MINI M&M’S AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE WITH A SECRET INGREDIENT

Let’s talk about cookies. What better way to give them a fun twist than by adding mini M&M’s and a secret ingredient.

On a rainy day here in Iowa, I had a craving for chocolate chip and M&M cookies and I was up for making some. Here is what made them so good:

WHAT MAKES THIS TREAT SO GOOD

• A half cup of vanilla instant pudding mix. You may be thinking that sounds weird, but trust me. That’s because pudding mix is basically cornstarch and sugar. Adding this to the dough helps the cookies to retain some of their moisture and stay soft and chewy. You can make scratch-made chocolate chip cookies that are soft and chewy when you pull them out of the oven, but by day three or four they can be cakey or dry. These will still be soft and chewy three or four days later, if they last that long!
• Using both mini M&M’s and mini chocolate chips. The chocolate chips melt into the dough and give a nice even distribution of chocolate while the mini M&M’s hold their shape and add a slight crunch from the candy shells.
• A combination of white and brown sugar. Both sugars add sweetness, of course. However, brown sugar also adds a hint of moisture and an undertone of caramel while white sugar will help the outside of the cookie to be a tad crispy.
• Butter. Some cookie recipes call for shortening instead of butter. Shortening may produce a better texture but nothing beats the flavor of butter.

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

• Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using parchment paper will keep the bottoms of your cookies a tad lighter and prevent them from sticking to the cookie sheet. It will make for an easy, ten-second cleanup.
• These will look like they’re not quite done when they come out of the oven. Move them to a wire rack to allow for air to circulate all the way around the cookie to help them to set. Leaving them on the hot cookie sheet would continue to cook them.
• This recipe makes one large batch of 45 pretty good-sized cookies. The recipe freezes well both before and after being baked. To use them straight out of your freezer before being baked, simply pre-heat your oven to 350F, lay the dough balls on your prepared baking sheet and cook for about 18 minutes. If you freeze them after they’ve been baked, they’ll thaw out wonderfully.
• Store in an air-tight container if they last more than one day.

Butter should be softened but NOT ‘melted’ or ‘fridge cold.’ Softened butter should be able to withstand some structure but also yield to pressure. If your butter is fridge cold, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and leave out for 20-30 minutes.

Melted butter will allow the cookie dough to lose structure and spread too much.

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar, dark has a stronger molasses flavor

• 1 tsp salt, use 1/2 tsp salt if using salted butter
• 2 large eggs, room temp eggs will incorporate more evenly into butter

1/2 cup instant vanilla pudding, about 2/3 of the 3.4 oz box, the secret ingredient. Use sugar free instant pudding if you wish.

Don’t use the cook-and-serve kind.

HOW TO MAKE MINI M&M AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Start the oven BEFORE you make the cookie dough.

These cookies bake at 350°F. Place oven rack(s) in the middle position(s) for best, more even heat distribution.

Bake at 350°F for approximately 12 minutes. Remove from the oven when they are still light-colored and appear a bit underdone.

Overbaked = Not as chewy. Overbaked means about 2 extra minutes in the oven and baking until golden.

Trust me, follow directions. Makes 45 cookies.

Step 1: Butter and sugar mixture. Cream the softened butter with brown and white sugars on medium speed with your stand mixer or a hand mixer until light, slightly fluffy, and has a texture similar to frosting, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Incorporate the eggs and the vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each until combined.

Add vanilla and mix until smooth and homogeneous. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula or rubber scraper to incorporate any stray pockets of butter.

Step 3: Put in the dry elements. Add pudding mix, flour, baking soda and salt.

Stir on low speed JUST UNTIL combined and no more streaks of flour are visible. Over-mixing at this point will result in tougher, less flavorful cookies.

Step 4: Fold in your chocolate. Stir in mini chocolate chips and mini M&Ms with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.

This will be hard work…your arm muscles will be thankful you skipped the gym today…

Step 5: Shape the dough. Using rounded tablespoons of dough, shape into 2″ balls.

You will get about 2 Tbsps of dough per cookie. Place cookies 2″ apart on prepared baking sheet.

