Growing up Jewish, I was always jealous of my Christmas celebrating friends’ holiday festivities. My family partook in some light Christmas activity, but it never really felt like it was for me. So this year, I wanted to share a simple sugar cookie recipe that’s easily customizable because it’s made with M&Ms. The beauty of this recipe is that you don’t have to have any sort of decorating ability. Just fold the candy in and scoop. It’s reminiscent of the buttery sugar cookies with M&Ms from Mrs. Fields (my fellow millennials will understand), but enormous, with a ripple-y flair for the dramatic. If any of those things sound appealing to you, I bet you’ll love these.
Where can I find holiday M&Ms?
If you’re making the Christmas version of these, you can find bags of red and green M&Ms at most grocery stores throughout the holiday season. Sadly, sourcing Hanukkah M&Ms is a bit more complex. I was dead set on blue and white for mine. Unfortunately, I just could not find that in any regular stores. M&Ms does sell a Hanukkah mix online. Party City sells a boys baby shower mix that would work here. Just flip the side with baby related text/imagery so that it’s face down. I ended up getting a 1.25 lb bag of white M&Ms and a 1.25 lb bag of blue M&Ms from a bulk candy store that I happened upon. Another option would be to buy a big bag of regular M&Ms and only use the blue ones. Not sure how good this option is, though.
If you’re making these for a holiday other than Christmas or Hanukkah, absolutely feel free to use the colors appropriate to that holiday! You may run into issues like the ones I did while searching for Hanukkah M&Ms, but there are solutions (including the ones I mentioned, and also customization).
How to measure flour
Measuring flour can be a bit tricky. Flour is so fine that it’s easy to add too much without realizing that you’ve done so. The absolute best way to do it is to use a kitchen scale. I know this can be an unpopular demand, though. I’ve been trying to get my sister to buy one for years. But they’re small and cheap, and if you cook, bake, or make coffee often, they’re good to have. I’ve linked to the one I use above.
If you just don’t want a kitchen scale in your life, I respect that. To measure your flour, you’ll want to spoon it into a measuring cup and then level it with a knife. Don’t just scoop the flour with the cup. You will end up with too much.
How to store your sugar cookies
If you’re not serving these to a large group of people immediately, you’ll likely need to store them. I would recommend storing in an airtight container at room temperature. They can be eaten as is, or warmed in the microwave for about 15 seconds. I love a warm treat, so I exercise this option often. Either way, they’ll be good for a few days!
How to store your dough
Small batch treats are all the rage right now. Personally, however, I would rather prepare a full batch and then freeze some dough for later. To do this, scoop the dough into balls and store in a freezer safe bag or container. I recently got a set of cookie trays by Souper Cubes that I am obsessed with. You’ll end up with smaller cookies (and therefore more of them) if you use this, but it’s a great option, as it stores the dough securely and helps with freezer organization. You can freeze your dough for 9-12 months, according to Bob’s Red Mill. Other sources have different answers, but I trust Bob’s.
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A platter filled with M&M sugar cookies for both Christmas and Hanukkah
Equipment
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- 8 oz Unsalted butter 226 g, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups Granulated sugar 350 g
- 1 Large egg
- 1 Large egg yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 cups All purpose flour 240 g
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 8 oz M&Ms I went with red and green and blue and white, but use whatever colors you'd like
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a large pan with parchment paper or your favorite baking mat.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. To do this, mix (I'd recommend using an electric mixer) on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until it looks pale, light and fluffy. Then add in one egg, plus the yolk of another egg, and the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine. Then pour into the bowl with your wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the M&Ms and scoop dough into balls (I used a medium sized cookie scoop, which is equivalent to about 3 tbsp). Place 5-6 cookies equidistant on your lined baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes. While one batch is in the oven, refrigerate the next. They're done when the edges are golden and the centers still look gooey. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then enjoy!
If you make these, I really hope you love them! I’ve been munching on them all week and am not made about that at all. Regardless, if you try these I’d love to hear from you. Let me know what you think in the comments or on Instagram!
Looking for more holiday cookies? Try my malted chocolate chip cookies, or perhaps my fudgy minty brownie cookies or my cardamom Linzer cookies with raspberry rose jam.
Looking for more Hanukkah recipes? I’ve got lots of latke recipes! Check out my persimmon potato latkes with black pepper sour cream or my chili pineapple latkes with passion fruit sour cream.
