Giant M&M Cookies
Everyone loves a great cookie. Especially one that’s full of bright and colorful mini M&Ms. These cookies are as big as your hand and have a perfect crispyness around the edges and chewiness in the center. I’ve been on a big cookie kick recently. I think they’re my latest favorite dessert type. I decided to make a list of some of the things I love about cookies.
Cookies are portable. You can just grab a cookie and go. Or set them out and not have to worry about forks and plates or a knife to cut portions.
Cookies (or cookie dough) can be frozen. I like to make a double batch of cookies at a time. I figure while I’m making a mess, might as well make it worth the effort. One of my favorite things to do is portion out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and freeze them. Once they’re completely frozen, drop them into a ziplock bag. Then if you are craving a cookie, just pop one onto a tray and bake it up. Nothing beats a freshly baked cookie! You can also freeze most cookies after they’ve been baked.
Cookies ship well. I live in Boston. Most of my family lives in the Midwest. I like to send them goodies every now and again and cookies are my go-to. I like to bake them, then freeze them, then ship them off to unsuspecting friends and family members. They defrost while traveling and are ready to be gobbled up when they arrive.
Cookie dough is AMAZING. I don’t think I have to explain this one. Everyone loves raw cookie dough. If you don’t, I don’t think we can be friends. In fact, until a recent Browned Butter and Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookie came into our lives, Hubby always prefered chocolate chip cookie dough over a baked cookie.
What is your favorite thing about cookies?
One Year Ago: Crockpot Ham with Beer and Chutney Glaze, Funfetti Blondies, and Chipotle Pork Stew
Two Years Ago: Alton Brown’s Broiled, Butterflied Chicken
Giant M&M Cookies
These cookies are the size of your hand and chock full of colorful mini M&Ms
Yield: 18 large cookies (or 36 small cookies)
Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) of salted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini m&m’s
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. Stir in the M&Ms.
Divide the dough how you choose (1/4 cup portions for 18 large cookies or 2 tablespoon portions for 36 smaller cookies). Shape each portion into a ball with your hands then flatten slightly on the cookie sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes (large cookies) or 8-12 minutes (small cookies) or until the edges are slightly brown. The centers should be soft and puffy. Do not over bake. Let cool completely.
Recipe from How Sweet It Is, originally adapted from Cook's Illustrated
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. 
I love freezing dough but somehow most ends up in my tummy unbaked when I do that 🙂
What a great gift! I’m thinking that would be wonderful for all sorts of occasions. Thanks for the idea!
These are adorable and I love that idea! Two questions, though: 1) Were these as good as the cookies from the other recipes? and 2) When you freeze them, do you bake right from frozen?
Great questions Carly – As far as comparing them to the other cookies. I enjoyed the chocolate M&M cookies the best, but they were REALLY chocolatey. The other non-chocolate M&M cookies were a bit more chewy and they had nuts in them, so they had a different vibe. This recipe was more of a classic M&M cookie for sure.
As far as baking from frozen, you can def just go straight from freezer to oven. Bake them ~13 minutes instead of ~11 and take them out when they look done.
these were delicious!
they look so cute all frozen up 🙂
I love the pink and red M&Ms. Thanks for the idea of freezing the cookie dough.
I was going to ask you the same thing as Carly, well the first question. These cookies are cute. Your freezing method reminded me that I have a bunch of sugar cookies still in the freezer! Do you know how long cookies can stay in the freezer?
I don’t know how long they will last in the freezer. I have a tendency to forget about things in my freezer… I’d guess a couple months? Anyone have ideas?
What festive little cookies 🙂 I love them! I also like the fact that you froze them. I bet they were delicious. Make sure to enter the All Through the Year Cheer event for Valentine’s Day 🙂
I think that sounds like a great way to spend valentine’s day. It can be intimidating the way it’s so hyped up. The cookies look very festive, love ’em!
We don’t do “valentine’s day” either since my MIL was born on the 14th and daughter’s birthday is the 15th – besides, its more important to say you love someone everyday, not just one day out of the year. Love the idea about freezing the cookie dough in preshaped form and giving that away. Wonderful idea!
I am looking for cookies that travel well for my soldier adopted through Soldier’s Angels and these look like a winner!!
Mmm, these were so tasty! Happy Valentine’s Day!
These are just too cute!! I love M&M cookies too!!
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Just had to add my two cents on the idea of giving cookie dough frozen and ready to be baked – genius! For some reason, I’ve never thought of that, even though I’ve given cookies frozen to people to be defrosted when they’re ready to eat. I love the dough idea!
YUM-these look absolutely delicious! I love the pink and red M&Ms!