Crispy buttery edges yield a soft-centered base dotted with melty white chocolate chips and pretty pastel candies in these Easter M&M cookies!
Why this recipe works
Easter M&M cookies are chewy, soft, and have addictive buttery golden edges. The white chocolate chips add sweetness while the M&M’s breathe some color and texture into that tried-and-true cookie base. Other than that, they’re just really pretty to look at!
Now, these Easter M&M cookies are merely an extension of our classic chocolate chip M&M cookies with a few minor swaps – white chocolate chips and pastel-colored M&M candies. This is probably one of the easiest cookie recipes to mix and match for holidays or sports events. We’ve made them for the Fourth of July, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas using holiday-specific M&M’s.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
DRY INGREDIENTS – Invest in a kitchen scale to get the exact amount of flour and sugars needed for the cookies to come out perfectly. Too much flour is notorious for yielding dry, crumbly cookies. It’s always your best bet to weigh your ingredients instead of scooping straight from the bag.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS – We loved the look of the white chocolate chips with the pastel-colored M&M’s, it’s very fitting for Easter! However, these cookies are equally as good with semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. Feel free to substitute or use a combination of your favorites.
How to Make Easter M&M Cookies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugars and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes. (The more air that is whipped into the sugar mixture, the fluffier your cookies will be). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a soft silicone spatula.
- Add one of the two eggs and mix on low speed until just combined, then add the next egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined. Do not overmix the dough; this will make your cookies tough.
- Fold in 1 cup each of the white chocolate chips and Easter M&M’s.
- Using the large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets (spacing them 2 inches apart).
- Refrigerate the mounds of cookie dough for a minimum of 40 minutes and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are puffy and golden.
- Working quickly and while the cookie is still warm, gently push the remaining white chocolate chips and M&M’s on to the tops of the cookies.
- Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
These cookies freeze very well. Pre-scoop the cookie dough before freezing, that way they are ready to bake. Place the dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze until solid. Transfer the dough balls to an air-tight container or large ziptop bag. Baked cookies also freeze very well! You can freeze both unbaked or baked cookies for up to 3 months.
A few reasons cookies might bake flat: a) make sure your butter is at room temperature and not melted – you want to be able to whip air into the butter, and this is not possible when the butter has liquified; b) ensure the cookies have sufficiently chilled, c) don’t flatten the mounds of dough after scooping them, bake them with their rounded shape.
Yes, if these cookies are too big for you, opt for a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop for medium-sized cookies. You will need to reduce the baking time to 8-10 minutes.
Store the baked and cooled cookies in an air-tight container or large ziptop bag kept at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Serving Suggestions
Easter M&M cookies brighten up the dessert table on Easter. They would also make a really sweet tradition to start with the kids! You can easily wrap them in cellophane baggies and tie them with a pastel colored ribbon for gift giving.
As mentioned above, you can tailor this recipe to just about any holiday. Swap the M&M colors out to match and now you have an entirely different looking cookie, with the same dreamy texture and flavor.
More Easter Dessert Recipes
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Easter M&M Cookies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour 360g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature. 226g
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed. 213g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 149g
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips divided
- 1 cup Easter M&M candies
Topping
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup Easter M&M candies
Before You Begin
- If these cookies are too big for you, opt for a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop for medium-sized cookies. You will need to reduce the baking time to 8-10 minutes.
- Invest in a kitchen scale to get the exact amount of flour and sugars needed for the cookies to come out perfectly. Too much flour is notorious for yielding dry, crumbly cookies. It’s always your best bet to weigh your ingredients instead of scooping straight from the bag.
- For an outstanding-tasting cookie, refrigerate the scooped cookie dough for 24-48 hours beforehand and then bake according to directions. It’s worth the wait!
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter
- Add the sugars and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes. (The more air that is whipped into the sugar mixture, the fluffier your cookies will be). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a soft silicone spatula.1 cup light brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Add one of the two eggs and mix on low speed until just combined, then add the next egg and vanilla extract.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined. Do not overmix the dough; this will make your cookies tough.
- Fold in 1 cup each of the white chocolate chips and Easter M&M’s.1 cup white chocolate chips, 1 cup Easter M&M candies
- Using the large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets (spacing them 2 inches apart).
- Refrigerate the mounds of cookie dough for a minimum of 40 minutes and preheat the oven to 350°F.TIP – For an outstanding-tasting cookie, refrigerate the scooped cookie dough for 24-48 hours beforehand and then bake according to directions. It’s worth the wait!
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are puffy and golden.
- Working quickly and while the cookie is still warm, gently push the remaining chocolate chips and M&M’s on to the tops of the cookies.1/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1/4 cup Easter M&M candies
- Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store the baked and cooled cookies in an air-tight container or large ziptop bag kept at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freezing – Pre-scoop the cookie dough before freezing, that way they are ready to bake. Place the dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze until solid. Transfer the dough balls to an air-tight container or large ziptop bag. Baked cookies also freeze very well! You can freeze both unbaked or baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Kristen Rittmer
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