Indulge in Festive Flavor: Irresistibly Chewy M&M Mint Chocolate Cookies for the Holidays
Chewy M&M mint chocolate cookies. This mint chocolate cookie recipe is perfect for the holiday season!
The holiday season is truly magical, isn’t it? It’s that wonderful time of year when we embrace warmth, cheer, and, most importantly, the delightful indulgence of sweet treats. On the blog, we’re currently celebrating “sugar week” – a special period dedicated to all things decadent and delicious. While some might fret about posting too many sweet recipes in a row, I’ve come to realize that this very abundance of joy and culinary delight is precisely what makes the holidays so incredibly special and memorable. It’s a time for savoring, for sharing, and for creating edible masterpieces that bring smiles to everyone’s faces.
And trust me, we’re just getting started! Get ready, because another insanely festive (and frozen!) holiday treat is heading your way this coming Monday. You might want to prepare your waistbands now, as things are about to get truly delicious and wonderfully real in the best possible way!
I know, I know. Every food blogger and their mother seems to be posting holiday cookie recipes right now. But I promise you, I’m adding one more to the pile that you absolutely won’t want to miss! These aren’t just any cookies; these are the cookies that have it all. Imagine a symphony of rich, deep chocolate, the delightful bitterness of high-quality cocoa powder, the invigorating freshness of pure peppermint extract, and, of course, generous handfuls of one of my all-time favorite holiday candies: those wonderfully festive M&M holiday mints. These **chewy M&M mint chocolate cookies** are designed to capture the essence of holiday cheer in every single bite, making them a perfect addition to your festive baking repertoire.
For my family, those distinctive M&M holiday mints hold a special place in our traditions. Every Christmas, you’ll find bowls overflowing with these colorful, minty delights gracing our festive table, beckoning us to snack on them throughout the day. And for the life of me, I simply cannot resist their allure! There’s something undeniably dangerous about them – in the most delicious sense, of course. My affection for anything peppermint or mint-flavored runs deep, a love affair that started many, many years ago.
I truly believe I inherited this profound crush on mint from my late grandmother, Mima. Her house always had a secret drawer, perpetually stocked with York Peppermint Patties. A visit to her home was never complete without me indulging in several of them in one sitting, the cool, refreshing mint balanced by the rich, dark chocolate. It was a ritual I cherished, and one that undoubtedly cemented my lifelong passion for this iconic flavor combination. Even to this day, mint chocolate chip ice cream remains my absolute favorite ice cream flavor, a testament to just how ridiculously predictable my taste buds are when it comes to mint and chocolate! It’s this deep-seated love that inspired me to create a cookie that encapsulates all the joy and flavor of these beloved holiday memories.
Why These M&M Mint Chocolate Cookies Will Be Your New Holiday Favorite
Given my unwavering devotion to mint and chocolate, you can only imagine just how incredibly addicting these cookies are! They are truly a masterpiece of texture and flavor, designed to satisfy even the most discerning holiday palate. Each bite delivers a perfect balance: a cookie that is both **perfectly chewy and wonderfully soft**, offering a delightful contrast that keeps you coming back for more. But it’s not just about the texture; these cookies are absolutely packed with an intense, luxurious chocolate flavor from top to bottom.
The secret to this deep chocolate richness lies in the thoughtful combination of ingredients. The cookie batter itself is crafted with a duo of high-quality unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder and luscious melted bittersweet chocolate. This pairing creates a profound, multifaceted chocolate base that is both robust and incredibly smooth. And then, there’s the star of the show: the mint candy-coated M&Ms. Not only do they infuse each cookie with a burst of cool, refreshing peppermint, but their vibrant candy coating also adds the best, most unexpected textural element – a slight crunch that contrasts beautifully with the soft, chewy cookie, making every bite an exciting experience. These **M&M mint chocolate cookies** are not just a treat; they’re a celebration of holiday flavors and textures, promising a festive taste sensation.
Essential Tips for Baking Perfect Chewy M&M Mint Chocolate Cookies
Achieving the perfect **chewy M&M mint chocolate cookies** requires a few key steps, similar to many other cookie recipes. The most crucial of these is chilling the dough. This recipe’s dough needs to be chilled for a minimum of 45 minutes, and ideally up to 1 hour, prior to baking. This isn’t just an optional step; it’s vital for a few important reasons:
- **Prevents Spreading:** Chilling solidifies the butter in the dough, which helps the cookies hold their shape better in the oven. Without sufficient chilling, your cookies are more likely to spread excessively, resulting in thin, flat cookies rather than the thick, chewy ones you desire.
- **Deepens Flavor:** The chilling process allows the flour to fully hydrate and the flavors to meld and intensify, leading to a richer, more complex taste in the final baked cookie.
