Festive Holiday Cookies
- Makes 24 Cookies
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 15 minutes
- Total 20 minutes

These are the Festive Holiday Cookies. This cookie recipe takes 5 minutes to whip up and only a second to devour. If you love chocolate chip cookies, you will love this festive touch. The red and green Christmas M&M’s will get you into the holiday spirit. The only thing we ask of you when baking cookies is to enjoy the process and have FUN!
What stands out
These Festive Holiday Cookies with M&Ms are not only but also so cute with their pop of color from the M&M’s. It is so straightforward to put these together in the mixer, and you can make a small batch or double (or triple!) it for a large crowd if you’re entertaining.
Even better? Have the kids help! With how quickly this recipe comes together, you’ll be glad you had them help. Share the joy by baking a batch for your loved ones – simple, tasty, and sure to be a hit with friends and family. These Festive Holiday Cookies would be a great option for bringing to a party.
How to Prepare Festive Holiday Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Use a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugars until smooth.
Add egg and vanilla extract, and then mix for about a minute on medium-low speed.
Gradually add flour, baking soda, a pinch of salt, and mix until a tacky dough forms.
Mix or fold in M&M’s.
Scoop 24 small cookies onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet (or you could make 12 large cookies).
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden.
Enjoy and share the recipe with your loved ones.
Kitchen tip
Feel free to use fillings such as walnuts, chocolate chips, and white chocolate, in addition to or instead of the M&Ms.
Swaps
These Festive Holiday Cookies are and can be modified for allergies or for what you have available in your pantry! Be sure to adjust quantities accordingly and have fun experimenting with these variations to suit your taste preferences!
- Instead of M&M’s, you can use chocolate chips or chunks.
- Add chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds for a nutty crunch.
- Replace M&M’s with white chocolate chips for a sweeter, vanilla-flavored twist.
- Incorporate peanut butter chips or swirl in peanut butter for a nice peanut butter and chocolate combo.
- Substitute all-purpose flour with a 1-1 gluten-free flour for a gluten-free version of these Festive Holiday Cookies.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon nutmeg, or all-spice for some added spice.
- For a vegan (or dairy-free) or plant-based cookie, replace butter with vegan butter, use a flax egg instead of a regular egg, and ensure your M&M’s.
Questions
How can we make these Cookies Gluten-Free?
You are more than welcome to try making these gluten-free by using a 1-1 gluten-free baking all-purpose flour instead.
Where Can we Find Christmas Colored M&Ms?
Your local grocery store should sell them, or you can check Amazon.
Can we use Vegan Butter as an alternative?
Yes, vegan butter will work if you don’t want to use regular butter.
What other fillings can we add?
Feel free to use any fillings such as walnuts, chocolate chips, white chocolate, or anything else instead if you don’t have M&Ms
Why are the metric weights of your ingredients different than the results of Google and our kitchen scale?
While 1 cup of flour weighs 160g in our kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 180g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure. For best results, go by the weight listed in the recipe.
Ingredients
Makes 24 Cookies
- 1 stick butter, (1/2 cup) softened
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup m and m's, or festive sprinkles
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Cookie Scoop
- Measuring Cups + Spoons
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. You are more than welcome to use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- In the stand mixer, cream the butter and the sugars together until nice and smooth.
- Add the egg and pure vanilla extract, mix for about a minute again on medium-low speed.
- Gradually add the flour, baking soda, pinch of salt, and mix on medium low speed until a tacky dough forms.
- Mix or fold in the m and m's and take a spoon or an ice-cream scoop and scoop out 24 small cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can also make 12 large cookies as well but the baking time may increase.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are golden.







