Chewy M&M Sugar Cookies – just like the Sugar Butter Cookies from the mall! Soft, chewy, and loaded with colorful M&Ms to suit any occasion. They’re made with simple baking staples and a secret ingredient, making these the best, chewiest, most decadent sugar cookies you’ve ever had!
Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies with M&Ms
These ultra-chewy M&M sugar cookies are soft and buttery and simply melt in your mouth. The addition of crunchy candy-coated chocolate gives each bite the perfect combination of a soft center, chewy edges, and bits of sweet crunch throughout.
Once the cookies are out of the oven, I’ll add a few M&Ms to the tops just for presentation. The sugar crystals on the outside are the signature of any good sugar cookie, and we love using them in this recipe too!
While I usually opt for chocolate, there’s something about a sugar cookie. When I was younger at the mall, I always used to stop at Mrs. Fields and get a sugar butter M&M cookie. These remind me a lot of those!
Why you’ll love M&M Sugar Cookies
Perfect for any occasion – Swap the color of the M&Ms depending on the occasion. Red and green for Christmas, red and pink for Valentine’s Day, green for St. Patrick’s Day, or use Easter M&Ms for Easter (or do a fun twist using mini eggs instead). They’re also a really good cookie to serve for dinner guests, pack in a lunch box, or enjoy when you’re craving a cookie!
Easy to make – Make a batch of 40 cookies in just 20 minutes. No chilling, cutting, shaping, or heavy mixing is needed!
Simple ingredients – These M&M sugar cookies are made with simple baking staples and cream cheese. The mixture of cream cheese and butter gives the entire batch extra buttery softness and a slight tangy element.
Equipment you’ll need
- My favorite measuring spoons
- A cookie scoop – I have all sizes
- My favorite baking sheets
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- All-Purpose Flour – For best results, measure the flour using a kitchen scale or the spoon and level method so you don’t end up adding too much to the dough.
- Leavening Agents – We’re using both baking powder and baking soda. The baking powder keeps them nice and soft while the baking powder gives them height so they don’t fall too flat.
- Salt – Enhances all the other flavors.
- Sugar – You’ll need some for the cookies and some for rolling.
- Cream Cheese – Cut into cubes. Bring it to room temperature before you begin.
- Unsalted butter – Melt it and use it while it’s still warm.
- Vegetable Oil – This is a fat that doesn’t solidify at room temperature so it helps to keep the cookies moist.
- Large Egg – Bring the egg out to room temperature when you bring out the cream cheese.
- Milk – Any kind you want. I use 2%.
- Vanilla Extract – For extra flavor.
- M&Ms – You’ll need enough for the cookie dough and a few for the top. Use whatever color you want.
How to make M&M Sugar Cookies
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Step One: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together. Set it aside.
- Step Two: In a large bowl, combine sugar and cream cheese. Pour the warm butter overtop the mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in the oil, egg, milk, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Step Three: Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once partially incorporated, add M&Ms to the dough. Continue mixing until the soft dough comes together.
- Step Four: Grab a cookie scoop and scoop out the dough, rolling each with your hands and coating it in the reserved sugar. Place each one on a prepared baking sheet.
- Step Five: Bake for 8-10 minutes in a preheated oven until until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and immediately press the extra M&Ms into the tops of each one. They’ll be puffy and slightly cracked. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips & Suggestions
- Room temperature ingredients. Having everything start at the same temperature ensures it gets mixed properly and bakes evenly. Cold cream cheese would be hard to blend and would leave behind chunks.
- Avoid overmixing the dough. Do this by adding the M&Ms to the dough before it’s completely blended. That way, by the time they’re folded in, the dough will be mixed.
- Add candies after baking. Pressing extra candy into the dough balls before baking causes them to crack, so I like to press them straight out of the oven to minimize this.
- For larger cookies use a larger scoop. As written, this recipe uses a small scoop and makes 40 cookies.
How to store M&M Sugar Cookies
How to store leftovers
Keep them stored at room temperature for up to 1 week. Ensure there’s always a lid on them or they’ll dry out. If you do find they’re losing moisture, I’ve heard adding a slice of bread into the container helps. Let me know if you try that!
Can I freeze homemade sugar cookies?
Sure you can! Transfer them to a freezer bag and store them for up to 1 month. Bring them out to the counter to thaw before you grab one!
You can also freeze the dough balls if you want to save them for baking later. Either flash freeze them until solid so they don’t freeze stuck together, or wrap than individually in plastic wrap.
Freeze the dough balls for up to 3 months.
You can bake them straight from frozen if you’d like, just tack on a couple of extra baking minutes. If not, thaw them first.
FAQs
No, that’s completely optional. You don’t even need to add the extra candies if you don’t want to.
The neat thing is the candy coating protects the chocolate so it doesn’t melt like chocolate chips do. They do become warm, however, so they are a bit softer and the coloring may bleed slightly.
It’s all thanks to the beautiful combination of butter, eggs, and in this case cream cheese! Not overbaking is also crucial.
Need more M&M cookie recipes? Try these:
Red Velvet M&M Cake Mix Cookies
Click here for my entire collection of cookie recipes.
Originally published October 8, 2012; photos and recipe updated February 13, 2024
Melissa says
Hello! I found your blog at the Online BlogCon’s facebook page. I’m also a Michigan blogger…I’m over in Zeeland (25 minutes from GR). I’m a new follower 🙂
Holly says
The cookies look delicious!!
You will love your new Canon T3. I just upgraded but it was such a great little camera. Have fun with it!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
Those are my absolute fav in the mall too! I get one, I eat it, and wonder if it would be inappropriate to order three more. 🙂 These look yummy!
Rachel Willis says
I love chewy sugar cookies! One of my faves for sure
TheTastyFork says
Yum!! I love a good sugar cookie. I feel like sugar cookies never get the same attention as other kinds.
January says
Delicious! Thank you for the mall memories!
Melissa Williams says
You’re welcome! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Sharon says
Do you have an e mail that you send out with all of your wonderful Pernickety Plates Recipes?
Melissa Williams says
I do! You can sign up on my site or send me your email address & I’ll get you added.
Cynthia Aviles says
My family and I love this recipe! These cookies are so much better than just adding M&Ms to chocolate chip cookies, which is what I used to do before finding this recipe.
Melissa Williams says
Yay, happy to hear that!