TIP: Using a dedicated cookie scoop will make your cookies more uniform in size, so they will cook more evenly. TIP: You can size up your scoop to a regular ice cream scoop if desired, just make sure to increase cooking time 1-2 minutes.

Step 6: Baking. Bake for 12 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Cookies will look somewhat underdone in the middle and slightly shiny. Do not overbake.

You’ll be tempted but resist. Cookies should appear somewhat broken when removed from oven.

TIP: Remove from oven and transfer to rack immediately…do NOT let them sit on the hot baking sheet as they will continue to cook on the bottom and will not be chewy cookies.

Step 7: Let your cookies cool on a rack. Using a thin spatula, since they’re fragile and hot, transfer cookies to a wire rack immediately.

Let them sit for about 10-15 minutes while they finish cooking and set up and enjoy nice and chewy cookies. TIP: If you let them sit longer they will firm up even more.

Mixing and shaping time: About 30 minutes, plus time for chilling and baking. Cookies will likely require 2-3 trips to the oven, depending on how many baking sheets you have.

Makes: About 45 cookies (though there’s never really been a time I know of that these have been made and ended up still intact in a number that close to 45 at the end of the day; expect about 40, counting on a few casualties for warm-from-the-oven sampling)

HELPFUL TIPS

Chilling the cookie dough isn’t essential. It works fine at room temperature and can be rolled into balls easily at room temp.

However, if it seems overly soft and sticky, such as if your kitchen is extra-warm, it might be helpful to pop it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. It won’t take long for it to firm up enough to easily work with.

I suggest weighing each ball on a simple kitchen scale.

If your kitchen is missing one of these, this would be a good opportunity to invest in one. It’s a tool that pays for itself in spades and will ensure each cookie is the same size, meaning they’ll all bake evenly and can remain in the oven for the same amount of time.

It’s very helpful for making sure cookies rise and brown evenly. You’ll be glad you have one.

Line baking sheets with parchment or silpat baking sheets. Baked cookies are prone to stickiness and will release from parchment/silpats easily.

Parchment/silpats also help cookies from over-browning on the bottoms, which is prone to happen with cookies on a greased baking sheet.

Allow baking sheets to come to room temp before adding more dough balls for the next baking round. Adding dough to warm/hot sheets will encourage cookies to melt and spread more than necessary and may lead to thinner-than-usual cookies.

Rotate the cookies from front-to-back in the oven half-way through the baking process. Most ovens bake a bit unevenly; rotating will ensure all cookies come out perfectly done.

Remove cookies to a wire cooling rack as soon as they come out of the oven. Cookies must be removed from baking sheets as soon as possible; the sheets will be HOT when pulled from the oven and cookies left to sit will continue cooking.

If you anticipate making several batches of cookies, invest in a stackable, 3-tier wire cooling rack to make the most of your counter-space.

To prevent M&M’s from getting lost in the depths of the cookie, consider dropping in a few additional M&M’s once the dough is formed and pressed. This ensures the candies will be seen and makes them super photogenic.

EQUIPMENT WORTH HAVING

Hand or stand mixer, and if you’re missing either of these, trust me when I tell you this recipe will convince you to invest in one.

Parchment paper or reusable silpat baking sheets

Simple kitchen scale to weigh cookie dough, which is not necessary, but helpful

Wire cooling rack, see above.

Cookie scoop, although not absolutely necessary as a simple spoon would work, a spring-release scoop will ensure the 45-cookie yield mentioned above and help with speedy, evenly-sized balls of dough.

STORAGE, MAKE-AHEAD, AND FREEZING

Cookies will keep up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temp. Cookies stay impressively soft and chewy, thanks to the pudding mix.

For longer-than-usual storage, pop a slice of bread in the airtight container with cookies and leave at room temp; the cookies will draw the moisture from the bread and remain super-soft and chewy.

How to freeze pudding mix chocolate chip cookies

To freeze baked pudding mix cookies: Allow cookies to cool completely. Place on sheet pan in a single layer and freeze for an hour.

Place in a zipped freezer bag/container and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove as many cookies as you need and let them thaw at room temp for 30-60 min OR warm them up in a 300 degrees F oven for 5 minutes.

