Valentine Chocolate M&M Cookies

VALENTINE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES

2/12/2024

We're celebrating the season of love with a delightful twist on a classic favorite - Valentine Chocolate M&M Cookies! These soft-baked thick and chunky chocolate cookies are as indulgent as they look: rich and fudge-like with chewy centers, slightly crisp edges, and oodles of melty chocolate chips and colorful red and pink Valentine M&Ms in each glorious bite. So fun and festive, they will surely win over the hearts and taste buds of anyone who bites into them, and they will disappear in a heartbeat! After all, there's no better way to say "I love you" than with a homemade sweet treat straight from the heart. Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Chocolate M&M Cookies

WHAT MAKES THESE THE BEST VALENTINE COOKIES?

Fun and festive. Kids and adults will love these festive chocolate, red and pink sprinkled cookies. They just scream Valentine’s Day!
Texture. Based on a mash-up of my family-favorite recipes for Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chewy Brownie M&M Cookies, these cookies are wonderfully thick and chewy, and the shells of the M&Ms add a fun little tender crunch.
Quick and easy. This recipe only requires 30 minutes of prep time and the instructions are so simple, you’ll have cookies in the oven in no time! Perfect for those times when you need to whip up a special Valentine treat for a school party or last minute family get-together!

Valentine Chocolate M&M Cookies

RECIPE VARIATIONS:

GLUTEN-FREE VALENTINE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour for the all-purpose flour - I use and recommend King Arthur, Measure for Measure Flour and Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
CHRISTMAS DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute your favorite Christmas holiday M&Ms for red, pink and white Valentine M&Ms.
PATRIOTIC DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute red, white and blue Patriotic M&Ms for the Valentine M&Ms. Drizzle or dip with a selection of red, white and blue melted candy melts, and sprinkle with red, white & blue star sprinkles!
MARDI GRAS DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Do you have a stash of colorful M&Ms that you save for holiday baking? Substitute purple, violet, green and yellow M&Ms for the Valentine M&Ms. These are ALWAYS a big hit!
EASTER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute your favorite springtime pastel M&Ms for red, pink and white Valentine M&Ms.
ST. PATRICKS DAY DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT M&M COOKIES: Add ½ teaspoon of pure peppermint extract to the cookie dough, and substitute colorful green Mint M&Ms for the Valentine M&Ms. The dark green, mint green and grass green colors are spectacular nuzzled in chocolate cookies!
HALLOWEEN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute your favorite Halloween holiday M&Ms for the Valentine M&Ms.

Valentine Chocolate M&M Cookies

VALENTINE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES

These irresistible, soft, thick and chewy chocolate cookies are loaded with both chocolate chips and colorful red and pink Valentine M&Ms! So fun and festive, they will surely win over the hearts and taste buds of anyone who bites into them, and they will disappear in a heartbeat!

Valentine Chocolate M&M Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup (8 Tablespoons; 113g) unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
1 large egg (room temperature)
1 Tablespoon (15ml) buttermilk (room temperature)
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (55g) Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (163g) Ghirardelli chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate)
1 cup Valentine M&Ms (red, pink & white)

HOW I MAKE THESE:

Set butter, egg and buttermilk out to come to room temperature (this helps them incorporate into the cookie dough better).
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk together until well combined; set aside.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.
Add the egg and mix on medium until combined, about 1 minute.
Add buttermilk and pure vanilla extract and mix on medium until well blended, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Scrape down the sides and add in the flour mixture, ½ at a time, mixing just until blended; add remaining flour mixture and again mix just until blended. This cookie dough will be soft and sticky!
Fold in the chocolate chips and M&Ms and stir by hand until well blended.
Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days). I recommend just 1 to 2 hours, for the perfect cookie spread. If chilling for longer than 2 hours, allow dough to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Scoop with a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 Tablespoons or 30-35g) of dough each, and roll into balls. Arrange on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. To ensure a thicker cookie, make the balls taller than they are wide (more like a cylinder or column).
Bake for 11–12 minutes or until the edges appear set. Centers will look very soft. Every oven is a little bit different, so watch your first batch when baking and time accordingly. DO NOT OVERBAKE, as these will lose their softness.
BAKING TIP: If the cookies aren’t spreading by 9 minutes, remove pan from the oven and lightly bang the baking sheet on the counter 2-3x – this will help initiate the spread and give you a rippled cookie edge. Return pan to the oven to continue baking.
If desired, after removing from oven lightly press a few chocolate chips or M&Ms onto the tops of the warm cookies.
Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will slightly deflate as they cool.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week – if they last that long!

YIELD: 24 cookies

RECIPE NOTES:

WEIGH INGREDIENTS CAREFULLY FOR BEST RESULTS: If I can only share one baking secret with you, always use a DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE. You can use measuring cups and spoons for most recipes, but using a digital scale makes for the more consistent and efficient baking. Take this from someone that bakes A LOT!

DON’T OVERBAKE: For soft and chewy cookies, remove the cookies from the oven when the edges are set but the centers look slightly underdone. Don’t worry! They will continue to bake and set-up as they cool on the cookie sheets – giving you a perfectly soft and chewy texture!

TO KEEP THESE COOKIES FRESH: These cookies will stay soft, chewy and fresh for up to 1 week s in an air-tight container kept at room temperature.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: You can bake these cookies and freeze ahead of time – simply defrost before you plan on serving. Baked and frosted cookies freeze well in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

HOW TO THAW COOKIES: Remove from the freezer and place the unopened container in the refrigerator overnight to thaw before serving.

CAN I MAKE GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES? You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by substituting your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour for the all-purpose flour - I use and recommend King Arthur, Measure for Measure Flour and Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.

RECIPE VARIATIONS:

GLUTEN-FREE VALENTINE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour for the all-purpose flour - I use and recommend King Arthur, Measure for Measure Flour and Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
CHRISTMAS DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute your favorite Christmas holiday M&Ms for red, pink and white Valentine M&Ms.
PATRIOTIC DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute red, white and blue Patriotic M&Ms for the Valentine M&Ms. Drizzle or dip with a selection of red, white and blue melted candy melts, and sprinkle with red, white & blue star sprinkles!
MARDI GRAS DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Do you have a stash of colorful M&Ms that you save for holiday baking? Substitute purple, violet, green and yellow M&Ms for the Valentine M&Ms. These are ALWAYS a big hit!
EASTER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute your favorite springtime pastel M&Ms for red, pink and white Valentine M&Ms.
ST. PATRICKS DAY DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT M&M COOKIES: Add ½ teaspoon of pure peppermint extract to the cookie dough, and substitute colorful green Mint M&Ms for the Valentine M&Ms. The dark green, mint green and grass green colors are spectacular nuzzled in chocolate cookies!
HALLOWEEN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE M&M COOKIES: Substitute your favorite Halloween holiday M&Ms for the Valentine M&Ms.

Original recipe posted February 2015; revised and reposted February 2024.

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