Thick Bakery-Style M&M Cookies

These thick bakery-style M&M cookies deliver the best of both worlds: a crunchy, caramelized edge and an impossibly soft, tender center.

Using cold butter and a hot oven keeps the dough mounds tall, so every bite is packed with chocolate chunks and colorful candy shells. Perfect for sharing or for a special treat.

Imagine pulling apart a warm cookie and watching the soft, gooey center stretch with steam. That is exactly what you get with this recipe.

The secret lies in starting with cold butter, which creates less spread and a thicker cookie, and baking at a high temperature to set the edges while the middle stays soft.

The result is a tall, bakery-style cookie studded with semi-sweet chocolate chunks and crunchy M&M candies.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Cold butter is the key to thick cookies. When butter is cold, it takes longer to melt in the oven, so the dough spreads less and the cookie bakes up taller. The cold eggs also help keep the dough chilled, further reducing spread and creating a more tender crumb.

Baking at 375°F (190°C) for just 11 minutes allows the edges to caramelize and turn golden while the center remains soft and slightly underbaked.

As the cookie cools on the hot baking sheet, the center continues to set, resulting in that perfect bakery-style texture—crunchy outside, soft inside.

Notes and substitutions

Use good-quality semi-sweet chocolate chunks for the best flavor, but any chocolate chip works. The M&M candies add a satisfying crunch and a pop of color. If you prefer a less sweet cookie, use dark chocolate chunks instead of semi-sweet.

For the most accurate measurement, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Do not scoop directly from the bag, as that can pack in too much flour and make the cookies dry. A stand mixer makes the job easy, but a hand mixer works just as well.

• vanilla bean paste: 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• semi-sweet chocolate chunks: milk chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
• M&M candies: mini chocolate chips or chopped peanut butter cups
• dark brown sugar: light brown sugar

Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Large mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Wire rack
• Cookie scoop or measuring cup