- **Improves Texture:** A well-chilled dough contributes significantly to the desired chewy texture, preventing a crumbly or cake-like consistency.
If, after chilling, the dough becomes too difficult to handle and shape, don’t worry! Simply allow it to soften slightly at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes once you take it out of the fridge. This brief period will make it more pliable without compromising the benefits of chilling. You’ll find that the dough is quite dense, which is perfectly normal for these wonderfully rich cookies.
Because of its density, I highly recommend using a spoon and your fingers to shape the dough into uniform 1-inch balls. This dough is often too stiff to be easily scooped with a traditional cookie scoop. Yes, it can be a little messy this way – get ready for some chocolate on your hands! But trust me, the slightly extra effort is well worth it, as they will still come out perfectly round and beautifully formed, ready to bake into those irresistible **M&M holiday mint chocolate cookies**.
M&M Holiday Mint Chocolate Cookies Recipe
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Equipment Needed
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KitchenAid 5 Qt. Artisan Stand Mixer
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Half Sheet Pan
Ingredients for Mint Chocolate Cookies
- 5 ounces (140 g) bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
- ¾ cup (90 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (4 oz; 115 g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- ⅓ cup (70 g) packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- ¾ cup (150 g) M&M Holiday mints or other mint chocolate candies
Step-by-Step Instructions for Chewy M&M Mint Chocolate Cookies
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Step 1: Melt Chocolate. Place the roughly chopped bittersweet chocolate in a microwave-proof glass bowl. Heat in 20-second increments, stirring thoroughly between each interval, until the chocolate is just melted and smooth. Be careful not to overheat it. Set aside and allow the melted chocolate to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is lukewarm to the touch. This prevents it from scrambling the eggs later.
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Step 2: Prepare Dry Ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the unbleached all-purpose flour, unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until thoroughly combined. Set this mixture aside.
Step 3: Cream Butter and Sugars. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened unsalted butter at medium speed for about one minute until it becomes light and creamy. Add the packed dark brown sugar and granulated sugar, then continue to beat for another 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Step 4: Incorporate Wet Ingredients. Add the large egg, pure peppermint extract, and pure vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat until all ingredients are well combined and the mixture is smooth. Next, beat in the cooled (lukewarm) melted bittersweet chocolate until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 5: Add Dry Ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the prepared flour mixture to the wet ingredients until it is just absorbed and no streaks of dry flour remain. Be careful not to overmix the dough. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure that all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. -
Step 6: Fold in M&Ms and Chill Dough. Gently stir in the M&M holiday mints until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Scoop the dense dough into uniform 1-inch balls. Place these cookie dough balls on a plate or small baking sheet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough is firm. This step is crucial for preventing excessive spreading during baking.
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Step 7: Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet. While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) and position an oven rack in the center. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
Step 8: Arrange Cookies for Baking. Transfer the chilled cookie dough balls onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan, ensuring they are set apart by about 2 to 3 inches to allow for proper spreading. To ensure even baking and prevent overcrowding, I recommend baking only 8 cookies on one sheet pan at a time. -
Step 9: Bake to Perfection. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. The cookies are done when the outer edges have set and appear slightly firm, but the centers still look somewhat soft and slightly underbaked. This ensures a wonderfully chewy interior.
Step 10: Cool. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. This helps them set up and prevents them from becoming too crumbly.
Tips for Success & Storage:
- Don’t Skip Chilling: As mentioned in the main article, chilling the dough is essential. It prevents spreading and deepens the flavor, resulting in a superior cookie.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure butter and eggs are at room temperature. This is crucial for a smoother, more emulsified dough, which translates to a better texture in your finished cookies.
- Avoid Overmixing: Once the flour mixture is added, mix only until just combined. Overmixing can overdevelop the gluten, resulting in tougher, less tender cookies.
- Perfect Bake: The key to wonderfully chewy cookies is to avoid overbaking them. They should look slightly underdone in the center when removed from the oven. Don’t worry, they will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet and then on the wire rack.
- Storage: These delicious **chewy M&M mint chocolate cookies** can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They will remain wonderfully chewy and soft, making them perfect for enjoying throughout the holiday season or gifting to friends and family.
- Dough Adaption: The chocolate cookie dough base for this recipe was skillfully adapted from this excellent Bicoastal Cookie recipe.
There you have it – a truly special recipe for **M&M mint chocolate cookies** that are sure to become a beloved tradition in your own home. Whether you’re baking for a holiday party, a cozy family gathering, or simply to treat yourself, these wonderfully chewy, intensely chocolatey, and refreshingly minty delights are guaranteed to spread joy. So go ahead, embrace the holiday spirit, get baking, and savor every single delicious bite. Don’t forget to check back on Monday for that exciting frozen holiday treat I mentioned!