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My sister first gave me this recipe back in 2019 and we baked them together when I hosted a kid’s cooking camp back in Wheaton, Illinois. That was a wild and fun week. Kids are the best to teach to cook because they love to get messy and are interested in just about anything. I love that they don’t hold back with questions and offer hysterical details about their home life that I know their parents would die if they heard.
Try swapping out festive colors around Christmas or pink and red for Valentine’s Day. You can never have too many tried and true cookie recipes in your recipe box, so give these a try!
A few things:
Ingredients-
Pantry Staples
You most likely have all the ingredients on hand to make these cookies except the candy. The surprise ingredient is the cornstarch. Check out FAQs for details on why it’s used in baking.
Beautiful Dough
I’m a sucker for cookie dough. How colorful and inviting does this look! I made these while my kids were at school to make sure the dough actually made it to the cookie stage.
Options
I used good old-fashioned regular M&Ms. But try swapping out festive candy based on the time of year. I’m going to try Easter M&Ms next month.
Perfect Cookies
This is such a predictable and tested recipe. I enjoy making these to have for after school snacks or school lunches. They are sweet, but small so they won’t send you in to a sugar coma. Just the right amount to satisfy your sweet tooth.
FAQ
Softened Butter? Why?
You want to use butter that is cool, not melted. This helps it to cream easily with the sugar and makes cookies lighter. If you touch the butter with your finger and press, it should make an indentation but not slide all the way through. Leaving butter out for 1-2 hours before baking is perfect.
What is the use of cornstarch in baking?
Unlike using cornstarch to thicken like in sauces, cornstarch is used in baking to hold the ingredients together and to create a soft and chewy consistency without the cookies being dry.
Some helpful links!
M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cup flour
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 cups milk chocolate M&Ms, divided
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, then mix until just combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture and blend until combined.
- Gently stir in 1 1/4 cups of the M&Ms and all of the chocolate chips.
- Scoop dough into balls and roll between the palms of your hands. Lightly press down on the cookie dough to make a flatter top. Press the remaining M&Ms into the top of each cookie. I used 3 M&Ms per cookie. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are set. Let cookies cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooking rack to cool completely. Mine back in 9 exactly.
Notes
The original recipe is from Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies | House of Nash Eats
House of Nash is a really fun blog (link above) that has a wealth of great recipes and ideas.
