoyed these too Curtis, thanks!
Marge says
we LOVE these m&m Christmas cookies – so soft and chewy, yum!