They’ll be soft and fresh-tasting again.

To freeze pudding mix cookie dough: Portion dough into tablespoon mounds as directed, place balls onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and freeze until balls are hard. Remove balls onto a plate, dump frozen balls into a gallon-size zipped freezer bag, remove excess air, press bag flat, label with the date and contents, and store in the freezer until needed.

To bake, simply place frozen dough balls on cookie sheets and bake at 350°F for 17-18 minutes with no need to defrost first. This is my FAVORITE way to make these cookies since I can make as many or as few cookies as I like at any given moment.

To keep pudding mix cookie dough: Cover and refrigerate dough up to 3 days. Some people actually like these cookies a bit thicker so they refrigerate the dough for a few hours or even overnight before baking since the cold butter will go into the oven and make a thicker cookie.

Other variations on pudding mix cookies: Try using chocolate fudge pudding mix instead of vanilla. These will be a great base for a double-chocolate chip cookie.

Cheesecake mix is another option, which gives the cookies a richer and slightly tangier taste. Try peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, or M&M’s (including holiday-themed M&M’s for the season)…the possibilities are endless.

You can add a pinch of flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, before placing them on the sheet. The salt enhances the chocolate and balances out the sugar.

You can make smaller cookies by rounding the dough into 1 tablespoon mounds instead of 2 tablespoon mounds as stated in this recipe. Bake time will be shorter, probably more like 11-12 minutes.

You’ll get 70-80 cookies using 1 tablespoon mounds of cookie dough.

FAQ

CAN I SUBSTITUTE COOK & SERVE PUDDING MIX?

The pudding mixes are not an easy sub. Cook and serve pudding mix is formulated differently than the instant pudding mix.

This means that chemically it will react differently in these cookies, resulting in a different texture. You may also find the center of your cookie a little chewy.

Use only instant pudding mix.

CAN I USE REGULAR M&M’S INSTEAD OF MINI?

Mini M&M’s work better in this recipe because they are easier to incorporate into the dough and distribute evenly. Regular M&M’s will most likely clump together leaving some cookies with a ton of M&Ms and some with little to none.

That said, if all you have on hand are regular M&M’s then definitely use them. Just be sure to roll the dough into balls and press a couple M&M’s onto the outside of each.

WHY ARE MY COOKIES COMING OUT FLAT?

Be sure your butter isn’t warm or completely melted. Both will result in an excessive spread during baking.

Also make sure your baking sheet isn’t warm/hot when you are placing the balls of cookie dough. If you find your cookies are still coming out a bit flat, shape the dough into balls, cover, then place into the fridge for 20 mins before baking.

This will help your cookies hold their shape during baking.

MY COOKIES CAME OUT CAKEY INSTEAD OF CHEWY.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Be sure to measure your flour correctly. If you place your measuring cup into the container of flour to scoop out the correct measurement, chances are you’ll pack down the flour.

This means you’re adding extra flour to your recipe, resulting in a different texture. Spoon the flour into your measuring cups, then use a straight edge to scrape across the top, leveling it off.

Another reason your cookies came out cakey instead of chewy is if they were over baked. Pull the cookies when they appear to be a tad underdone.

They will continue to set once removed from the oven.

CAN I MAKE THIS DOUGH AHEAD OF TIME?

Absolutely. This is my favorite way to make them.

Refrigerator Method: prepare the dough. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

Freezer Method: prepare the recipe (portion into balls). Refrigerate dough balls in a covered container until needed, or freeze.

I like to prepare an entire recipe’s worth of cookies, but only bake as many as we’ll eat right away. Then, I freeze the rest of the dough balls, which can be pulled out of the freezer and baked with no need to thaw.

Just add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.

DO I HAVE TO USE PARCHMENT PAPER?

Parchment paper helps the bottoms of your cookies to not overbrown, and makes pan cleanup a breeze. If you choose to bake your cookies on an unlined pan, make sure it’s greased well, and check the bottoms of the cookies a few minutes before they are done.

Unlined pans tend to conduct the heat to the dough faster than parchment, which can result in over-browned bottoms before the cookies are completely baked. You can also use a silicone baking mat instead of parchment paper.