Yield: 6 m&m cookies // Total Time: 20 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
These small batch m&m cookies are – dare I say – perfection. Not only are they thick and chewy with crisp edges, but they come together in just 20 minutes!
Small batch m&m cookies recipe tips
Weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Mix the dough carefully
When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookies super tough and chewy.
Under bake for perfect cookies
Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. The cookies may look a little underdone at 10 minutes, but it’s important to take them out to keep them nice and soft. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Ingredients and substitutions
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Baking powder: for helping the cookies rise.
Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cookies
Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the cookies.
Light brown sugar: for sweetness and for moisture.
Egg yolk: for binding and for moisture.
Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract!
Mini m&m’s: the star of the show. Personally mini m&m’s > regular m&m’s but you can put whichever you prefer! If you choose to use regular sized m&m’s, I would use more since they won’t be as dispersed in the dough.
Chocolate chips: I use semi-sweet but you can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mini chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate here instead!
How to make small batch m&m cookies
- Melt the butter. In a small microwave safe bowl, microwave the butter just until melted, then set it aside for a minute to cool. (The hotter the butter, the more the cookie dough will spread). Then, whisk in the light brown sugar.
- Add in the egg yolk. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla until the mixture is cohesive.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Fold in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until only a few flour streaks remain. Then, add in the mini m&m’s and chocolate chips and fold just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing will lead to a tough cookie!
- Bake the cookies. Evenly space out 3 tbsp. scoops of the cookie dough on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F / 175°C.
- Top with more mini m&m’s. Top the baked cookies with more mini m&m’s. Serve and enjoy!
Small batch m&m cookies Q & A
Can I double these small batch m&m cookies?
Of course! Obviously they will not be small batch anymore but small batch isn’t always what we need! Simply double all of the ingredients in the recipe to make 12 delicious m&m cookies. I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Definitely! Cookie dough only gets better with time. You can keep the cookie dough tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. For longer term storage, you can also freeze the cookie dough. Just be sure to take the dough out of the fridge at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before you want to bake, so that it becomes soft enough to scoop again!
How to store small batch m&m cookies
If for some reason you don’t feel like inhaling these 6 cookies (like I do), you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will taste the best on the day that they are baked, but will keep fresh for up to 3 days.
Why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
A note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
Tools and ingredients
Cookie Sheet: I absolutely love USA pan products because of their great quality. I use their cookie sheet which is always the perfect size for all of my small batch cookies!
Silicone baking mat: parchment paper will always do the job for cookies, but I like to use a silicone mat when I can to try to cut down on waste. This is the one I use.
Cookie scoops: I have gone through a lot of cookie scoops in my baking journey, and these ones have lasted me the longest without breaking. Plus they are dishwasher safe!
Vanilla: I love using Rodelle vanilla extract. Not only is it a great quality product, but it’s on the lower end of the price that vanilla can be! This is the one I use.
For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.
Did you make these small batch m&m cookies?
If you made these small batch m&m cookies I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Small Batch M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 65 g all purpose flour (½ c.)
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 50 g unsalted butter (3 ½ tbsp.)
- 65 g light brown sugar (⅓ c.)
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 56 g mini m&m's (¼ c.) + extra for topping
- 56 g semi sweet chocolate chips (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or with a silicone mat.
- In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval. Let the butter sit for one minute.
- Add the light brown sugar into the butter and whisk until combined.
- Add in the egg yolk and vanilla, and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to lightly fold the mixture together until there are only a few flour streaks remaining. Add in the mini m&m's and chocolate chips, and fold just until no flour streaks remain.
- Use a 3 tbsp. cookie scoop to dish out the cookies and evenly space them out on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the middles of the cookies are almost completely set.
- Serve and enjoy!
Is the oven temperature a fan oven?
I’m in the uk !
It’s for a conventional oven!
I made these cookies and they were soooo good! They were the perfect texture and just the right amount of m&m and chips! Saw it on tiktoc!!
Thank you so much for making these, I’m so happy you loved them! 🙂