M&M sugar cookies are an easy, soft-baked style cookie with chewy edges. Made with COLD butter and cream cheese and without brown sugar, they are sure to become a favorite. Perfect for birthdays and holidays!
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As a lifetime baker, I've been baking cookies since I was a young girl. Sugar cookies are my absolute favorite type of cookie and you will find lots of variations of them on two sugar bugs. From classic frosted sugar cookies to chocolate chip sugar cookies to sugar cookie cake, I have many recipes for you to fall in love with!
For this M&M cookie version, we use the same technique as my wildly popular sprinkle cookies; cold ingredients and a food processor.
Like white chocolate raspberry cookies and cookie butter cookies, this sugar cookie recipe is a no chill recipe.
💗 why you will love these sugar cookies
- Easy ~ this cookie recipe comes together with cold ingredients in a food processor.
- Flavor ~ made without brown sugar, these M&M cookies have that classic sugar cookie taste.
- Texture ~ the cookies are super soft with little bits of M&M candy.
- No chill ~ who doesn't love a cookie you don't have to wait for???
🍪 how do you get perfectly round cookies?
The M&M sugar cookies keep their shape quite well, but you can also use a biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter or cup/bowl that is slightly larger than the cookies and scoot them back into a thicker and perfectly round cookie. Do this when the cookies are still hot right out of the oven. I learned this technique from Erin at Cloudy Kitchen and I use it very often when making cookies.
🛒 ingredients and substitutions
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
- All-purpose flour ~ use your favorite brand. If you aren't using a kitchen scale, be sure to spoon and level your flour. {Fluff the flour in the container, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife or spoon}.
- Baking soda and baking powder ~ gives a little lift to the cookies.
- Kosher salt ~ helps to balance the flavors; if you only have table salt, use half the amount.
- Granulated and confectioners' sugar ~ bring the sweetness, softness and some structure to the cookies.
- Unsalted butter ~ use your butter COLD and cut it into small cubes.
- Cream cheese ~ use full-fat block cream cheese, it adds softness to the cookies. The cream cheese is also used COLD.
- Egg ~ one large egg is needed, this can also be cold. The egg helps to bind the cookies together.
- Vanilla ~ just a little to balance the flavors, I prefer a pure vanilla extract.
- M&M's candy ~ these are M&M sugar cookies after all! Mini M&M's mix into the cookie dough best, but I suspect you could use regular size if you don't have mini candies.
Remember to pin this recipe to Pinterest! Use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.
🥣 how to make sugar cookies in a food processor
Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare baking pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Place flour, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to blend. Add the COLD butter cubes and COLD cream cheese as well as the granulated and confectioners' sugars to the flour mixture.
Pulse until the mixture becomes sandy in texture. Add the egg and vanilla and blend until the dough starts to come together.
Then add the mini M&M's and pulse until the dough comes fully together. FYI, the addition of the m&m's makes the processor really loud for a few seconds as they mix in to the cookie dough!
The cookie dough will start to ball against the side of the food processor bowl when it is ready.
Roll the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon balls. Place the cookies on the prepared baking pan and use the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies, then add 4-5 mini M&M's to the top of each cookie.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until they look slightly under baked in the centers. The cookies will continue to cook and firm up as they sit on the baking pan.
Allow the M&M sugar cookies to rest for 2 minutes on the baking pan. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
💬 frequently asked questions
do I need a food processor?
It is recommended because a food processor is your best friend when making cookies with cold ingredients! That being said, I do give instructions in the recipe card below on how to use a mixer instead.
can I use flavored M&M's?
I did not test this cookie recipe with anything other than classic M&M candy. I suspect you could use your favorite flavor.
why don't M&M's melt in cookies?
The candy shell has a hard outer layer, which keeps the chocolate in the center of the candy from melting.
👩🏻🍳 tips for soft sugar cookies
Follow the recipe ~ I develop recipes and test them multiple times, making lots of adjustments along the way. Even one small change by you can change the outcome.
Measure your ingredients accurately. I know I'm a broken record, but using a kitchen scale will ensure you have the right amounts of ingredients. Measuring cups are the normal for baking in America, but I urge you to give weighing your ingredients a try. Once you get used to it, you'll never go back!
Bake on lighter colored baking pans {these USA Pans are my favorite} as the M&M sugar cookies will bake more gently, which equals a softer cookie.
Once you've rolled the cookies, use the palm of your hand or the back of a flat glass to flatten the cookies to between a ¼ and ½ inch thickness.
Don't over bake the cookies. In my opinion, this is the number one reason home baker's cookies don't come out like bakery cookies. This M&M's cookie recipe never took longer than 9 minutes to bake in my oven. To keep the cookies soft and chewy we want the centers slightly underdone. They will continue cooking as they cool and the centers will firm up.
If the cookies aren't as flat as you would like, rap the pan against the counter or stove top and few times to deflate them while they are still hot.
🫙 how to store
Cookies will stay fresh covered in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 - 5 days.
The M&M sugar cookies also freeze well; this is by far my favorite way to store cookies for freshness. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The cookies will thaw at room temperature in about 15-20 minutes.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these M&M Sugar Cookies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
🍪 more sugar cookie recipes to enjoy
- Strawberry Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies
- Small Batch Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
m&m sugar cookies
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Equipment
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 313g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt*
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed (113g)
- ½ cup cream cheese cold and cubed (4 ounces/114g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100g
- ¾ cup powdered sugar 90g
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini m&m's 100g + extra for decorating tops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare baking pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Place flour (2 ½ cups/313g), baking soda (½ teaspoon), baking powder (½ teaspoon) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times to blend.
- Add the COLD butter cubes (½ cup/113g) and COLD cream cheese (½ cup/4 ounces/114g) as well as the granulated (½ cup/100g) and confectioners' (¾ cup/90g) sugars to the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture becomes sandy in texture.
- Add the egg (1 large) and vanilla (2 teaspoons) and blend until the dough starts to come together. Then add the mini m&m's (½ cup/100g) and pulse until the dough comes fully together. FYI, the addition of the m&m's makes the processor really loud for a few seconds as they mix in to the cookie dough!
- Roll the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon balls.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking pan, spacing 1-2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass (or the palm of your hand) to flatten the cookies to between ¼ and ½ inch tall, then add 4-5 mini m&m's to the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until they look slightly under baked.
- Allow to rest for 2 minutes on the baking pan. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
Michelle says
What a delicious sweet treat! Adding in the M&Ms really elevates the humble sugar cookie 🙂
Tasia says
Thanks Michelle! They do add a layer of special-ness.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
I'm not a fan of m&ms on their own, but they make such a fun addition to cookies - so festive and delicious! Loving the use of cream cheese, too.
Tasia says
I am the same way Ben! The mini m&m's aren't overpowering and definitely bring a little fun to the sugar cookies; and the cream cheese helps them to be soft and tender.
Carol says
Loved using cold ingredients. Fantastic recipe and will make again with holiday m&ms.