Soft, thick, and chewy m&m cookie recipe with salty peanut butter makes the best lunchbox treats of childhood (and adulthood!). This recipe is a classic that not only tastes amazing but it freezes well, too. Peanut butter free option in the recipe, since some schools don't allow peanut butter.
Check out our other cookie recipes!
Table of Contents
🧾 Ingredients
There are two lists here. One for the peanut butter m&m cookie recipe and the other for plain m&m cookies because I know that more and more schools are outlawing peanut butter due to allergies.
Honestly, the recipes are SO similar it didn't make sense to me to create a whole new post so I'm adding instructions for both.
With peanut butter
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking soda
- Butter
- Creamy peanut butter
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla
- Large eggs
- m&ms Candies- I like to get these in holiday colors; red and green for Christmas, pink and red for Valentine's Day, red white and blue for summer, and so on.
- Reese's Pieces - optional but I like to use some of these in place of some of the m&ms.
- Chopped peanuts - optional but I like the crunch they give.
Without peanut butter
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking soda
- Butter
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla
- Large eggs
- m&ms Candies
💭 Things to know
I made the cookies with the peanut butter AND the Reese's AND the m&ms. Oh-MMMMM-GEEEEE these are so good, especially if you like that classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter. ::::Raises hand:::::
- Butter should be room temperature BUT make sure it is still cool to the touch. When butter is too soft your cookies will spread too much.
- I usually dust the sheet with flour after I grease it. This keeps the cookies from sticking and it helps keep them from spreading. You just need to make sure you don't use too much flour and you shake the excess of the sheet.
- Or you can use parchment or silpat.
- If you have time put the cookie sheet with the dough balls on it in the freezer for 5 minutes or so before baking.
- They'll be prettier if you save out a few of the candies to press (GENTLY) into the tops of the cookies before baking.
- Don't overbake! The trick is to bake them enough that they are not raw in the middle but they are not quite done either. They will cook a little as they cool. It may take some practice but pretty soon you will be able to figure out when to take them out by the way they look.
- Let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes or so after baking so they don't fall apart.
- Freeze the raw cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet then put into freezer containers. You can then just bake a few as needed for fresh cookies whenever.
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
I use baking soda in these because it helps them stay softer. Baking powder makes cookies crisper. You can also try substituting ½ teaspoon of the baking soda with baking powder.
They may or may not travel well. I sent vacuum sealed packages of these to both of my sons that are in the Air Force, one in Korea and one in Japan. The ones that went to Korea arrived intact and fresh and delicious. The ones that went to Japan arrived in tiny pieces but I was assured they were delicious none-the-less.
📚 Related recipes
Here are some more of my favorites here on Restless Chipotle. One of the things I like to do is to make several kinds of dough and freeze it shaped but unbaked... then I can have a mixture of fresh cookies whenever I want.
- Perfect rolled sugar cookies for any occasion. No spreading, soft with crispy edges, freeze well - and SO easy to make!
- Old fashioned molasses crinkles like the ones you used to sneak out of the cookie jar at Grandma's!
- Peanut butter Rolo cookies are stuffed with gooey, melty Rolo candies!
📞 The last word
Grab a glass of milk - you're about an hour away from a trip to irresistible. I've included both versions of the cookie - one with peanut butter and one without.
We love both!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Chewy M andM Cookie Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
Peanut Butter Version
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ cup Butter
- ½ cup Peanut butter
- 1 cup Sugar
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup m & ms chocolate candies
- ½ cup Reese's Pieces, optional
- ½ cup peanuts, optional - chopped
Plain Version
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ cup Butter
- 1 cup Sugar
- ¾ cup Brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- 2 cups m &m's candies
Instructions
- Let butter and eggs come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Grease a cookie sheet and dust with flour
- Mix the flour and baking soda
- Beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed until it is smooth and well combined
- Add the sugars and beat until the mixture is well blended and most of the graininess is gone
- Beat in the vanilla
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time
- Stop and scrape the bowl
- With the mixer on low add the dry ingredients
- Mix just until well blended
- Stir in the candies and peanuts
- Chill for 30 minutes
- Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until done the way you like
- Cool for 5 minutes before removing from sheet
Plain m & m Cookies
- Follow the instructions above using the "plain cookie" ingredients.
Notes
- Butter should be room temperature BUT make sure it is still cool to the touch. When butter is too soft your cookies will spread too much.
- I usually dust the sheet with flour after I grease it. This keeps the cookies from sticking and it helps keep them from spreading. You just need to make sure you don't use too much flour and you shake the excess of the sheet.
- Or you can use parchment or silpat.
- If you have time put the cookie sheet with the dough balls on it in the freezer for 5 minutes or so before baking.
- They'll be prettier if you save out a few of the candies to press (GENTLY) into the tops of the cookies before baking.
- Don't overbake! The trick is to bake them enough that they are not raw in the middle but they are not quite done either. They will cook a little as they cool. It may take some practice but pretty soon you will be able to figure out when to take them out by the way they look.
- Let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes or so after baking so they don't fall apart.
- Freeze the raw cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet then put into freezer containers. You can then just bake a few as needed for fresh cookies whenever.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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Donna Campbell says
I tried these and since I have 20 grandchildren they didn't last long at all.