Need an easy cookie recipe for the holidays? These M&M cookies make a ton- and you can freeze the cookie dough to bake for later!

Day 1 of my 25 Days of Freezer Meals will help you get ready for the busy holiday season. How? By pre-making your Christmas cookies!

How many of you spend long days in the kitchen stirring, baking, baking some more, when you barely have time for it all? This is totally me. I love to cook for people, but sometimes I try to do too much in one day and get stressed out.

Image of a mixing bowl that's mixing sugar and butter

But I realized a really cool fact that changed my life: You can FREEZE cookie dough!

Yes! You can make your cookie dough ahead of time, freeze the little dough balls, and bake them whenever you’re ready. FROM FROZEN.

Image of a mixing bowl filled with cookie dough

This really saved me a couple years ago when I made the crazy decision to bake 4 different kinds of cookies to give away. I made the dough a couple batches at a time and froze them, and just had a huge baking session another day.

Minimal mess, minimal cleanup, minimal stress.

Image of a baking sheet filled with cookie dough balls

I want you to experience that too, which is why these M&M cookies are the first recipe you can make during my challenge in December.

How do you freeze these M&M cookies?

Prepare the recipe as normal and scoop the dough onto one or two cookie sheets (You should get 48 cookies). Then instead of baking, put them in the freezer until the dough is completely frozen. Place them in a labeled gallon-sized freezer bag, and that’s it!

Image of a freezer bag filled with frozen cookie dough

Can you bake the cookies first, then freeze?

Sure! After you bake them, let them cool completely. Put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and make sure the cookies aren’t touching. Once those are frozen, you can put them in the freezer bag!

Image of baking sheets filled with cookie dough balls

These cookies are slightly different from your standard chocolate chip cookies, making them a nice treat- and you can use the red and green M&Ms for a special Christmas theme!

Want more freezer-friendly recipes? Visit my 25 Days of Freezer Meals page for the entire list!

M&M Cookies

Name: M&M Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 48
Ingredients: 2 sticks butter; 1 cup white sugar; 1 cup brown sugar; 2 eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 cup milk; 2 cups M&Ms

Yield: 48 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Need an easy cookie recipe for the holidays? These M&M cookies make a ton- and you can freeze the cookie dough to bake for later!

Ingredients

2 sticks butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
2 cups M&Ms

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and both sugars and mix until completely creamed together.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds.
Slowly add the flour, then the baking soda and cinnamon.
Add the milk and mix, then add the M&Ms and slowly mix.
Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure the dough has just a little space between each other.
Place in the freezer. Once completely frozen, transfer to a labeled gallon-size freezer bag and keep frozen until ready to bake.
Bake, from frozen, at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes, checking every minute after 8 minutes until the edges are slightly golden.

Jaime Bacon

Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.

Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.

See full bio here

Andrea Murff

Friday 9th of December 2022

Hey there I tried the cookies went step-by-step, they are delicious but the cookies aren't very pretty looking cooked at 350 until edges were brown about 10 minutes. M & M's melted

Gina

Saturday 7th of December 2019

Target has the Christmas M&M's. We had to order ours from Vermont Nut Free due to allergies. I got a better deal on the plain bags of Skipper's than red and green so my teen daughter and I are just going to pick out the red and green ones. We live pretty far out so we might not always have gotten the holiday themed candy. When she was little we would make it a game and pick out the colors we needed. Now we have to special order candy but keep up our game. Happy Holidays Everyone and have a Great New Year.

Nicole

Friday 6th of December 2019

Since seeing this I have been looking for Christmas M&Ms so far no luck I'm so sad I really want to try these

soya

Thursday 9th of December 2021

@Nicole, If you have a CVS Pharmacy near you they always carry them during the holidays,good luck!

Jaime

Oh no! You don't necessarily need to use the Christmas ones, although they do look pretty!

Martina Gieske

Tuesday 3rd of December 2019

Thanks for this quick and easy Christmas cookie recipe! Perfect for a busy mama

Wednesday 4th of December 2019

I hope you enjoy them!! =)

Rebecca

Thanks for sharing this! I am going to a cookie exchange this weekend and have been looking for some easy cookie recipe that I can make one batter and change up the drop ins that easy and tasty! I will be doing this for sure but cooking them immediately!! I also might make an extra batch of dough and freeze for later! Don't we all love cookies??

Awesome, Rebecca!! You can never have too many cookies!