Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
Bakery soft and with a slight chewiness, these peanut butter M&M cookies can be made fast (30 minutes!) and are easy to decorate for any holiday or occasion.
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Table of Contents
- About Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Can you use natural peanut butter?
- Can you use crunchy peanut butter?
- Why do the eggs need to be room temperature?
- Do you need to chill the dough?
- How long are M&M cookies good for?
- Can you freeze M&M Cookies?
- Notes & tips for peanut butter M&M cookies
- More great cookie recipes
- Other delicious recipes with peanut butter
- How to make peanut butter M&M cookies
- Recipe Details
About Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
Ideal for curing a sweet craving in a hurry, these 30-minute peanut butter M&M cookies are packed with flavor and are fun to decorate however you see fit.
Whether it’s colorful M&M’s, festive sprinkles, or a variety of chocolate chips, these cookies can be easily customized to your tastes, giving you the perfect soft and chewy cookie for you in almost no time at all.
Can you use natural peanut butter?
I have not personally tried this, so I can’t recommend using natural peanut butter. Many recipes require all the “extra stuff” that comes from brands like Skippy, Jiff, etc in order to ensure the right balance within the recipe.
If you’re experienced with baking with natural peanut butter and have tips or suggestions, I’d love to hear how these cookies turned out for you!
Can you use crunchy peanut butter?
I’ve only made these cookies with creamy peanut butter, but in theory, yes, you can use store-bought crunchy peanut butter (so long as it’s not natural or homemade – see above note).
Why do the eggs need to be room temperature?
Allowing eggs to come to room temperature (instead of using them straight out of the fridge) can benefit almost all baked goods, but there are some recipes – like this one – that specifically request it.
So you may be asking yourself, why? What’s the big deal with the temperature of the eggs?
There are a few benefits to using room temperature eggs, such as:
- The eggs will blend better in the batter, resulting in fewer lumps.
- The dough will cook and rise more evenly.
- Many say the baked texture is more “soggy” when cold eggs are used.
If you’re in a hurry and need room temperature eggs, you can help speed up the process by letting the uncracked eggs soak in warm water (only warm to the touch, and not too hot; you don’t want to cook the eggs) for five to 10 minutes.
Do you need to chill the dough?
Great news here, guys! For this recipe, you do not need to chill the cookie dough before baking. These cookies should have a softer, bakery-like texture when baked without chilling the dough. However, if you’d prefer that the baked cookies have a chewier texture, you could chill the dough for 30 minutes before forming the cookies.
Curious why you may (or may not) need to chill dough for cookies? It has a lot to do with fat content, a big portion of which comes from the butter. You can read more about how it all works here: To Chill or not to Chill.
How long are M&M cookies good for?
Once prepared and cooled, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies can be stored in a sealed container on the counter for up to five days.
Can you freeze M&M Cookies?
If you’d like to always have a batch of these cookies on hand, the easiest way is to freeze them for later. There are two ways you can do this.
To freeze the raw dough:
- Mix all ingredients, then scoop out about one tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball (the same way you would before baking).
- Place cookie dough balls on a tray and freeze for at least two hours or until outside is no longer tacky. Once firm, transfer to a freezer bag or a storage container with a sealable lid.
- Cookie dough can be stored for up to six months. When ready to bake, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake like normal.
To freeze the baked cookies:
- Bake cookies and allow to cool completely.
- Store cookies in a single layer in a freezer bag or storage container. If you need to stack the cookies, separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper.
- Baked cookies and be stored for up to three months.
Notes & tips for peanut butter M&M cookies
- If you’re doing a lot of baking, I highly recommend having some silicone baking mats on hand. Baking cookies takes enough time without having to cut or measure parchment paper. Or if you prefer using parchment paper, you can try using pre-cut parchment paper sheets instead.
- Plus, some quality baking sheets are a must for a cookie baking extravaganza!
- For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. This recipe would be difficult to mix by hand.
More great cookie recipes
Other delicious recipes with peanut butter
How to make peanut butter M&M cookies
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – To get started, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 2 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until nice and fluffy.
Step 3 – Mix in the eggs, vanilla, peanut butter, and dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms. The batter might be thinner than traditional cookie dough; this is okay.
Step 4 – Use a cookie scoop to scoop up some dough, then release the dough into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat this step until all the dough has been used. Once the cookie dough is formed, gently press the M&M’s and chocolate chips into the top of the dough. And if you’d like, top the cookies with some festive sprinkles.
Step 5 – Bake!
Step 6 – Serve and enjoy!
Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 egg, room temperature
- 1 cup M&M's, chocolate chips, or sprinkles, any variety or combination
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set bowl aside.
- Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2-4 minutes.
- Drop mixer speed to low and add in eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter until smooth, about another 1-3 minutes.
- Keeping mixer speed on low, quickly scoop in dry ingredients, adding about 1/3 to 1/2 cup at a time. Stop mixing as soon as dry ingredients appear fully incorporated in the dough. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape sides of bowl, mixing in any wayward dry ingredients. The batter may not be as thick as traditional cookie dough; this is okay.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out dough and release the cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this step until all dough is used, placing cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Once cookie dough is formed, gently press M&M's and/or chocolate chips into the top of the dough. Top with sprinkles, if desired.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden.
- Let cookie rest on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
