These gluten free m&m cookies are soft, chewy and so easy to make. They have a rich buttery flavor, are made in one bowl and studded with lots of m&ms!
This is slowly but surely becoming a gluten free cookies blog. Not actually, but we have SO many recipes now. I have all the basics covered, like my favorite snickerdoodles, so I’m finally stepping into some more exciting flavors when it comes to cookies.
These M and M cookies are chewy, buttery, with slightly crisp edges, perfectly sweet and made in just one bowl.
M&M cookies are different from monster cookies because they do not have any peanut butter, oats or chocolate chips. This recipe is basically like a chocolate chip cookie but with M&Ms instead of chocolate chips.
If you love this recipe, try my white chocolate macadamia cookies or gluten free monster cookies next!
How to make gluten free m&m cookies
Step 1: Beat together the butter and sugars. This is one of the most essential steps in making cookies! You want to cream them together until there are no visible chunks of butter.
Step 2: Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
Step 3: Beat in the dry ingredients until combined, then use a rubber spatula to fold together. It will be fairly thick.
Step 4: Fold in the m&m’s and mix until well combined. Add the dough to the fridge to chill for about an hour. Chilling cookie dough helps firm it up so the cookies don’t spread too much while baking.
Step 5: After an hour, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then scoop the dough using a 2 tablespoon scoop and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Only place about 6 cookies on a sheet at a time.
Step 6: Bake for about 15 minutes, then let cool completely and enjoy!
Why chilling the dough is important
If your M&M cookies have ever spread completely flat, it may be because you didn’t chill the dough.
Chilling cookie dough not only allows for the flavors to really blend together and become more rich, it also helps firm up the butter so they don’t spread prematurely.
For this recipe, you’ll want to chill the dough for ideally 1 hour, but even just 30 minutes will help a lot!
How to store and freeze
To store: Once prepared, these gluten free M&M cookies will keep for 3-5 days at room temperature. Let them cool completely, then transfer to an air tight container.
To freeze: I freeze my gluten free cookies all the time because I always have so much extra. I usually just keep them in a freezer safe ziplock bag for up to 1 month. When I’m ready to eat one, I’ll just pop it in the oven for about 5 minutes until it’s nice and warm.
You can also freeze the cookie dough before baking. To do so, scoop the dough into balls, then freeze in a freezer safe bag.
You can bake right from frozen, but add an extra few minutes of bake time and bake at 325 instead of 350.
Can I make these vegan?
Unfortunately, M&M’s contain milk and are not vegan, though there are some other brands with similar style candies that are dairy free.
However, the egg in this recipe is really important for binding all the ingredients together. You can try an egg replacer or apple sauce, but I cannot guarantee the results.
Do gluten free cookies need xanthan gum?
Not all of them, but these ones, yes! I used the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour in the blue bag, which I recommend for this recipe. It already has xanthan gum so there is no need to add more.
You can try another brand, but make sure it has xanthan gum in the mix so the cookies aren’t crumbly!
More cookies you’ll love!
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
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5 from 11 votes
Gluten Free M&M Cookies
by: claire cary
These gluten free m and m cookies are soft, chewy and so easy to make. They have a rich buttery flavor, are made in one bowl and studded with lots of m&ms!
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Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Chill Time 1 hour hr
Total: 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
12
Ingredients
Wet
- ½ cup softened butter dairy free or regular
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
Dry
- 1 ½ cups gluten free all purpose baking flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mini m&ms
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Add the softened butter to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and beat with both sugars for about 1 full minute.
Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
Spoon and level the flour to measure, then add to the bowl with the baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Beat until well combined.
Fold in the m&ms.
Place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
After about 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scoop the dough using a 2 tablespoon scoop and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 13-18 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown. They will continue to harden as they cool.
As soon as you remove them from the oven, take a round cookie cutter and swivel it around the edges to shape it into a perfect circle. This is optional, but helps make them look nice!
Let cool completely, then transfer to a wire rack and enjoy!
Notes
You can use regular large m&m’s, I just prefer the mini!
Serving: 1cookie / Calories: 278kcal / Carbohydrates: 34g / Protein: 3g / Fat: 13g / Saturated Fat: 4g / Cholesterol: 16mg / Fiber: 2g / Sugar: 21g
