Christmas M&M Cookies

Chewy and soft baked cookies with an M&M crunch in every bite. These cookies are so incredibly delicious and not to mention- super festive. Tis the season for incredible cookies and I can assure you that these will make a statement. Chocolate chip cookies are a classic and making them festive by adding holiday M&M’s and sprinkles makes them that much more enjoyable.

One of the most common questions before starting a cookie recipe is- does it require chilling? For this particular recipe, I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough for several reasons. First, when the cookie dough is chilled, the butter in the cookie dough becomes hard. As a result, when the cookie is baked, it takes longer for that solidified fat to melt, resulting in less spreading. The less that the cookie spreads, the more thickness you get in the end. Second, I found that cookie dough that has chilled for some time, results in more flavorful and decadent cookies because the flavor has had some time to be absorbed. The great news is that while you wait for the dough to chill in the refrigerator you can make other delicious cookies such as Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Kiss Coconut Almond Blossoms, Orange Whipped Shortbread Cookies, or Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies, or even Chocolate Peppermint Cakes.

Every ingredient has a purpose in a recipe- thank you science. So what role do all of the ingredients play in these perfect Christmas M&M Cookies?

Butter is one of the main ingredients in these cookies and the fat content from the butter gives the cookies tenderness and so much flavor. This is why it’s very important to use full fat butter. Lower fat butter contains more water resulting in more moisture cookies which will compromise both the texture as well as flavor in the the Christmas M&M Cookies.

Sugar is the next main ingredient in cookies. Many cookie recipes call for both brown sugar as well as granulated sugar. The common sense purpose for sugar in any cookie recipe is that it makes the cookies sweet. However, both sugars serve a different purpose. First off, brown sugar has a higher moisture content and a much stronger scent and flavor due to the molasses in the brown sugar. The moisture from the brown sugar makes the cookie chewier. That’s not to say that we don’t need regular granulated sugar though. Granulated sugar is dry in cuts down on cookie spreading as it bakes.

Eggs are another ingredient essential to a perfect cookie. The protein and fat in eggs aid in holding the cookie together, thus providing structure. Extra egg yolk in the cookies makes this Christmas M&M Cookies recipe special. The reason for the extra egg yolk will ensure an extra chewy cookie in the end as well an extra flavor from the fat in the yolk.

Flour is another ingredient responsible for the texture. While the flour help hold all of the ingredients together, it will also distinguish whether the cookie will be chewy and dense or brittle. All purpose flour is recommended for Christmas M&M Cookies because it has just the right amount of gluten.

Baking Soda is a leavening ingredient in many baked cookies that creates a soft and fluffy final product.

There are several reasons why this cookie recipe is the absolute best if you are looking for chewy Christmas M&M Cookies . First, the perfect combination of ingredients are created for a dense and chewy cookie packed with so much flavor. The extra yolk, melted butter, chilling, and the baking time are contribute to the perfect texture of this chewy cookie that is going to be a hit!

Baking time is also a very important step in the outcome of the Christmas M&M Cookies. I can not stress enough how important it is to NOT over bake the cookies. A perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie will be slightly brown around the edges, however, the center will still look like it is raw and extremely soft. Don’t wait for the center of the cookies to become harder because as the cookies cool, they will slightly harden while still keeping their soft and chewy texture. Over-baking the cookies will result in a hard and dried out cookie, which is often one of the most common mistakes made when making cookies.

If you also like a nice presentation, I recommend saving about a 1/4 cup of M&Ms to add to the cookies after they are baked. This will make them look ultra professional and delicious because you will be able to see extra chocolate peeping out of the cookie. As soon as you remove the cookies out of the oven and while they are still very soft, press the M&M’s gently on the surface of the cookies just so that they are held in place. As the cookies cool, they will just slightly deflate, making the M&M’s really stand out.

Directions:

Makes 24 cookies

1 stick plus 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup M&M’s
3 tablespoons holiday sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. Using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together white sugar, brown sugar, and melted butter. Mix for 2-3 minutes until well combined.
2. Add one whole egg, one egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix for one more minute.
3. To the mixture, sift in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together just until they are evenly combined. No not over mix.
4. Stir in chocolate M&M’s and sprinkles and cover with plastic wrap.
5. Refrigerate the dough for about 1-2 hours. The longer that the dough is refrigerated, the thicker and more intense flavor the cookie will have. Once the dough is cooled, it will harden.
6. Using a small ice scream scoop, scoop out about 24 balls of dough and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes at 350°F. Make sure you do not over bake the cookies. Only bake until the edges are SLIGHTLY golden brown. Although the cookies may seem raw in the center, they will harden as they cool and you will be left with a soft, chewy cookie that is impossible to resist.
8. Transfer cookies onto a cooling rack so they cool completely.