Loaded Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a cookie absolutely packed with toppings, and these Loaded Peanut Butter M&M Cookies definitely deliver. They start with a thick and chewy peanut butter cookie base and are loaded with mini and regular M&M’s AND mini and regular chocolate chips. Because apparently one size of chocolate is never enough around here 😉

The peanut butter cookie itself is soft, chewy and packed with peanut butter flavor, while all of the M&M’s and chocolate chips add the perfect amount of chocolate and crunch in every bite. Before baking, I press each cookie dough ball into even more M&M’s and chocolate chips so the tops are completely covered. Not only does this mean more chocolate, but it also gives you those big, bakery-style cookies that look almost too good to eat.

If you love peanut butter and chocolate together, these are a must make. They’re basically everything I love about a classic peanut butter cookie and a loaded M&M cookie combined into one very, very good cookie.

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

These cookies have pretty much everything I could want in a cookie. The peanut butter base is thick and chewy with lightly crisp edges, and using both mini and regular M&M’s and chocolate chips means you get chocolate in just about every bite.

They also look so fun! Rolling the tops in all of those M&M’s and chocolate chips before baking gives them that over-the-top bakery look without requiring any extra decorating. They’re perfect for parties, bake sales, gifting or just making because you need a really good peanut butter cookie.

Another thing I love is how easy these are to customize. Use seasonal M&M’s for holidays, switch up the type of chocolate chips, or use whatever combination of M&M’s you already have in your pantry.

Recipe Tips for the Best Loaded Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

• Rolling the Dough in Toppings: Before baking, I love to press the tops of each ball of cookie dough into additional mini and regular M&M’s as well as mini and regular chocolate chips. This ensures the cookies are completely packed with toppings on top, making them look bakery-worthy and giving you even more chocolate in every bite!
• Underbaking the Cookies: This is essential to getting that soft and chewy texture. I bake my cookies for about 11–12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underbaked. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the hot cookie sheet. They’ll continue cooking from the residual heat without drying out. If you prefer a crispier cookie, you can bake them for another minute or two, but I’m always going to choose a soft and chewy center!
• Peanut Butter: Make sure you use a traditional creamy peanut butter for this recipe and not a natural peanut butter where the oil separates. Natural peanut butter can change the texture and consistency of the dough. Your favorite classic creamy peanut butter works perfectly here.
• Chilling the Dough: Don’t skip this step! Chilling the dough helps keep the cookies from spreading too much while they bake and also gives the flavors time to develop. I recommend chilling the dough for 30–45 minutes. I leave the cookie dough in the refrigerator and only pull out however many I need for each pan. The cookies should be baked straight from the refrigerator.
• M&M’s and Chocolate Chips: Using both mini and regular M&M’s along with mini and regular chocolate chips is what makes these cookies loaded. The different sizes help distribute the chocolate throughout the cookies so you get a little bit in every bite. I like to mix some into the dough and save plenty for covering the tops before baking.
• Cookie Dough Scoop: I always get a ton of questions about what cookie scoop I use! I like this set because it comes in three different sizes. For these cookies, I use the large size. Using a cookie dough scoop gives you even cookie dough balls, which means the cookies will bake evenly and be similar in size.
• Baking Sheet: For all of my cookie recipes, I suggest using a cookie sheet. You can use a jelly roll pan; however, I find the edges of the cookies tend to brown a little faster and they bake differently. I prefer a light-colored cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for the most even bake.

How to Get Perfectly Round Cookies

This is one of my favorite tricks for getting perfectly round, bakery-style cookies every single time. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, while they’re still hot and soft, place a large round cookie cutter or glass around each cookie. Gently swirl it around the cookie in a circular motion to push any uneven edges back into place.

You want to do this immediately after the cookies come out of the oven because once they start to cool, they’ll set and become much harder to reshape. It takes just a few seconds and makes such a difference in how the finished cookies look!

After reshaping them, you can also press a few additional M&M’s or chocolate chips into any spots that look a little bare. Between the loaded tops and perfectly round edges, they’ll look like they came straight out of a bakery.

Can I Use Different M&M’s?

Absolutely! One of the best things about these cookies is how easy they are to change up. You can use seasonal M&M’s to make them for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day or any other holiday.

Peanut M&M’s would also be delicious if you want even more peanut flavor and crunch. You can even play around with different chocolate chips: milk chocolate, semisweet or dark chocolate would all work well with the peanut butter cookie base.

Just keep the overall amount of mix-ins relatively similar so you don’t overload the dough to the point where it has trouble holding together.

Storage

Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4–5 days. If you want to keep them extra soft, add a slice of bread to the container. The cookies will absorb some of the moisture from the bread and stay soft and chewy longer.

You can also freeze the baked cookies. Once completely cooled, place them in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving.

Can I Freeze the Cookie Dough?

Yes! These are a great cookie to keep in the freezer for whenever you want a freshly baked cookie without making an entire batch. Scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid. Once frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, you can bake them straight from frozen. You may just need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time. Keep an eye on the centers, you still want them to look slightly underbaked when they come out of the oven.

Loaded Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

These Loaded Peanut Butter M&M Cookies combine two of my favorite things: a soft and chewy peanut butter cookie and an almost ridiculous amount of chocolate. Between the mini M&M’s, regular M&M’s, mini chocolate chips and regular chocolate chips, there’s something in every single bite.

They’re thick, chewy, colorful, loaded with peanut butter and chocolate and so easy to make. Roll those cookie dough balls in plenty of extra toppings before they go into the oven, give them a quick swirl with a cookie cutter when they come out, and you’ll have the prettiest bakery-style cookies right at home.

If you’re a peanut butter and chocolate person, I have a feeling these are going to disappear very quickly.