M&M cookies are soft, chewy and loaded with M&Ms! With a gluten-free option.
M&M cookies were a favorite of mine growing up. My mother never made them or bought them so whenever other parents brought them to school parties, I made a beeline for the cookie tray!
Since the days of elementary school class parties, I’ve made my fair share of M&M cookies. I always just mixed the M&Ms into the dough and baked them up. One thing that nagged at me is that they never looked as pretty as the cookies from my childhood.
So this time, I experimented with the best way of incorporating the M&Ms. I made them every way imaginable and finally found the best method. You add the M&Ms to the dough, roll into balls with as few M&Ms peeking out of the dough as possible, bake and then add more M&Ms post-baking. A few M&Ms may still bleed, which you can see in the pictures, but even with that, it’s a huge improvement over the other methods I’ve tried!
I like my M&M cookies to be loaded with M&Ms and so my recipe calls for a lot more M&Ms than other recipes I’ve seen. These cookies are actually 1/3 M&Ms by weight! And that’s before you press almost an additional cup on top of the cookies after baking. You can absolutely use fewer M&Ms or toss in some other add-ins like chocolate chips or walnuts.
I originally tried making these much larger. I wanted huge bakery-style cookies, like my favorite Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Cookies but the middles were underdone while the edges were a little too browned. One-and-a-half inch (65 grams) balls seem to be the ideal size for these to bake up properly!
The cookies pictured are the gluten-free version. If you make the cookies with all-purpose flour, the cookies are a less crinkly looking. But what’s important is that the two versions taste the same! If you want even thicker M&M cookies, try adding some M&Ms to my Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies or Jamie’s New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies.
For more delicious cookie recipes, be sure to check out these No Bake Cookies and these Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies. And to enjoy these cookies warm from the oven any time, try my method for how to freeze cookie dough!

M&M Cookies
M&M cookies are soft, chewy and loaded with M&Ms! With a gluten-free option.
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or the gluten-free baking mix listed below*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups M&Ms, plus an additional 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons to press on top, if desired
* If you need these cookies to be gluten-free, make sure all your ingredients are certified gluten-free. Original M&Ms in the US are gluten-free but some of the other varieties are not. For the flour, use the following mixture. While the all-purpose flour version uses 3 1/4 cups of flour, this mixture, which yields 3 cups of flour, works beautifully in this recipe:
- 2 cups rice flour
- 2/3 cup potato starch
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla at low speed until well combined.
- On low, gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Beat in the M&Ms on low.
- If making the all-purpose flour version, roll into 1 1/2" balls (about 65 grams) - pushing any M&Ms that stick out back in. If your dough is too soft to roll into proper balls, refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until firm. Freeze dough balls for 2 hours, or until firm.
- If making the gluten-free version, freezing is not necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. Then roll into balls.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F for the all-purpose flour version or 375° degrees F for the gluten-free version.
- Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Place the dough balls 4" apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 16-20 minutes or until lightly and evenly browned.
- Remove from the oven and immediately press 7 more M&Ms on top of each cookie, if desired. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1 cookieAmount Per Serving Calories 297

Jill Paaso
Wednesday 16th of December 2020
Hi Jamie!
Loved the cookies taste, but the edges were really hard, do you know why (w/gluten)?
Jamie
Friday 18th of December 2020
Hmmm, I'm not really sure why that would have happened.
Kimberly
Thursday 20th of December 2018
I love M&M cookies
Jamie
Friday 21st of December 2018
Thanks so much for stopping by, Kimberly! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking! -Jamie
Margaret
Sunday 16th of December 2018
I just made these today for a music party tonight. These are by far the BEST m&m cookies I have ever made. This is absolutely the best recipe. I did chill the dough for just a little bit but made no changes to the recipe. Thank you for sharing!!
Jamie
Friday 21st of December 2018
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies, Margaret! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback! -Jamie
Carol Banks Weber
Monday 22nd of October 2018
I made these for my son's soccer team this weekend. The cookies were a huge hit! I've only ever made MnM cookies from another food blogger's recipe, which called for whole wheat. But these were even better — to make & to enjoy. I was slightly concerned by how crispy they turned out, but everyone loved them. I guess it's because I expected MnM cookies to be soft and chewy. Works out because I prefer crisper cookies. I made a ton and only five are left for my husband.
Jamie
Monday 22nd of October 2018
So glad to hear you enjoyed them. Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and leave feedback! -Jamie
Kimberley McNees
Monday 27th of August 2018
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I needed to make cookies with pink and teal chocolate pieces, and this recipe was perfect for the task!! Turned out beautiful!
Jamie
Tuesday 28th of August 2018
So happy to hear you enjoyed the cookies, Kimberley! I bet they were lovely. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback! -Jamie