Caramel M&M Cookies

M&Ms have always been one of my favorite candies. You can’t go wrong with plain M&Ms, though I’m a personal fan of the peanut butter flavor. Some people eat one at a time, while others like to shake the bag straight into their mouth. No judgement, we’ve all been there. I’m a slow M&M eater. I like to break open the candy shell and eat them one by one. Though I’m not going to say I haven’t gone the shake-the-bag-straight-into-your-mouth route before. Maybe even in public, at the airport, over a flight delay.

I’m not typically one to jump on a new candy flavor bandwagon, but I had seen these new Caramel M&Ms popping up all over social media and those looked right up my alley for baking. So I adapted my traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe to use the new candies to make this delicious batch of Caramel M&M Cookies.

I love caramel and chocolate. But baking with caramel can be tricky. When it’s on the outside of a cookie, it often times just melts into a sticky mess, just like baking with marshmallows. You also don’t want to have giant chunks of caramel in something because it can make it hard to eat without making a sticky mess. But these Caramel M&Ms are perfect for baking because the candy shell protects the chocolate and caramel on the inside, so you get all the flavor with less of the mess.

The caramel M&Ms on their own taste like a plain M&M and a Rolo had a baby, and damn if that baby isn’t beautiful and delicious. They are both crunchy and chewy, without getting stuck all in your teeth. I added in some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to ensure every bite has chocolate in it, since most of the cookies only end up with two or three caramel M&Ms due to their size.

After I scoop the balls of cookie dough, I always like to add at least one M&M on top to make it extra photogenic, and sometimes I’ll throw on a few chocolate chips if I have extras laying around. The cornstarch in the recipe helps with keeping the cookie’s form together while it bakes, when normally it may spread more because of the M&Ms.

These were best enjoyed straight out of the oven when they were still warm and gooey, but would definitely still be good chilled after a few days (if they lasted that long!). So if you are looking for a way to incorporate the new Caramel M&Ms into a recipe, try this cookie recipe. Just consider yourself warned as they are just as addicting in cookie form are they are straight from the bag. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Caramel M&M Cookies

Yield: 36 Cookies

Prep Time: 25 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 35 Minutes

A chewy take on a traditional M&M cookie using caramel M&Ms.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, browned or melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 cups caramel M&Ms

Directions:

1. Brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Beat the cooled butter, granulate sugar and light brown sugar on high until creamy. On a medium speed, mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt. On a low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet batter until they are fully incorporated.
4. Mix in the mini chocolate chips and fold in the caramel M&Ms, saving a few to top the cookies with.
5. On a sil-pat or parchment-lined baking sheet, use a medium cookie scoop to place even size balls of cookie dough at least an inch and a half apart. Top with remaining M&Ms. Bake at 375 degrees F for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
6. Let the cookies sit on the tray for about five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!