These Christmas M&M oatmeal cookies are fun and festive with a delightfully chewy texture no one can resist! Kids and adults will enjoy the classic flavor of these holiday goodies. They make great gifts and they are a popular addition to any Christmas party dessert spread!
Easy Christmas M&M Cookies With Oatmeal
I enjoy spending my free time during the winter months in the kitchen whipping up tasty holiday treats! I've even done 12 days of Christmas cookies and 25 days of Christmas cookies because I enjoy baking them so much!
I'm always experimenting with new festive cookie recipes so that I can share them here with you! These tasty oatmeal cookies are easy to make, wonderfully chewy, and packed with tasty M&Ms!
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If baking gets you in the Christmas spirit, be sure to check out all of my holiday baking recipes! There are cookies, cakes, pies, fudge, candy, and so much more to try!
🥘 Christmas M&M Oatmeal Cookies Ingredients
If you enjoy baking, you probably have most of these ingredients on hand. I definitely recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats and not the quick or instant kind.
- Butter - 1 cup of butter that has been softened at room temperature. I prefer to use unsalted butter here.
- Light Brown Sugar - 1 cup of packed light brown sugar. You can also use dark brown sugar for some extra molasses flavor.
- Sugar - ¼ cup of white granulated sugar.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs that are at room temperature.
- Molasses - 2 tablespoons of molasses.
- Vanilla - 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla for the best flavor!
- Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt. This will not only balance out the flavors, but it will also enhance them!
- Flour - 1⅔ cups of all-purpose flour.
- Old-Fashioned Oats - 3 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats.
- M&Ms - 1½ cups of M&M candies. For a fun holiday look, choose red & green M&Ms!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Christmas M&M Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies are incredibly beginner-friendly and easy to whip up! You'll need a mixing bowl or stand mixer, some baking sheets, your measuring utensils, and a wire cooling rack.
This recipe will yield about 3 dozen cookies, so they are perfect for sharing or including in gift boxes!
Make The Dough
- Cream. Cream together 1 cup of softened butter, 1 cup of light brown sugar, and ¼ cup of granulated sugar in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) until smooth.
- Continue mixing. Mix in 2 large eggs, 2 tablespoons of molasses, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of the all-purpose flour to the wet mixture to keep it from looking curdled.
- Add dry ingredients. Next, stir in 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of salt. Once combined, mix in the 1⅔ cups of all-purpose flour until it has been thoroughly incorporated into the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the mix-ins. Fold in 3 cups of old-fashioned oats and 1½ cups of M&Ms until everything is evenly distributed. The dough should be sticky once everything is combined.
- Chill. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, though an hour is ideal.
Bake The Cookies
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175° C) and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Prepare dough balls. Portion the dough out into roughly ½ tablespoon amounts and roll them into 1-inch balls (add more dough as needed to get the right size of dough ball). Place them onto your prepared baking sheets with 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake. Place the cookies on the middle of the center rack in your oven and bake at 350°F (175° C). Smaller cookies take about 10 minutes and larger cookies take closer to 12-15 minutes. Remove them from the oven once the edges are just slightly golden but the center still looks under-baked.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before you transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool off completely.
Serve your cookies at any holiday party or add them to your Christmas dessert table! Your friends and family will love them! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- I highly recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats for the ideal texture. Quick oats may be used in a pinch, but I would avoid steel-cut oats altogether as they will yield a much denser and less desirable cookie.
- You want to remove these cookies from the oven when the edges are golden but the middles aren't fully baked. This is because they will continue to bake on the cookie sheet as they cool. These oatmeal cookies should be chewy and soft, not crunchy.
- To gift these fun and festive cookies you can put them on a paper plate (holiday-themed is even better) and wrap them in colored cellophane then tie them with a ribbon! Alternatively, you could use the Glad® Holiday Edition plastic containers.
🥡 Storing
Christmas M&M oatmeal cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. You may also freeze the cookies in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months and thaw them out at room temperature to eat.
If you want some other ideas, you can also take a look at my post about what to do with leftover Christmas cookies!
>>>>See all of my recipes HERE<<<<
❓ FAQ
You can use quick oats, but I would recommend going for the old-fashioned rolled oats if you can. This is because quick oats are thinner, so you would be missing out on some great texture.
You sure can! This dough freezes well and is easy to store. Place the cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet and pop them into the freezer. Once frozen, you can transfer the balls into a Ziploc container.
When ready to bake, you can bake the cookies straight from frozen, you just might need to add a minute or two to the baking time.
For an in-depth guide, take a look at my post on freezing Christmas cookie dough!
Sure! You can swap out the M&Ms for an equal amount of chocolate chips (1½ cups). Alternatively, you can use half chocolate chips and half M&Ms.
🍪 More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies - If you love the cooling flavor of peppermint combined with rich chocolate, then these cookies are for you!
- Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms - Combine a decadent dark chocolate cookie with a peppermint Hershey's kiss!
- Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies - These red and green cookies are so tender and delectable that they will melt in your mouth!
- Christmas M&M Cookies - These classic cookies feature red and green M&Ms to add some Christmas cheer!
- Christmas Eggnog Meringue Cookies - Packed with a sweet eggnog flavor, these meringues are perfect for Christmas!
- Vintage Betty Crocker Rolled Sugar Cookies - These traditional cut-out cookies are perfect for decorating with the kids!
📋 Recipe
Christmas M&M Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed - or dark brown sugar)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 2 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1½ cups M&Ms candies (red & green Christmas M&Ms)
Instructions
- Cream together the softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar n a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) until smooth.1 cup butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup sugar
- Mix in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract. If needed, add 1 tablespoon of the all-purpose flour to the wet mixture to keep it from looking curdled.2 large eggs, 2 tablespoon molasses, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Next, stir in the baking soda and salt. Once combined, mix in the all-purpose flour until it has been thoroughly incorporated into the wet ingredients.1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- Fold in the oats and M&Ms until everything is evenly distributed. The dough should be sticky once everything is combined.3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1½ cups M&Ms candies
- Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, though an hour is ideal.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175° C) and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Portion the dough out into roughly ½ tablespoon amounts and roll them into 1-inch balls (add more dough as needed to get the right size of dough ball). Place them onto your prepared baking sheets with 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Place the cookies on the middle of the center rack in your oven and bake at 350°F (175° C). Smaller cookies take about 10 minutes and larger cookies take closer to 12-15 minutes. Remove them from the oven once the edges are just slightly golden but the center still looks under-baked.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before you transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool off completely.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- I highly recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats for the ideal texture. Quick oats may be used in a pinch, but I would avoid steel-cut oats altogether as they will yield a much denser and less desirable cookie.
- You want to remove these cookies from the oven when the edges are golden but the middles aren't fully baked. This is because they will continue to bake on the cookie sheet as they cool. These oatmeal cookies should be chewy and soft, not crunchy.
- To gift these fun and festive cookies you can put them on a paper plate (holiday-themed is even better) and wrap them in colored cellophane then tie them with a ribbon! Alternatively, you could use the Glad® Holiday Edition plastic containers.
- To store: Christmas M&M oatmeal cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. You may also freeze the cookies in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months and thaw them out at room temperature to eat.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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