Peanut Butter M&M Cookies (2024)

A peanut butter cookie recipe made with peanut butter M&Ms, these thick & chewy cookies are the ultimate peanut butter cookie lover's dream!

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 post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure policy for details.

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 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!

This M&M cookie recipe is...

• 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

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.

How to make peanut butter m&m cookies:

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

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 $10on 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.

Recipe FAQs:

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.

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

• 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
• Chewy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
• Edible Brownie Batter

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!