The M&M cookies are a close cousin of chocolate chip cookies, having that soft cookie but a chocolatey crunch from the M&M’s
I have always loved chocolate chip cookies. Although, I will admit, that sometimes I put in a little too many chocolate chips. And some of my family is not the biggest fan of chocolate. Crazy, I know! So, I wanted to find a chocolate chip adjacent cookie that would satisfy the non-chocolate people while keeping some chocolate flavor.
My solution? M&M cookies! These cookies have that deliciously good flavor with a soft texture. There is still a chocolate flavor, but the M&M candy coating lends itself very well to be part of the cookies without being overwhelming. I also switched to using mini M&Ms and tried to vary the amounts added to mix to find the perfect balance.
The one I ended up using below is a little tailored more to someone who likes chocolate but even still, it is a big hit with the family. And if I have to make cookies, I try to make sure this one is on the list in order to have something there for everyone.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
The ingredients to make M&M cookies are very similar to other cookies. Flour, Sugar, Butter, etc. I did find that using both baking powder and baking soda was better in making this cookie rise well and get a chewy cookie texture. Brown sugar is also crucial to get the right flavoring in the cookie as well. And, of course, I needed M&Ms!
Process
The first step of making any cookie is making the dough! I started by whisking the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl. Then I whisked them together to the best of my ability. I only say that because all the ingredients are white. It’s difficult to tell when everything has been mixed by eye, but I have a general feel for it now.
Then, in a stand mixer, I whisked together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. I beat this mixture for about 3-5 minutes. I wanted it to become fluffy. This typically means that I cannot see the granular sugar. It looks almost like a weird whipped cream. Doesn’t taste like it though.
After I added an egg and vanilla extract to make the mixture more liquid. I found that it was good to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time. This helps the butter from sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Everything really comes together to make one mix with no clumps.
To finish making the core dough, I added in the flour mixture that was set aside earlier. Up to this point, the recipe is extremely similar, almost identical, to making chocolate chip cookies. But these are M&M cookies.
The last step before shaping the cookies is adding in the M&Ms. I used a spatula to stir these in because I didn’t want the mixer accidentally crushing them. Then I shaped them into 1 inch balls and place them out on a baking tray. I let them bake and then cool on the rack. Well… some of them did, some of them were devoured and caused a burnt tongue.
Reflections
Yup, these M&M cookies are delicious. Which I was expecting considering they are the sibling of chocolate chip cookies. I really love what the M&Ms bring to the table. There’s a crunch among the softness that works well to add to the texture. The M&Ms also bring nice balance of chocolate to the cookies that is not too much but also not too little.
Lessons
Colors
The one thing I noticed when making these cookies is that some of the M&Ms leak color are they bake. I wanted to figure out why this happened. Some just naturally spreads while baking. But the broken M&Ms had their colors spread even farther. I think that is because there was a break in the candy coating which allowed for more color to leak. I feel like I need to an experiment to figure out what happened. Then I can make the most color M&M cookies.
recipe
M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter softened
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Miniature M&M’s
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in Egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
- On a low speed, add in the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in M&M’s. (If prefer to add in 2/3 Cup M&Ms and use the reaming 1/3 to decorate the tops of the cookies before baking)
- Roll the dough into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls and place on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other.
- Bake for 9 – 11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned and set.
- Remove the cookies from the baking sheets and allow to cool.
- Enjoy!!
Leave a ReplyCancel reply