Easy M&M Valentine’s Day Cookies

These Valentine’s Day cookies have an extra lovely touch with cute pink and red M&Ms added into the mix!  Mix these up for your family, and everyone will LOVE you! It’s officially the month of love….and that means sweets for the sweet!

M&M Valentine’s Day Cookies are one of my favorites!

I am such a cookie snob.  For me, cookies need to be thick, soft, and stay that way for a few days. I need that fresh baked taste even two or three days after they have been baked. To be honest, cookies only last in our house for about three days…that is what happens when you have teenage boys and a husband who likes his sweets. Not to mention, the princess who finds herself in the kitchen every weekend lately wanting to bake up something fun.  I blame that on the Kids’ Baking Championship.  She’s obsessed…

But anyway, that is a different post for a different time.

This recipe for the perfect M&M cookie fits all the “must haves” for me. They are soft, chewy, thick, and so so good.  Like so good…you know those New Year’s goals….well, hopefully you didn’t have one that says you are eating less chocolate chip cookies, because it’s about to be broken.

M&Ms are so versatile, and thankfully they have seasonal colors ~ just perfect enough to add some fun to your baking!  Today, I am going to share my recipe for the perfect, easy M&M Valentine cookie.  You are welcome in advance!

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, softened 
• Brown sugar, packed
• Granulated sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla 
• All purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Chocolate chips
• Red, White, and Pink M&Ms

Directions

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, with your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugars and the butter.  Mix well, then add the eggs and vanilla. Continue mixing until creamy.

While this is mixing, add the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl and stir.  Then, slowly add this to your creamy butter and sugar mixture.  Continue mixing until it is all blended together.

Finally, add the chocolate chips and M&Ms. Stir slowly until they are just mixed in.

From here, it is easier to shape them if you refrigerate.  So refrigerate them for about 20 minutes.

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough and round it into balls. Lay them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. I actually used our ice cream scoop for this, as my cookie scoop is kind of small.  It worked perfectly!

Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. Then, allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for about 2 more minutes out of the oven. Transfer them to a cooling rack. Once they are cooled completely, store in an airtight container.

Tips and Tricks for Perfect Valentine’s Day M&M Cookies:

• Be sure to refrigerate the dough. This makes a softer cookie, and the dough is easier to handle.
• Bake them until they are JUST done.  They will be slightly brown on top, but not super dark.
• You can freeze these!  You can actually freeze the dough OR freeze the cookies after they have baked. To defrost the baked cookies, set them on the counter to come to room temperature. Do not open the bag or let any air in until they are at room temperature.
• If you choose to freeze the dough, scoop it into round balls before freezing.  This allows you to just thaw the dough a bit and pop them right in the oven.
• These are quite possibly the BEST M&M cookies you will ever make!  Change up the colors for Christmas, Easter…so good!  You may even like my M&M Christmas Cookie Bar Recipe….they are just as good as these….but in bar form!