Chocolate M&M Cookies
October has flown by just like all the other months this year. Here is it the 21st and I still haven’t posted a single pink recipe for my Power of Pink Challenge. As a reminder, to participate in the challenge, make something pink and link back to the original post, and you will be entered to win a great pink prize. Be sure to check out the roundup from last year if you need some pink inspiration.
The easiest way to make something pink is to simply decorate it with pink decorations. That’s what I did this time around. Pink M&Ms have been around for a few years now and I’m glad they finally have the big bags. I grabbed two from Bed Bath and Beyond a couple weeks ago and threw them in the freezer (frozen M&Ms are the best!) I wanted to make sure I baked with them before Hubby and I worked our way through the frozen M&M a handful at a time… So I set out to make some M&M cookies.
Now, I’ve done M&M cookies before. I’ve also done M&M blondies. So I decided to hit up my Google Recipe for a new recipe to try with M&Ms in them. Let me just say, if you like chocolatey cookies, go home and make these tonight. They’re very very chocolatey and delicious. I decided to give them to Hubby’s sister for her birthday so I wouldn’t eat the whole batch.
Chocolate M&M Cookies
Yield: 3.5 dozen
Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder - I used 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder and 1/2 cup regular cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 c. m&m candies
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in flour mixture in two or three additions. Mixture will be quite thick. Stir in m&m pieces with a wooden spoon (I let my KitchenAid mixer do all the work there). Drop by large rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets *see note below*. Bake for 9 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire cooking rack.
A note about these cookies. For the first dozen that went into the oven, I just used my cookie scoop. One of those cookies is shown on the left in the picture below. Not too pretty and they didn't expand very much at all.
So for the next dozen, I decided to portion the dough out with the scooper and then roll it into a ball. One of those cookies is shown in the middle. Those didn't expand much either, but had a smoother finish.
For the last 1.5 dozen, I portioned the dough with the scooper, rolled it into a ball, then flattened it with the bottom of a wet glass and pressed 3 M&Ms into the top. You can see on the right that these cookies spread quite a bit more and they look prettier. I like the contrast between the dark chocolate cookie dough and the colorful M&Ms.
Long story short, my recommendation is roll the dough with your hands, then flatten it, and press 3 M&M into the top of the dough like I did to yield the cookie on the right.
Recipe from One Ordinary Day
As a reminder, don’t forget to enter in my autographed Alton Brown cookbook giveaway.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Aren’t they the best? They’re so addicting. I’ve actually starting using the same ingredients, but mixing them like a more traditional chocolate chip cookie (i.e., softened butter instead of melted), because I like the dough better with softened butter. The baked cookies were just as good. Best of both worlds!
These look gorgeous. Don’t you just love AB??? 🙂
The cookies look great. I love AB too..he’s such a dork (in a good way).
I love the ATK/CI Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I will have to try these to see what I think. I remember seeing that the recipes looked similar so I am sure I will love them.
Another AB lover here. My husband gives me a hard time about my DVR list with him but loves it when I give him a fun tidbit or cook him something from AB.
I completely agree CoCo. Hubby does the same thing. I sometimes even watch episodes I’ve seen before! Hubby doesn’t like to admit it, but he loves AB too. Sometimes he’ll be the one saying “AB says to do this…”
They look SO good!! I am a sucker for a chewy chocolate chip cookie. Although, I must side with your hubby – I prefer mine with just a bit of chocolate.
How much is a stick of butter? I’m not in the US and have never come across this measurement before.
Sorry about that Naomi – 1 stick of butter = 8 Tbsp. Does that help?
this is very similar to the ccc recipe i use, but anything that makes it chewier is good in my books! i will have to keep this one in mind 🙂
Yes Jen, thank you!
Yum! I will definitely be trying these. I always chill my cookie dough too usually because I’m too busy with 3 little ones but I also read that article in the NY times awhile ago and I felt like I deserved a nice big pat on the back for always doing the 24hour chill 🙂 Great post and beautiful cookies!
I love Alton Brown because of his scientific approach to cooking and baking. I’ve been baking “The Chewy” for years. One thing I do differently: Before chilling the dough, I scoop it into balls. This makes the process much easier. Sometimes I freeze the balls for baking later. After I place the balls on parchment, I carefully place a few extra chocolate morsels on top, pointy side up. This extra step produces picture-perfect cookies every time.
The Chewy is my go to recipe for cookies. I make a few alterations, occasionally, such as substituting 1/4 of the brown sugar with dark brown sugar. I bake small portions in mini muffin tins; one batch makes 48 cookie bites that are super chewy and the perfect size bite. I’ve made them every year for Christmas gifts for a few years now.