Christmas M&M Cookies
Ok these are THE BEST m&m cookies on the planet! I am obsessed! Brown butter enriched sweet cookie dough, thick chunks of dark chocolate, and of course those fun pops of chocolatey color make these m&m cookies just killer and perfect for holiday baking.
The best part? This dough is really an easy one to pull off! It doesn’t require any special mixing equipment, the ingredients are very standard for cookie dough, and there is no chilling time. And while the process and ingredients are very straightforward, the result is truly special. Brown butter makes for such a beautifully rich crumb, and the warmer dough temperature allows these cookies to expand just the right amount in the oven. What you get is a cookie that’s gigantic, soft and chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outer rim, and perfectly speckled with chocolate chunks and m&m’s.
Getting the butter to brown but not burn is the one slightly tricky part. Just make sure to watch it as you’re cooking. It should become a nice red brown, and the aroma should be very caramelly delicious. It takes several minutes, so be patient, but the result is worth it!
The next trick is to mix in the chopped dark chocolate but to place the m&m’s on top of the formed cookie dough balls. If you mix in the m&m’s, their color will rub out in the dough, staining the cookies and ruining the pretty look of intact m&m’s. I like to alternate green and red as much as possible.
Otherwise, have fun! And do make these cookies with your kids. It’s a perfect recipe for that!
Giant Chewy M&M Cookies - Makes 16 cookies
Equipment:
Small saucepan
2 large baking sheets
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cups unsalted butter, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cocoa) chopped
3 oz. green and red M&M’s
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF, and line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, and set it aside.
Make the brown butter. Place 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter completely. Then continue cooking, swirling the butter and occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, until the butter has turned a golden red and smells amazing. Transfer the butter to a large mixing bowl and let it cool for a minute or two.
While the butter is cooling, cube the remaining 1/4 cup of butter. Add this to the browned butter and allow it to melt completely. Once the butter is melted, add the brown and white sugars, and mix until completely combined. Add the egg and egg yolks, and whisk again until the sugars are dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla, and then gently fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. Finally, add the chopped chocolate and mix again.
Divide the dough into 16 balls, each about 3 TBS. Place them evenly on the two cookie sheets (8 cookies per sheet). These cookies spread a lot while baking, so you can even bake them on three sheets instead if you have them. Top each cookie dough ball with the m&m’s, about 6 m&m’s per cookie.
Bake one pan of cookies at a time for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have spread and the edges are golden. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store the cookies covered at room temperature for several days.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit
