Chocolate Mint M&M Cookies
Soft, chewy Chocolate Mint M&M Cookies are the perfect cookie to make that everyone will love. Chocolate cookies loaded with mint M&Ms that are soft, chewy and the perfect Christmas Cookie or fun for St. Patrick’s Day!
Chocolate and mint are the perfect combo and make these M&M cookies extra special! They are just one of our fun recipes to make with kids – you’ll love how easy they are!
If you need an amazing batch of cookies to make for the holidays, these M&M cookies have a chocolate and mint twist that everyone will love.
They’re made from scratch, but I promise they’re easy! The kids can even help make them.
These chocolate cookies are soft and chewy and every bite has mint M&Ms. It’s such a great combo and so festive for Christmas or even St. Patrick’s Day. Or, make them anytime – I never get tired of chocolate and mint!
The best part is that they’re freezer-friendly. You can freeze the baked cookies or freeze the dough and bake the cookies in smaller batches whenever you need a chocolate fix for the family.
Ingredients for Chocolate M&M Cookies
- Butter – Leave it out at room temperature so it can soften before you make the cookie dough.
- Brown sugar – This helps create the soft and chewy texture.
- Granulated sugar – This helps create the lightly crispy edges.
- Vanilla extract
- Peppermint extract – This infuses the chocolate cookies with the perfect amount of mint flavor. If you don’t have any on hand, you can leave it out and just use the mint M&Ms.
- Large egg
- All-purpose flour – If you want to make gluten-free cookies, use the same amount of cup for cup gluten-free flour. We like Bob’s Red Mill.
- Cocoa powder – If you don’t want to make chocolate cookies, you can replace the cocoa powder with the same amount of flour to make mint cookies.
- Cornstarch – Adding this makes the best soft cookies that stay soft for several days. Don’t skip it – the cookies won’t be the same!
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Mint M&Ms – We love these, but if for some reason you can’t find them you can use the same amount of plain M&Ms, regular chocolate chips, or even mint baking chips like Andes baking bits.
Helpful Tools
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Electric mixer
- Silicone spatula
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Small cookie scoop
- Wire cooling rack
How to Make Mint Chocolate Cookies
Mix the Wet Ingredients: Place the butter and both kinds of sugar in a large bowl. Cream them with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the egg, both kinds of extracts, and beat the mixture until well combined.
Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
Combine: Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture while mixing at low speed. Once combined, fold in 1/4 cup of M&Ms.
Scoop: Form one tablespoon of dough to make each cookie dough ball and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Press three M&Ms on top of each cookie.
Freeze: Cover them with plastic wrap and freeze the cookie dough balls for one hour. This will firm up the butter so they don’t spread too much when they bake.
Bake: Space the frozen balls evenly on the cookie sheet at bake them until they are set around the edges but still soft.
Cool: Leave the cookies on the pan for five minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
Tips for the BEST Chocolate Cookies
Measuring: When you measure the flour, lightly spoon the flour into the dry measuring cup and level it off with a dinner knife. That way you don’t add too much flour by compacting the flour in the cup – this can happen if you scoop it out of the container.
Mixing: Slowly adding the dry ingredients to the wet ones ensures you won’t overmix the dough. Once the flour mixture is absorbed, the dough is ready.
Freezing: Don’t skip the freezing step. If you do, your cookies will spread too much when you bake them.
Baking: Take the cookies out of the oven once they are set around the edges and baked on top. If you over bake them they will dry out and the texture won’t be as good. It’s okay if they are a little under baked – that’s how we love them!
How to Store Cookies
Once the cookies are cooled, store them in an airtight container and they will keep at room temperature for up to a week.
You can freeze the baked cookies, too! Place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and they will keep well in the freezer for up two months.
How to Freeze the Cookie Dough
You can make the cookie dough ahead and freeze it to have on hand later! This is great during the busy holiday season – get a head start and all you have to do is bake them.
Once you’ve scooped the dough, freeze the cookie dough balls for one hour on a baking sheet. From there, you can transfer them to a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer.
When you’re ready to bake them, place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them as instructed. They may need a little extra time if they go into the oven completely frozen.
Everyone will love these soft chocolate cookies with mint M&Ms! You’ll love how easy they are – I hope you make a batch soon. Enjoy!
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Thumbprint S’mores Cookies are easy and taste like a s’more without the campfire or the mess!
- If you need a quick batch of cookies, you have to try my easy Cake Mix Cookies.
- Another M&M cookies recipe we love are our 4th of July Cookies!
If you take a picture and share it Instagram make sure to #kidsactivityzone or tag us @kidsactivityzoneblog so we can see them!
Chocolate Mint M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mint M&Ms
Instructions
- Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until smooth.
- Beat in egg, peppermint, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until combined.
- Using a rubber spatula fold in ¼ cup of M&M’s.
- Using a cookie scoop , form balls about 1 tablespoon in size.
- Press 3 extra M&M’s into the cookies.
- Place cookies on a prepared cookie sheet and repeat until all the dough has been used.
- Cover cookie sheet with plastic wrap and place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove cookies from the freezer.
- Space the cookies evenly on the cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, cookie should appear slightly underbaked
- Allow cookies to cool on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
Mixing: Slowly adding the dry ingredients to the wet ones ensures you won’t overmix the dough. Once the flour mixture is absorbed, the dough is ready.
Freezing: Don’t skip the freezing step. If you do, your cookies will spread too much when you bake them.
Baking: Take the cookies out of the oven once they are set around the edges and baked on top. If you over bake them they will dry out and the texture won’t be as good. It’s okay if they are a little under baked – that’s how we love them! HOW TO STORE THEM
- Once the cookies are cooled, store them in an airtight container and they will keep at room temperature for up to a week.
- You can freeze the baked cookies, too! Place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and they will keep well in the freezer for up two months.
- Once you’ve scooped the dough, freeze the cookie dough balls for one hour on a baking sheet. From there, you can transfer them to a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer.
- When you’re ready to bake them, place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them as instructed. They may need a little extra time if they go into the oven completely frozen.
