These delicious M&M Oatmeal Cookies catch your eye and tame your chocolate cravings, with no chilling time! These ferocious cookies satisfy your sweet tooth while appeasing your senses for a chewy and rich treat.
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There’s nothing like the glow of bright yellow, orange, and blue M&Ms bursting out of thick, chewy oatmeal cookies. While many of us have to let go of certain childhood habits, eating oatmeal cookies with M&Ms is not one of them.
Cookies, cookies, cookies. Some days are perfect for healthier cookies, like my Chewy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies. Other times, we even do treats without any processed sugar. And then there are the best days, when we go big and we go for the best kind of cookies.
Not just oatmeal cookies, and not just M&M cookies, but oatmeal M&M cookies.
As a working mom of a young child, I currently have no time to waste when it comes to mediocre cookies with no pazzazz. This family favorite recipe uses ten simple ingredients to create dynamite flavor. These chewier cookies leave you wanting more. With a short baking time, and the tasty combination of oatmeal and M&Ms, this recipe is a staple in my home.
Why You'll Love this Mouthwatering Oatmeal M&M Cookie Recipe
- No chilling! There’s no need to chill your dough before popping your cookie dough balls in the oven. Who’s got time for that? Not me. But they’ll still come out delicious.
- Simple Ingredients. These classic baking ingredients are likely already in your pantry.
- Bring them Everywhere. These cookies are great for potlucks, parties, holidays, and a cozy night in.
- Great Fresh, Great Later. While these cookies are scrumptious right after they’ve cooled, they taste just as great when they’re made ahead of time for later events.
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: Use vegan or regular unsalted butter at room temperature.
- Light Brown Sugar & Granulated White Sugar: The perfect blend of sweetness.
- Large Eggs: Brown or white eggs at room temperature. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: To add depth in flavor. Use pure vanilla extract if possible.
- All-Purpose Flour: Creates the perfect base structure for the chewy oatmeal cookies.
- Salt: Accentuates the sweetness of the cookies.
- Baking Soda: To allow the cookies to rise and hold up the colorful M&Ms.
- Old Fashioned Oatmeal: Also known as rolled oats. Old fashioned oatmeal adds a dynamic chewy texture. Do not use instant or steel-cut oats, as they do not work in the recipe.
- M&Ms: (or 1 cup M&Ms, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips) Delicious and colorful chocolate additions to add another level of sweet satisfaction.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Flour: The same amount of whole-wheat flour can substitute the all-purpose flour.
- Brown Sugar: Using dark brown sugar will add more of a molasses flavor to the cookies. It can be used in a 1:1 mixture.
How to Make Oatmeal M&M Cookies
For the complete recipe and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugars until creamy in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer. Start at low speed and then work your way up until the mixture is smooth.
Step 3: Mix in the egg, egg yolk, & vanilla until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl throughout the mixing time to ensure thoroughly mixed wet ingredients.
Step 4: Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Whisk together briefly with a fork and then add to the butter mixture.
Step 5: Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Step 6: Mix the oatmeal into the dough. At this point the dough should be stiff.
Step 7: Stir the M&Ms into the cookie dough.
Step 8: Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 ½-2 inches apart.
Step 9: Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes or until the cookies turn golden brown around the edges, turning halfway through the baking time.
Step 10: Move trays to a cooling rack and let cool for 5-10 minutes, then move the cookies directly to a wire rack and let them cool fully to room temperature. Enjoy!
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Room Temperature Butter: Take your butter out of the fridge about 1-2 hours beforehand to ensure your butter is ready to cream. The butter should be malleable yet still solid; soft enough that you can gently press it with your fingertip and the imprint will remain. Completely melted butter will change the desired texture of the cookies.
- Even Baking: Use the same-sized cookie scoop to ensure all cookie dough balls are the same size for uniform cookies.
- Ultimate Aesthetics: For bright and beautiful cookies, set aside a handful of M&Ms to add them on top of the cookies right when they come out of the oven.
Recipe Variations
- Make Monster Cookies: Substitute ¼ cup of butter and ½ cup of creamy peanut butter for the unsalted butter, and follow the recipe directions as listed, stirring in a mixture of M&Ms and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Additional Mix-Ins: Create your own version of oatmeal cookies by adding in your own mix-ins. I recommend adding in ½ cup of any of the following ingredients: dark chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, crushed pecans, peanut butter chips, or toffee chips.
Serving Suggestions
A cold glass of milk – dairy or non-dairy – is a classic favorite to serve alongside these tasty M&M cookies as they finish cooling.
These oatmeal M&M cookies are perfect for sweet celebrations or your next potluck party. Color coordinate your cookies’ M&M’s, or let your kiddos help decorate the tops with their own colorful M&M design.
Dietary Adaptations
- Gluten-Free: To make gluten-free chewy oatmeal cookies with M&Ms, substitute the same amount of gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour and use certified gluten-free oats.
- Dairy-Free: To make these oatmeal cookies dairy-free, substitute vegan butter for unsalted butter and vegan M&Ms or chocolate chips for M&Ms.
Storage Directions
- Storage: These cookies stay delicious at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Freeze the batch of cookie dough in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Pre-scoop the cookie dough balls for ease the next time you bake a batch. Bake the cookie balls from frozen for a minute or two longer than directed, or until baked through and golden brown on the bottom.
FAQs
No, the texture of rolled oats is better suited for the chewy texture, while quick-cooking oats may flatten out your cookie.
When combining wet and dry ingredients, it is important to mix the batter well enough to incorporate all ingredients while not overmixing the dough. Over-mixing can result in tough or dense cookies!
Instant/quick oats can also offset the moisture in these cookies. Use rolled oats and be sure to use the added egg yolk, as it helps to keep the cookies moist.
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Silicone spatula
- Kitchen food scale
- Cookie scooper
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
More Cookie and Baking Recipes
- Ube Brownies
- Andes Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Kodiak Cake Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
- Chocolate Coconut Bars
- Peanut Butter Bon Bons
- Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
- Peanut Butter Brookies
- Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- Edible Brownie Batter
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Recipe Card
Oatmeal M&M Cookies
Email FacebookIngredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ tspn pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tspn salt
- 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
- 2 cups M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugars until creamy in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer.
- Mix in the egg, egg yolk, & vanilla until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl throughout the mixing time.
- Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together briefly with a fork and then add to the butter mixture.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
- Mix the oatmeal into the dough. At this point the dough should be stiff.
- Stir the M&Ms into the cookie dough.
- Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 ½-2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes or until the cookies turn golden brown around the edges, turning halfway through the baking time.
- Move trays to a cooling rack and let cool for 5-10 minutes, then move the cookies directly to the cooling rack and let them cool fully to room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: These cookies stay delicious at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Freeze the batch of cookie dough in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Pre-scoop the cookie dough balls for ease the next time you bake a batch. Bake the
- If making these cookies at high altitude, increase the flour to 2 cups (or 240g).
- To Make Monster Cookies – Substitute ¼ cup of butter and ½ cup of creamy peanut butter for the unsalted butter, and follow the recipe directions as listed, stirring in a mixture of M&Ms and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Additional Mix-Ins – Create your own version of oatmeal cookies by adding in your own mix-ins. I recommend adding in ½ cup of any of the following ingredients: dark chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, crushed pecans, peanut butter chips, or toffee chips.
- Gluten-Free: To make gluten-free chewy oatmeal cookies with M&Ms, substitute the same amount of gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour and use certified gluten-free oats.
- Dairy-Free: To make these oatmeal cookies dairy-free, substitute vegan butter for unsalted butter and vegan M&Ms or chocolate chips for M&Ms.
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