Name: M&M Cookies Without Brown Sugar
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 170g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter; 150g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar; 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk; 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract; 218g (1 ¾ cups *) all-purpose flour; ½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt (use 1/4 tsp if using unsalted butter); 120g (3/4 cup) regular M&Ms; 80g (1/2 cup) mini M&Ms

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These M&M cookies without brown sugar swap out chocolate chips for a colorful mix of mini and regular M&Ms. The cookies have lovely crisp edges with a soft centers.

The original recipe for chewy M&M cookies is my chocolate chip cookie dough without brown sugar. It’s such a great base dough when you don’t have any brown sugar or molasses on hand! It changes the texture of the cookies to make them more crisp but the extra egg yolk in this recipe gives it a more chewy texture.

I’ve added brown butter to the cookie dough to bring the caramel notes that brown sugar usually does. The cookies have a chewy and soft texture with slightly crispy edges. You need 10 minutes to let the melted butter cool, but no chill time is needed for the dough.

See all my M&M recipes!

The ingredients

Here’s what you need for these easy M&M cookies. exact amounts are listed in the recipe card, but here’s a brief overview:

Butter: Unsalted butter or salted. The butter will be browned first, bringing the most delicious caramel notes to the cookie dough. Melted butter also creates a chewier texture.
Granulated Sugar: We’re sticking with just white sugar in this recipe to keep things simple and sweet. It gives the cookie a lovely crisp edge.
Eggs: A whole egg plus an extra yolk ensures the cookies are moist and chewy, compensating for the lack of brown sugar, which usually provides moisture.
Vanilla Extract: A dash of vanilla extract or paste to add that classic, warm flavor.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Gives the cookies a little lift
All-Purpose Flour: The base of the dough.
M&M candies : A mix of mini M&M and regular M&Ms (some chopped) so you get M&m in every bite!

Method

Let the butter melt in a small metal saucepan. Once melted, let it cook for around 3-4 minutes until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty.

Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and cool down for 10 minutes.

Add the granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla to the butter and beat it together until well combined.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.

Roughly chop the regular M&Ms. Check that the dough isn’t too warm, and then add the chopped M&Ms and mini M&Ms into the dough and stir to combine.

Roll the cookie dough into balls. Use around 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie.
Space them out generously on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. You will need more than one baking sheet, or you can bake them in batches. The cookies will spread in the oven, so give them space to do so.

Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes until they have puffed and the edges are golden brown.
The cookies will seem very soft. They will continue cooking on the hot oven tray once out of the oven and firm up as they cool down. For best results, don’t over-bake them.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool further. Granulated sugar can make a crisper cookie than one made with brown sugar, so ensure you don’t over-bake them if you want a chewier cookie. If you want to press extra chocolate chips or M&Ms on top of the cookies, do this right as they come from the oven while still soft.

Storing

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Baked cookies can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container or freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months.

The cookie dough balls can also be frozen for up to 3 months and baked from frozen. They don’t need to be thawed, but baking time can be increased by 2-3 minutes.

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