The Best M&M Cookie Recipe (With a Little Peanut Butter)

Peanut butter M&M cookies, basically the best M&M cookie recipe there is. Trust me.

Is there anything better than a classic chocolate chip cookie? Warm, ooey, gooey and oh so tempting right out of your own kitchen? You might think there isn’t anything better, but you would be wrong.

The Best M&M Cookie Recipe (With a Little Peanut Butter)

There is nothing better… until you have tried THIS RECIPE. Our classic cookie base is kicked up a notch with the addition of peanut butter. Now, I know what you’re thinking. These will be overwhelmingly peanut buttery. But they aren’t!

The peanut butter in this cookie batter is light and subtle and just gives it that extra oomph. Plus, adding peanut butter to this M&M cookie recipe keeps these cookies from being too sweet. I know! A cookie with M&M’s and chocolate chips not being overly sweet? It just works. A touch of that salty peanut butter is divine in these cookies!

Some of my best childhood memories revolve around a kitchen. I think a lot of people grow up with a sweet spot in their heart for home baked cookies like these. This M&M cookies recipe from scratch will brighten up anyone’s day, and it’s the perfect recipe to get your little ones helping out in the kitchen. Believe me, they will take this memory with them throughout their whole life. So get those kiddos involved and bake up a batch!

I think the perfect job for your little one is to add the extra M&M’s and chocolate chips to the tops of the cookies right before baking to make them extra pretty. I know they love to decorate! We have a ton of great dessert recipes for little helpers, too.

Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

• Peanut butter, but subtle. It adds a salty, nutty oomph without taking over the cookie.
• Not overly sweet. The peanut butter balances the candy and chocolate chips.
• Freezer friendly dough. Freeze the dough balls and bake cookies whenever company comes over.
• Kid approved fun. Little ones can press extra M&M’s on top before baking.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here is what goes into these M&M peanut butter cookies and why each one is there. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

• All purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off. Packing the flour makes the cookies dry and cakey.
• Baking powder and baking soda: Baking soda helps the cookies spread and brown, and a small amount of baking powder adds a little lift so they stay soft in the center.
• Fine salt: Sharpens the peanut butter flavor and keeps the sweetness in check. Fine salt blends evenly through the dough.
• Unsalted butter: Softened, not melted. Softened butter traps air when creamed with the sugar, which keeps the cookies light. Unsalted lets you control the salt.
• Peanut butter: The secret ingredient. Creamy peanut butter blends smoothly into the butter for a subtle, salty flavor. Natural peanut butter that separates can make the dough oily, so stir it very well if that is what you have.
• Light brown sugar and granulated sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and a soft, chewy texture, and granulated sugar helps the edges crisp. Pack the brown sugar when you measure it.
• Eggs: Bind the dough together. Add them one at a time so each one fully mixes in. Room temperature eggs blend more smoothly into the creamed butter and keep the dough from looking curdled.
• Milk and vanilla: A splash of milk softens the dough, and vanilla rounds out all the flavors.
• M&M’s candies: Classic M&M’s or the peanut butter ones both work. Save a handful to press on top for that bakery look.
• Semi sweet chocolate chips: They add pockets of melty chocolate and balance the sweet candy shells.

How to Make Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

1. Sift the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and set it aside. Sifting breaks up lumps so the leaveners spread evenly.
2. Cream the butters. Beat the butter and peanut butter together in a stand mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, until smooth.
3. Add the sugars. With the mixer on low, add both sugars. Turn the speed to medium high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, until fluffy and light in color.
4. Add the wet ingredients. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing the first one in fully before adding the second. Add the vanilla and milk and mix on low until combined.
5. Add the flour. Mix on low just until the flour disappears. Don’t overmix, or you’ll end up with dense, tough cookies.
6. Fold in the candy. Add the M&M’s and chocolate chips and mix on the stir setting, or fold them in by hand, just until they are spread through the dough.
7. Scoop and chill. Scoop heaping tablespoon dollops onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Roll each into a ball and press the tops down slightly, flat on top but not smushed. Chill for at least 1 hour.
8. Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add extra M&M’s and chocolate chips to the tops if you like. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly brown at the edges. The centers will look a touch soft, and they firm up as the cookies cool.

Ways to Customize M&M Cookies

• Go all in on peanut butter. Use peanut butter M&M’s instead of the classic candies.
• Dress them up. Right before baking, place a couple of M&M’s on top of each cookie to make them look prettier.
• Change the chips. Swap the semi sweet chips for milk chocolate or dark chocolate.
• Make them seasonal. Use holiday colored M&M’s for Christmas, Easter or Halloween cookie trays.

Peanut Butter M&M Cookies FAQs

• Do I have to chill the dough? Yes, for at least 1 hour. Chilling firms up the butter so the cookies hold their shape and don’t spread too thin.
• Can I freeze the cookie dough? Yes. Freeze the shaped dough balls on the baking sheet, then move them to a zip top bag once frozen. Bake them whenever you want fresh cookies or have company over.
• Can I use peanut butter M&M’s? Yes. Either classic or peanut butter M&M’s work in this recipe.
• Will these taste too much like peanut butter? No. The peanut butter is light and subtle. It mostly balances the sweetness and adds a little salty flavor.
• How do I know when they’re done? Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown. The centers will still look soft and will set as they cool.
• Can I use crunchy peanut butter? Yes. Crunchy peanut butter adds little bits of peanut to every bite. The flavor stays just as subtle, so use whichever kind your family likes.
• How should I store baked cookies? Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze them for longer storage.

M&M Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter M&M cookies made from scratch with butter, a little peanut butter, M&M's and semi sweet chocolate chips. The peanut butter keeps them from being overly sweet, and the dough can be frozen to bake anytime.

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Ingredients

  

• 2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon fine salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 ½ cup M&M’s candies you can use the peanut butter ones
• ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
• Cream butter and peanut butter together for 3 minutes in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed. Add sugars with the mixer running on low. Turn speed up to medium high and beat for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and light in color. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating the first egg fully before adding the second one. Add vanilla and milk and mix on low until incorporated. Add flour mixture and mix on low until just incorporated. Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want dense and tough cookies. 
• Add M&M’s and chocolate chips and mix on the stir setting or fold them in until just distributed. Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon sized dollops onto parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Roll into a ball and slightly press the tops down until they are flat on top but not smushed. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (At this point, you can chill the cookies in the freezer and place them into a Ziploc bag once frozen and have cookies at hand to bake and eat whenever it pleases you or whenever you have company over.) 
• Preheat the oven to 375F. (Here you can add additional M&Ms and chocolate chips to the top). Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes until slightly brown. Don’t overbake them, there is nothing sadder in life than an over baked cookie!

Notes

Right before baking, place a couple M&M's on top of each cookie to make them look prettier.

Made these cookies? Leave a star rating in the recipe card and tell us how they turned out in the comments below. Your feedback helps other bakers, and we love seeing your little helpers’ decorating skills.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Honey Peanut Butter Cookies
• Easy Cookies with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
• Easy Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Easy Soft Gingerbread Cookies

This recipe was shared by Dana. Visit her blog, ThisSillyGirlsKitchen.com, for more recipes.