Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Name: Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup classic creamy peanut butter (i.e. Jif, Skippy, etc.); 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened); 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 3/4 cup granulated white sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 3 cups or 360g all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2 cups peanut butter M&Ms

Article Summary:

In this blog post we will be making peanut butter M&M cookies. Peanut butter cookies made with peanut butter M&Ms, these rich cookies are a peanut butter treat for any day of the week. Read on for illustrated recipe instructions, recipe pro-tips, answers to common questions, and more.

This M&M cookie recipe is...
Ingredients:
Substitutions:
How to make peanut butter m&m cookies:
Recipe pro-tips:
Recipe FAQs:
Storage directions:
Tools needed to make this recipe:
Other baking recipes:

A stack of peanut butter M&M cookies on a cooling sheet with a blue towel in the background

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Peanut butter M&M cookies: the marriage of two of my favorite things, peanut butter & peanut butter M&Ms.

Being that I'm usually a plain M&M devotee, I often miss the new M&M offerings. That is, until I go hiking with my friend, Jo.

Jo always has the best hiking snacks. Homemade trail mix, Twizzlers, roasted seeds, and -- of course -- M&Ms.

A pinterest pin for peanut butter M&M cookies with an up-close shot of he cookies on a cooling rack

A few weeks ago, when we were out hiking the Chicago Lakes Trail in the Rockies, she brought some peanut butter M&Ms to share. After just a few, I immediately knew I needed to do something with them.

Given that I'm on a cookie kick lately, I immediately starting scheming up a way to use these candies in such a treat. I debated between a peanut butter and chocolate cookie base, but peanut butter won out.

Amplifying the peanut butter M&Ms the best, the thick and chewy peanut butter cookie base is buttery, rich, and everything we want in a cookie.

These cookies are special enough for the holidays, but they're also a special way to spice up any day. If the recipe makes more cookies than you can eat while fresh, freeze the leftovers in a freezer-safe container and enjoy them in the months to come.

Either way, I hope you'll be glad to discover peanut butter M&Ms, too!

Thick
Chewy
Rich
Peanut buttery
Chocolaty

If you're into hearty cookies with just a bit of that candy crunch, these M&M cookies are for you!

Ingredients:

Peanut butter - for this recipe, you want a classic creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter will make the cookies heavy and dense.
Unsalted butter
Peanut butter m&ms - that's right, the M&Ms filled with peanut butter!
Light brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Large eggs
Pure vanilla extract - pure vanilla extract will lend the best flavor; Costco offers some of the best prices on pure vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Salt
Baking soda

Peanut butter M&M cookies on a cooling rack

Substitutions:

M&Ms - plain M&Ms and peanut M&Ms can substitute for the peanut butter M&Ms. A mixture of any type of M&Ms and chocolate chips -- a total of 2 cups -- can substitute as well.
Flour - a 1:1 mixture of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour can work in place of the all-purpose flour. The end result will be nuttier and heartier, though.
Brown sugar - though it will add a stronger molasses flavor to the cookies, dark brown sugar can substitute for the light brown sugar in a pinch.

Peanut butter M&M cookies on a cooling rack with a blue towel

How to make peanut butter m&m cookies:

Preheat the oven and prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Cream together peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and blend in until smooth.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda until combined.
Add the flour to the creamed butter mixture. Mix in until fully combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Stir peanut butter m&ms into the cookie batter.
Scoop the cookie batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies until golden on the bottom.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes. Move the cookies to wire cooling racks and cool until at room temperature. Enjoy!

A mixing bowl of peanut butter, butter, sugar, and brown sugar

A mixing bowl with creamed butter and sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract

Recipe pro-tips:

Additional mix-ins - make the recipe your own by adding mix-ins. I recommend ½ cup of any of the following: salted peanuts, chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, or raisins.
Room temperature butter - room temperature, or softened butter, works best for this recipe. I recommend leaving it out at room temperature for 1-2 hours before making the cookies. Alternatively, you can also soften the butter in the microwave at 10-20% heat for 15-20 second intervals until softened. The butter is adequately softened when you can gently, yet firmly, press the butter and leave an indent with your finger.
Weigh the flour - ever wonder how to get the most consistent baking results? The secret is in weighing the flour. The amount of flour in the recipe can drastically affect the end result and other measuring techniques can increase the flour in the recipe up to 20%! Kitchen scales run only about $10 on Amazon. If you don't have one, I recommend grabbing one. It's a baking game-changer!
Natural peanut butter - as tempting as it may be, you don't want to use natural peanut butter for this recipe. It will negatively affect the texture and of the cookie. The best peanut butter for this cookie recipe is a creamy classic peanut butter like Jif or Skippy.

stacks of Peanut butter M&M cookies on a cooling rack by a blue towel

Recipe FAQs:

Are peanut butter M&Ms gluten-free?

Yes, peanut butter M&Ms do not contain any wheat or wheat-derived ingredients so they are gluten-free. It is worth noting that the peanut butter cookie batter in this recipe is not gluten-free, however.

Do you need to chill peanut butter cookies before baking?

No, you do not need to chill these cookies before baking. Just mix up the cookie dough, scoop it onto the cookie trays, and bake!

Can you make these cookies ahead of time?

Yes, you can certainly make these cookies ahead of time. Scoop the batter onto the cookie trays, cover them with plastic wrap (or another airtight wrap), and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or until baking.

Can you freeze peanut butter M&M cookie dough?

Yes, you can freeze this cookie dough. You can freeze the whole batch in a freezer-safe container or you can freeze the individual scoops. Just scoop the cookie dough onto sheets and freeze until solid. Then pop the frozen cookie scoops into a freezer-safe bag. The cookie dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

A side angled shot of a tray of peanut butter M&M cookies

Storage directions:

Cookies last covered in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Just defrost at room temperature for 10-20 minutes before enjoying.

An up-close shot of a dish of peanut butter M&Ms

A dish of peanut butter M&Ms, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla extract

Tools needed to make this recipe:

If you made and liked this recipe, don't forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went for you in the comments! It always makes my day to hear from you!