Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies

My go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe loaded with chocolate chunks and topped with M&M’s. It’s almost impossible to stop eating them right from the oven!

How many chocolate chip cookie recipes do you have in your collection?  Over the years I actually acquired quite a few.  But, this is the one I make the most often, hands-down.  They bake perfectly for me every time, and I get the best reviews and comments from friends when they eat them.

I developed this recipe 2 1/2 years ago — you should see the chicken scratch written on my notebook paper.  It is almost illegible after all of my marks and lines for changing ingredients, instructions and timing before getting it just right.  On this same paper, I also jotted down my best tips and tricks I realized over those years that help make the best cookie.  I thought I’d share them with you:

• It makes a difference to take the time to beat your eggs and sugar until they are light and fluffy in texture.  This will only take 1 minute.  Then, allow another 3 minutes for beating the mix on high after adding the eggs and vanilla.  This will make the dough not so dense and create air pockets to help rise the cookie in the oven and avoid a flat round.  There’s more science to it, but I can’t even start to act like I know how to explain it more.
• When measuring your flour, many people swear by the “spoon and level” method.  This means you use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup.  This is a great method, and you should do it.  BUT, I do not have time for this.  I quickly stir and fluff the flour in my container, then scoop my measuring cup and level with a knife.  This way I’m scooping only ONCE and not a million times.  The key is to FLUFF YOUR FLOUR FIRST before scooping it to measure.
• The recipe calls for QUICK (1-minute) oats.  This is not the same as instant oats.  Please do not use instant.
• Do NOT over mix the dough!  After adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix on low speed until it is ALMOST combined.  You should still see a little bit of flour throughout the mixture.  The rest of the flour will mix in when you fold in your chocolate chips.
• This recipe calls for both chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.  Sometimes I throw in some miniature chocolate chips, too. Use semi-sweet and maybe some bittersweet for the chunks.  It’s up to you and your tastes!  But please use good quality chips.  My favorite semi-sweet chocolate chips come from Hershey’s brand.  Remember, the M&M’s are milk chocolate.
• For uniform sized cookies that keep round and to quicken the process of scooping the dough from bowl to pan, consider using a medium cookie scoop.  I’ve used mine for years and will never go back.  I own and recommend this one.
• Instead of stirring the M&M’s into the dough, I strategically place mine on top of the dough rounds.  It’s prettier this way.
• Do not over bake the cookies.  They may appear not done, but they are.  Trust me.

What’s really fun about these cookies is you can make them festive for any occasion just by switching up the color of the M&M’s.  For Christmas, I use their seasonal red and green M&M’s.  For team parties, I pick out the coordinating colors and only use those.  Saint Patrick’s Day you might want to use only the green ones and the seasonal spring pastel colors for Easter.

A few items that might help you with this recipe:
Stand Mixer (my favorite is this KitchenAid)
Mixing Bowls (this set of 3 is perfect in my kitchen)
Big Sheet Pan (I fit a ton of cookies on just this one sheet)
Silicone Baking Mat (fits the pan above)
Cookie Scoop (been using this one for 10+ years)

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Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies

My go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe loaded with chocolate chunks and topped with M&M's.  It's almost impossible to stop eating them right from the oven!

Course Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick (1-minute) oats (NOT instant oats)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chocolate chunks
• 1-2 cups regular M&M's (NOT M&M's baking bits)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Adjust rack to center of oven.
   

2. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 1 minute).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla.  Turn the mixer to high speed and beat for 3 minutes.
   

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt.  Gradually add to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until ALMOST combined -- It is good to still see some dry flour so you know you're not over mixing.
   

4. Fold in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.  Do not over mix.
   

5. Scoop two tablespoon sized dough balls onto large cookie sheet, placing 2 inches apart.  I use my medium cookie dough scoop to make this step even easier.
   

6. Place about 6-8 M&M's on top of each dough ball.  Bake for 10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.  Cool cookies on baking sheet for 8 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.  Repeat with remaining dough.
   

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