Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
Soft peanut butter cookies are made even better with the addition of M&Ms. The perfect combo of peanut butter and chocolate, these Peanut Butter M&M Cookies are the perfect dessert!
It’s hard to resist the appeal of a soft and sweet peanut butter cookie. When you find a recipe that comes out perfectly soft in the center, you can’t resist.
The only way to improve on this oh so delicious treat is to add chocolate!
Now, you could add chocolate chips… but in my opinion, the best way to add chocolate to a peanut butter cookie is with M&Ms.
M&Ms have the perfect candy shell that keeps the chocolate from melting and spreading and adds a delicious crunch to an otherwise soft and smooth cookie. It provides the perfect pop of chocolate to break up the peanut butter flavor.
These Peanut Butter M&M Cookies are great for an afternoon snack, neighbor gifts or any time you have a craving for something a little sweet and a little nutty.
Why Make This Recipe
- Peanut Butter and Chocolate: There is no better duo. If you love the Peanut Butter Chocolate Combination, check out Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies, or these Soft and Chewy Monster Cookies.
- Soft Texture: These cookies have the perfect texture. Lightly crispy on the outside and smooth and soft on the inside with a little crunch from the M&Ms. These Peanut Butter Cookies stay soft and chewy!
- Fast: This recipe doesn’t call for any chilling which makes them easy to whip up, scoop and bake any time a craving hits!
Ingredients for Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter for baking. Make sure you allow your butter to soften. Perfectly softened butter is between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit!
- Margarine: The mixture of butter and margarine allows the cookies to get crisp on the edges but stay soft and moist on the inside.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar also contributes to a moist cookie.
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs + One Egg Yolk: The extra egg yolk adds some richness to the flavor
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract helps balance out and enhance all the flavors
- Creamy Peanut Butter: I prefer creamy peanut butter but you could use crunchy if you prefer. Choose a brand that doesn’t require any mixing. Natural peanut butters will not produce the same soft and creamy texture.
- All Purpose Flour: No fancy flour needed for this recipe! If needed, you can substitute 1:1 Gluten Free Flour.
- M&Ms: I like plain M&Ms best but you could switch it up with peanut M&Ms, pretzel M&Ms or even peanut butter M&Ms! I find the standard M&Ms to be the perfect size, but you can definitely substitute minis if you prefer.
Tools
- Mixing bowl
- Stand or electric mixer: This is optional but makes mixing much easier!
- #40 Cookie Scoop: You can use any size you like but I love using a scoop for consistency
- Baking Sheet
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Cream together the softened butter, margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and creamy.
Step 2: Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and peanut butter. Beat until combined.
Step 3: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Step 4: Mix gently until just combined.
Step 5: Add the M&Ms and mix into the dough with a wooden spoon or spatula until evenly dispersed. Mix gently.
Step 6: Scoop out the cookie dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Why Are My Cookies Dry?
These cookies should be very moist and smooth. If they aren’t, you probably added too much flour.
When you scoop your flour be sure and fluff the flour with your scoop or a fork, scoop, and then use the back of a knife to level the scoop. Do not tap your measuring cup to knock excess flour off the top as this releases some air from the flour and you’ll end up with too much flour in your recipe.
Another way you may end up with dry cookies is if you over bake them. You want to take your cookies out of the oven before they begin to turn brown.
They will continue to bake on the baking sheet, which is why we leave them there for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. They will solidify as they cool.
Expert Tips
- Be careful not to add too much flour to this recipe. Too much flour will make your cookies dry and crumbly rather than soft and smooth. Use the scoop and level method to measure your flour.
- If you want to make your cookies picture perfect, try pressing some M&Ms on top right after they come out of the oven. This allows you to choose exactly where the M&Ms go after the cookies have spread and ensures a pop of color on each cookie.
- You can also use the back of a spoon to shape the cookies when they come out of the oven to make them a perfect circle!
FAQs
Store these cookies in an airtight container for up to five days. They also freeze well for up to three months.
You can also freeze the cookie dough in balls and bake when you’re ready. Let your dough balls thaw while your oven preheats and they should be good to bake!
You can use regular M&Ms or mini M&Ms for this recipe. It would also be fun to experiment with Peanut M&Ms, Peanut Butter M&Ms, or Caramel M&Ms.
Did you enjoy this Peanut Butter M&M Cookie Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Stand or electric mixer
- #40 Cookie Scoop You can use any size you like but I love using a scoop for consistency
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 4 Tbsp Margarine, softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and creamy.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla into the cookie dough and beat again until just combined.
- Add the peanut butter and beat again.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Finally, add the M&Ms and mix into the dough with a wooden spoon or spatula until evenly dispersed.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet using a #40 cookie scoop (2 Tbsp worth of dough).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges turn brown but the centers are still soft.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter for baking. Make sure you allow your butter to soften. Perfectly softened butter is between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit!
- Margarine: The mixture of butter and margarine allows the cookies to get crisp on the edges but stay soft and moist on the inside. For the perfect texture, do not substitute the margarine.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: I prefer creamy peanut butter but you could use crunchy if you prefer. Choose a brand that doesn’t require any mixing. Natural peanut butters will not produce the same soft and creamy texture
- All Purpose Flour: If needed, you can substitute 1:1 Gluten Free Flour.
- M&Ms: I like plain M&Ms best but you could switch it up with peanut M&Ms, pretzel M&Ms or even peanut butter M&Ms! I find the standard M&Ms to be the perfect size, but you can definitely substitute minis if you prefer.
- Be careful not to add too much flour to this recipe. Too much flour will make your cookies dry and crumbly rather than soft and smooth. Use the scoop and level method to measure your flour.
- If you want to make your cookies picture perfect, try pressing some M&Ms on top right after they come out of the oven. This allows you to choose exactly where the M&Ms go after the cookies have spread and ensures a pop of color on each cookie.
- You can also use the back of a spoon to shape the cookies when they come out of the oven to make them a perfect circle!
