This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These M&M Christmas Cookies are soft, chewy, buttery, and absolutely loaded with festive red and green candies. They bake up thick like bakery cookies, stay wonderfully soft for days, and look like the kind of Christmas cookies everyone grabs first from the holiday tray.
What makes these cookies so special is how easy they are to make while still tasting bakery-worthy. Brown sugar keeps them soft and rich, cornstarch gives them that melt-in-your-mouth texture, and a mix of chopped M&M’s inside the dough plus extra candies pressed on top creates the prettiest Christmas cookies with colorful candy in every bite. If you love festive holiday baking, be sure to try my Italian Christmas Cookies, Christmas Butter Cookies, and Candy Cane Cookies, next. And don’t miss my full Christmas Cookie Recipes collection for even more holiday favorites.
✨ Before You Begin
✨ Use softened butter, not melted butter: Softened butter helps these cookies bake up thick and soft instead of flat and greasy.
✨ Chop some of the M&M’s: This helps distribute the candy throughout the cookies and creates prettier bakery-style interiors.
✨ Press extra M&M’s on top: Add them to the dough balls before baking for that bright, festive Christmas cookie look.
✨ Don’t overbake: The centers should look just set when you pull them from the oven. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool.
✨ Line your baking sheets: Parchment paper or silicone baking mats help the cookies bake evenly and release cleanly.
Why This Recipe Works
- Soft and chewy centers with lightly golden edges
- Thick bakery-style cookies that stay soft for days
- Loaded with festive red and green Christmas M&M’s
- Easy cookie dough with no chill time required
- Perfect for Christmas cookie trays, gifting, and cookie exchanges
- Cornstarch creates a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture
- Chopped M&M’s distribute color and chocolate throughout every bite
M&M Christmas Cookies Ingredients + Key Notes
Unsalted Butter: Use softened butter so the dough creams properly with the sugar and creates thick, soft cookies.
Baking Soda: Fresh baking soda helps the cookies rise properly and bake up soft instead of dense. If your baking soda has been sitting in the pantry for a long time, replace it before holiday baking season.
Granulated Sugar: A small amount of granulated sugar helps the cookies spread just enough while keeping the edges lightly crisp.
Brown Sugar: This recipe uses more brown sugar than granulated sugar because brown sugar adds moisture, richness, and chewiness.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the secret ingredient that gives these cookies their soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Make sure your cornstarch is fresh, especially if you live in a humid or coastal area where pantry ingredients can lose their freshness faster.
Christmas M&M’s: Use the red and green holiday M&M’s for the most festive look. Chopping part of the candy helps distribute the chocolate and color throughout the dough while pressing extra candies on top gives the cookies that bakery-style finish.
🥣 How to Make M&M Christmas Cookies
Make the dough: Preheat your oven to 350°F, then cream the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla, then add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together.
Add the M&M’s: Coarsely chop about half of the M&M’s and gently stir them into the dough. Scoop the dough onto lined baking sheets, then press the remaining whole M&M’s onto the tops of the dough balls so the cookies bake up bright and festive.
Bake and cool: Bake just until the edges are lightly golden and the centers have lost their wet look, about 8–10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack so they finish setting up soft and chewy.
⭐ Pro Tips
⭐ Chop The M&M’s With A Knife
Use a chef’s knife to coarsely chop the M&M’s. Don’t use a food processor — it breaks up the candy shells too much, and you’ll lose those pretty colorful chunks in the dough
⭐ Don’t Overbake
The cookies should still look slightly soft in the center when you remove them from the oven. Overbaking is the fastest way to lose that soft bakery-style texture.
⭐ Press Extra M&M’s On Top
Mixing candies into the dough gives great flavor, but pressing extra candies onto the tops before baking makes the cookies much prettier and more festive.
⭐ Chop Some Of The Candies
Chopping part of the M&M’s helps spread the chocolate and candy coating throughout the cookies so every bite gets plenty of flavor and color.
⭐ Use A Large Cookie Scoop
Larger cookies stay softer in the center and create that thick bakery-style look that works so well for this recipe.
🔬 Cooking Science: Why These Cookies Stay Soft
Brown sugar contains molasses, which adds moisture and helps keep cookies chewy. Cornstarch softens the flour structure and creates a more tender texture, which is why these cookies stay soft and almost melt in your mouth. Pulling the cookies from the oven while the centers still look slightly soft also helps lock in moisture as the cookies finish setting on the baking sheet.
Storing + Reheating + Freezing + Make-Ahead Tips
Storing: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Warm a cookie in the microwave for 8–10 seconds to bring back that fresh-baked softness.
Freezing: Freeze baked cookies or unbaked dough balls for up to 3 months.
Make-Ahead Tip: Scoop the dough into balls and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking.
M&M Christmas Cookies FAQs
◆ Can I freeze M&M Christmas cookie dough?
Yes! Scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a freezer bag and bake directly from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the baking time.
◆ Do you put M&M’s in cookies before baking?
Yes. For the best texture and appearance, mix some M&M’s into the dough and press extra candies onto the tops before baking.
◆ Why did my M&M cookies spread too much?
This usually happens if the butter was too warm or if too little flour was added. Make sure to measure the flour correctly and use softened — not melted — butter.
◆ Can I use regular M&M’s instead of Christmas M&M’s?
Absolutely. Regular M&M’s work perfectly, but the red and green candies give the cookies their classic Christmas look.
◆ How do I keep Christmas cookies soft?
Store them in an airtight container and avoid overbaking. Pull the cookies from the oven when the centers still look slightly soft.
Still have questions? Drop them in the comments — I love helping you cook with confidence! 💗
More Christmas Cookies You’ll Love
Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies — tender, buttery pressed cookies that look beautiful on holiday cookie trays.
Pecan Shortbread Cookies — rich, buttery shortbread cookies with toasted pecans and a delicate crumb.
Danish Wedding Cookies — sweet, nutty powdered sugar cookies that melt in your mouth.
Sour Cream Cookies — soft, old-fashioned cookies with a tender texture and classic Christmas charm.
Christmas Sugar Cookies — festive cut-out cookies that are perfect for decorating, gifting, and baking with family.
Tried This Recipe?
💌 And while you’re here, don’t miss the next cozy recipe — subscribe to my totally FREE newsletter so you’ll always have comfort food favorites at your fingertips. 💌
If you enjoyed this recipe, please take a moment to leave ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and a quick comment — I love hearing from you and it helps our community of bakers and cooks!
📸 And if you Gram… don’t forget to share your photo on Instagram — tag me @gonnawantseconds so I can cheer you on and share your creations!
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! 💗 Kathleen
M&M Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup M&M's
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened, (1 1/2 sticks)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Chop 1/2 cup of M&Ms coarsely and set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, cream together butter (3/4 cup) and both sugars (3/4 cup brown sugar + 1/4 cup granulated sugar). Mix in egg (1) and vanilla (2 teaspoons).
- Add flour (2 cups), cornstarch (2 teaspoons), baking soda (1 teaspoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon), and mix until just combined. Stir in chopped M&Ms.
- Use a cookie scoop (1 tablespoon size ) to form dough into balls and space evenly on a greased or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Press 4-5 M&M's into the face of each dough ball. Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until the edges start to brown.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- These cookies will be baked when the center just loses that wet look and the edges begin to brown.
Nutrition
