M&M Cookies {The BEST Recipe!} | Dessert Now, Dinner Later (2024)

FAQs

What happens to the cookies if a cookie recipe calls for butter and you decide to melt the butter first? ›

What does melted butter do to chocolate chip cookies? The cookies will spread further and be much flatter. Be careful of burning your sugar with warm butter, and make sure you're still incorporating enough air into the butter and sugar mixture.

If your M&Ms keep cracking or losing their shape while baking, try using mini M&Ms. These are smaller and less likely to melt, which is why they're my favorite for this recipe. You can also try freezing your M&Ms before adding them to the dough which will also help them to retain their shape while baking.

And don't worry, it's completely safe to eat! Indulge in the delicious and fun treat of Edible M&M Cookie Dough! Mix and match the colors of the M&Ms to match different holidays and celebrations for a versatile and festive dessert.

Cookies made with melted butter often deflate and become denser when they cool, resulting in a perfectly cooked fudgy center — a similar textural result to brownies that get rapped (aka banged against an oven rack mid-bake to deflate them) or Sarah Kieffer's iconic pan-banging cookies that turn out pleasantly compact.

Press the chocolate chips and/or M&Ms into the top of the ball of dough closer together than you think, as they'll spread apart as the cookie bakes and spreads. If refrigerating or freezing your dough, wait to dot each ball until right before baking as the M&M colors can bleed into your cookie.

INGREDIENTS MEASURED INCORRECTLY

Common measuring mistakes like using too little flour or too much sugar can lead to a flat cookie, so always use measuring cups and spoons when adding dry and wet ingredients to your dough.

It's actually just a scientific process called “chocolate bloom”. There are two types of this bloom: sugar bloom and fat bloom. Sugar bloom happens when moisture comes in contact with the chocolate - it dissolves the sugar crystals on the chocolate's surface, leaving a white, powdery look.

Follow the expiration date on the package, but if there isn't one, you can add one generous week to the “best-by” date. Homemade dough, when stored in an airtight container, is best to use within 3-5 days, but may be good up to one week.

Recipe overview

Add the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in M&M's and chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough into balls (big or small, see more on that below). Press some additional M&M's on the dough balls and bake!

What are the ingredients in M&M cookie dough? ›

Ingredients: heat-treated wheat flour, sugar, palm kernel oil, mini m&m's, coated milk chocolate chips, tapioca syrup, glycerin, vanilla - artificial, salt, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate, duralox rosemary. Contains Milk, Soy, and Wheat.

Almond Extract: For a twist on the traditional sugar cookie flavor, try adding a small amount of almond extract. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust according to your preference. Citrus Zest: Incorporate the zest of citrus fruits like lemon, orange, or lime into the dough. The zest adds a bright and refreshing flavor.

On the other hand, if your cookie recipe calls for melted butter, vegetable oil can be subbed, because it has a similar consistency.

“Room temp butter is able to hold onto air,” Szewczyk says. “You can mechanically shove air into it by creaming. Warm butter is not able to hold onto it, so you're going to get a denser dough.” When using warmer or melted butter, cookies will struggle to lift and lighten, resulting in a cakier texture, like brownies.

Butter needs to be chilled rapidly to turn solid — so all you need to do is mix a few ice cubes into a bowl of melted butter and stir. In less than a minute, the butter should turn into the soft yet solid state that's perfect for your baking needs.

The Problem: The Butter Is Too Soft

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

So, you definitely get flatter biscuits when you add more butter (incidentally, the same is true with cookies... if your cookies are running all over the pan when they bake, just reduce the amount of butter/shortening and they'll hold their shape much better).