Decadent M&M Brownie Cookies

M&M Brownie Cookies are the ultimate treat, offering a delightful fusion of rich, fudgy brownies and classic chocolate chip cookies, all studded with vibrant M&M candies. This irresistible recipe is a perfect solution for that leftover Halloween candy stash, transforming surplus sweets into a batch of bakery-worthy delights!

These Fudgy M&M Cookies quickly become a household favorite, brilliantly combining a deep love for chewy, chocolatey textures with an undeniable M&M addiction. Each bite promises a decadent chocolate experience, complemented by the satisfying crunch and vibrant sweetness of the candy-coated chocolates.

An overhead shot showcasing four perfectly baked M&M Brownie Cookies arranged on a round white plate, highlighting their rich chocolate color and colorful candy inclusions.

Contents

Why You Must Make These Irresistible M&M Brownie Cookies

If you’re looking for a dessert that’s easy to make, incredibly delicious, and versatile, these M&M Brownie Cookies are your go-to recipe. Here’s why they deserve a spot in your baking repertoire:

Perfect for Leftover Halloween Candy: Don’t let those extra trick-or-treat sweets go to waste! These fudgy chocolate cookies provide an excellent way to use up M&Ms, giving them a second life in a gloriously delicious form. It’s a fantastic way to extend the holiday spirit!
Less Messy Than Brownies: While they deliver all the rich, intense chocolate flavor of a brownie, these cookies are far more portable and less crumbly. This makes them ideal for school lunchboxes, picnic baskets, office snacks, or even a grab-and-go dessert without needing a fork.
Endless Seasonal & Flavor Customization: M&Ms come in a dazzling array of seasonal colors and unique flavors. Swap out the classic M&Ms for festive versions (e.g., red and green for Christmas, pastels for Easter, or themed colors for any special occasion) to effortlessly transform these into holiday-specific treats. You can also experiment with peanut M&Ms, pretzel M&Ms, or even caramel M&Ms for exciting flavor twists.
A Crowd-Pleasing Family Favorite: Combining the best attributes of chewy brownie bars and soft-baked cookies, these treats are universally loved. They are guaranteed to be a hit at parties, bake sales, or simply as an everyday indulgence for your family.
Simple & Straightforward Baking: Despite their impressive appearance and flavor, the recipe is straightforward, making it accessible for bakers of all skill levels.

Our family’s tradition of using up Halloween candy is steeped in sweet memories. Each year, we’d welcome oodles of trick-or-treaters to our door, and I always loved to stock up on a variety of full-sized candy bars, anticipating the sheer joy on the kids’ faces. Before the doorbell’s relentless ringing began, I’d allow my own children to select one or two favorites. Katie and Tom would invariably gravitate towards the creamy indulgence of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, while Nick, ever the individualist, was more likely to snatch a bag of Skittles.

My husband, whom I affectionately refer to as my “fourth child,” had a particular fondness for “confiscating” a handful of M&M’s or a few classic 3 Musketeers Bars. And I? I always had my eye on the candy that would bake beautifully into cookies. Unsurprisingly, M&M’s were also my top pick! This tradition of setting aside M&M’s specifically for baking this brownie cookie recipe has become a cherished part of our post-Halloween routine, transforming a sugar overload into a delightful baking project everyone looks forward to.

A close-up view of M&M Brownie Cookies piled high in a rustic white bowl, highlighting their soft texture and an abundance of colorful M&M candies.

Mastering Your M&M Brownie Cookies: Expert Tips for Perfection

Achieving bakery-quality M&M brownie cookies at home is simpler than you think with these professional tips:

Mind the Dough Consistency: This cookie dough, rich with melted chocolate and butter, may sometimes be a bit loose, especially if your kitchen is warm (common in summer months). For best results, allow the dough ample time to firm up in the refrigerator. A chilled dough is much easier to scoop and helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking, ensuring a perfect chewy texture.
Achieve Uniformity with a Cookie Disher: For perfectly uniform, evenly sized cookies, invest in a good quality cookie disher (also known as a cookie scoop). Scooping consistent portions of dough ensures that all your M&M Brownie Cookies bake at the same rate, preventing some from being underbaked while others are overbaked. This also gives your cookies a professional, polished appearance.
Elevate Presentation with Garnish M&Ms: For that “magazine-cover” look, reserve about a quarter cup of M&M candies. Immediately after your fudgy M&M cookies emerge from the oven, while they are still piping hot and pliable, gently press these reserved M&Ms onto the tops of each cookie. The heat will help them adhere, creating a beautiful, colorful display that makes these cookies even more appealing.
Handle with Care: When adding extra candy to hot cookies, exercise caution. The baking pan itself will be extremely hot, so use oven mitts or a clean kitchen towel to protect your hands.
Don’t Overbake: Brownie cookies are meant to be soft and fudgy. They might look slightly underbaked in the center when you pull them out of the oven, but they will continue to set as they cool on the hot baking sheet. This ensures a wonderfully chewy and moist interior.

Creative Uses: What to Do with Leftover Halloween Candy

Beyond these delicious M&M Brownie Cookies, there are countless ways to transform that mountain of leftover Halloween candy into new, exciting treats. Here are some ideas to spark your culinary creativity:

Candy Bar Cookie Dough Swap: Get adventurous! Roughly chop your favorite candy bars or a mix of various M&Ms and incorporate them into any standard cookie dough recipe as a substitute for traditional nuts or chocolate chips. Think Snickers-stuffed chocolate chip cookies or Butterfinger blondies. Bake as directed, and prepare for a delightful surprise.
Cookie Bar Extravaganza: Similarly, adapt your favorite cookie bar recipe. Instead of just chocolate chips, fold in chopped candies like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Twix, or even miniature Kit Kat bars. This creates a rich, layered dessert that’s easy to slice and share.
Revamp Classic Desserts: My Easter Cookie Cake recipe, for instance, is incredibly adaptable. You can easily replace the original mix-ins with your preferred leftover candies. The key is to ensure the flavors complement each other. For example, while chocolate-covered caramels might be wonderful, pairing York Peppermint Patties with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups might lead to a less harmonious flavor profile – though some adventurous palates might disagree!
Mix into Ice Cream: Chop candy into small pieces and stir into softened vanilla ice cream, then refreeze for a homemade custom flavor.
Candy Bark: Melt chocolate, spread it thin on parchment paper, and sprinkle with a medley of chopped candies for an easy, impressive treat.
Hot Chocolate Toppings: Small candies like M&Ms or chopped Snickers make excellent, indulgent toppings for hot chocolate.

Two soft and fudgy M&M Brownie Cookies resting on a small white plate, showcasing their inviting texture and colorful candy bits.

Frequently Asked Questions About M&M Brownie Cookies

Why Is My Cookie Dough Loose and Runny?

This common issue typically arises when the melted butter and chocolate mixture, added to the other ingredients, is still too warm. The warmth prevents the fats from solidifying, resulting in a loose, runny dough that will spread excessively when baked. To fix this, simply let the dough rest in the refrigerator. Depending on the warmth of your kitchen, this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. The goal is for the dough to firm up enough so that it’s thick and scoopable, allowing you to create nicely rounded mounds with a cookie disher without them immediately collapsing.

What Can I Use Instead of M&Ms?

The beauty of these brownie cookies lies in their adaptability! While M&Ms add a fun burst of color and crunch, you have many excellent alternatives:

Chocolate Chips: The original recipe often calls for semisweet chocolate chips, which are always a reliable and delicious alternative. You can also use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, or even a mix.
Other Candy Pieces: Chopped mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers, Snickers, or even holiday-themed sprinkles can add different textures and flavors.
Nuts: For a less sweet but equally satisfying crunch, try adding chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
Mint Chips: For a refreshing twist, especially around the holidays, mint chocolate chips work wonderfully.
Toffee Bits: Add a rich, buttery caramel note with toffee bits.

Feel free to mix and match to create your unique flavor profile!

How Do I Make Nice Round Cookies?

Achieving perfectly round, symmetrical cookies is a sign of a skilled baker! Here are several techniques:

Limit M&Ms in the Dough: While you want plenty of M&Ms, too many can make the dough lumpy and difficult to form into smooth, round balls. Incorporate a good amount, but save some for pressing on top (as mentioned in the expert tips).
Use a Cookie Disher: As suggested earlier, a cookie scoop ensures consistent dough portioning, which is the first step to uniform shapes and sizes.
Gentle Shaping with Damp Fingers: After dropping the dough mounds onto the baking sheet, lightly dampen your fingers and gently tap or round the edges of the dough balls. This helps smooth out any irregularities before baking.
The Spatula Trick: This is a secret weapon for perfectly round cookies! Immediately after removing the hot cookies from the oven, while they are still warm and pliable, use the side of a spatula (or a round cookie cutter slightly larger than your cookies) to gently push and tap the edges of the baked cookies into a perfect circular shape. If the cookies are sticking to your spatula, a light spray of non-stick cooking spray (like Pam) can help.

Storage and Serving Suggestions

To keep your M&M Brownie Cookies at their best, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the baked cookies for up to 2-3 months. Simply place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Thaw at room temperature or gently warm them in the microwave for a few seconds for a freshly baked experience. These cookies are delightful on their own, but also pair wonderfully with a cold glass of milk, a warm cup of coffee, or even a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for an extra decadent dessert.

Variations to Customize Your Brownie Cookies

These fudgy M&M cookies are incredibly versatile. Don’t hesitate to experiment with different additions and flavors to make them truly your own:

Nutty Crunch: Add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for an earthy contrast and added texture.
Double Chocolate Delight: Beyond M&Ms, fold in 1/2 cup of semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips for an even richer chocolate experience.
Spiced M&Ms: A pinch of cinnamon or a tiny dash of chili powder can add an unexpected depth and warmth to the chocolate base.
Different M&M Flavors: Explore the vast world of M&Ms! Peanut M&Ms for extra crunch, pretzel M&Ms for a salty-sweet twist, or even seasonal caramel M&Ms can elevate these cookies.
Espresso Kick: Add 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder to the dough to deepen the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.

M&M Brownie Cookies

Prep Time
20 minutes

Cook Time
10 minutes

Total Time
30 minutes

Yield
36 cookies

M&M brownie cookies are soft chocolate cookies, full of M&M’s candies.

Ingredients

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups M&M’s (plus more to garnish)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Begin with 60 seconds, stir, then continue heating and stirring in 30-second increments until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform.
Add sugar to the chocolate mixture; mix thoroughly until well combined. Incorporate the eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Gradually add the flour to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of M&M’s until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. The centers of the cookies should still appear slightly underbaked; they will firm up as they cool.
If desired, immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, gently press a few extra M&M’s onto the tops of the hot cookies for an enhanced visual appeal.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

For perfectly round cookies, use a spatula or a round cookie cutter (slightly larger than the cookie) to carefully tap the edges of the hot-out-of-the-oven cookies into smoother, rounder shapes while they are still warm and pliable. This trick works wonders!

This delicious recipe has been adapted from a creation by Caprial Pence, a true culinary inspiration.

HOW MUCH DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest