These Valentines M&M Cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with chocolate and festive colors. Every batch tastes incredible and makes about 50 cookies, so there's plenty to go around!
Recipe: $11.28 | Per Serving: $0.47 | Yields: 48 cookies
These Valentine's Day cookies are so irresistibly delicious that you'll find yourself craving them throughout the year (and who's stopping you, anyway?).
Crafted from scratch, they feature the secret ingredient of boxed pudding mix in the dough, making them an irresistible treat that you won't be able to resist.
We use boxed pudding in a lot of recipes from our Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Pistachio Bundt Cake to our Southern Banana Pudding Cake. When added to baked goods, pudding mix can add amazing flavors and enhanced texture.
Jump to:
🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- They're fun. The added sprinkles, M and Ms, and chocolate chips make the cookies festive and indulgent. For more Valentine's fun, be sure to check out my Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate and Raspberry Whipped Cream Filled Cream Puffs.
- They're easy to make. Just mix, scoop and bake! This recipe is a great beginner-friendly cookie recipe to try with the family.
- No chilling is required. Until many other cookie recipes out there, we don't need to chill this dough before baking. The cookies turn out perfectly, and your patience won't be tested.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Oreo Jell-o Pudding- Adding cookie pieces, chocolate flavor, and chewy goodness. You'll just need the dry mix from the box, do not prepare it in advance!
Milk chocolate chips- You can use milk chocolate or semi-sweet, but you'll want them inside the dough and placed on top for a nicer appearance.
Red and Pink Holiday M&Ms- You can find these seasonally in your local grocery store. I've used the cherry chocolate-flavored ones and the regular pink and red ones and I still can't decide which version was my favorite!
Valentine's Sprinkles- For a festive and fun touch, grab some colorful Valentine's sprinkles to add to these cookies. If you still have sprinkles left to use, check out our Cherry Chip Cake Mix Cookies.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🥣 Substitutions
If you can't find the Oreo Pudding Mix, use a 3.4-ounce box of Vanilla pudding instead. Just mix the dry stuff with 4 crushed and crumbled Oreo cookies and use in place of the Oreo pudding mix.
🔪 Instructions for Valentines M&M Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Add the flour, pudding dry mix, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl (Image 1).
Step 3: Whisk together to combine (Image 2). Set aside.
Step 4: Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter to another large mixing bowl (Image 3).
Step 5: Cream together until light and fluffy (Image 4).
Step 6: Add in the vanilla and eggs (Image 5).
Step 7: Mix to distribute (Image 6).
Step 8: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of egg mixture and mix until well combined (Images 7&8).
You may need to use your hands to help mix it in. The dough will be thick.
Step 9: Add in most of the chocolate chips, sprinkles, and M&Ms. Reserve the rest for later (Image 9).
Step 10: Fold together to combine (Image 10).
Step 11: Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoon sized scoops.
Step 12: Place on a parchment lined baking sheet at least 2 or 3 inches apart (Image 11).
Step 13: Sprinkle your reserved sprinkles over the top of the dough balls.
Step 14: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until the edges look set (Image 12).
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven top the cookies with some remaining chocolate chips and M&Ms. I like to chop my M&Ms for a nicer appearance.
Step 16: Let rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack.
Step 17: Continue until all cookies have been cooked and cooled.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Using a Larger Bowl. For these Valentine's Day chocolate chip cookies, you'll need a big mixing bowl to handle all the ingredients.
- Mixing with Care. While an electric mixer works great, switch to dough hooks when adding M&Ms, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. This ensures thorough mixing without making a mess.
- The Magic of Pudding Mix. Adding pudding mix to the recipe gives these cookies a chewy texture and intense flavor. With Oreo pudding mix, you'll enjoy the added crunch and creamy taste of Oreo cookies.
- Cooling the Cookies. After baking, allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 2 minutes. This helps them set and prevents them from falling apart when transferring to a cooling rack.
⏲️Make Ahead Instructions
Chilling the Dough: Chill the cookie dough in the freezer for a short time or in the fridge for longer, depending on the desired number of cookies to be baked. If necessary, shuffle the dough around to ensure even chilling.
Batch Preparation: Ball out all of the dough onto one baking sheet and place it in the freezer while cooking another sheet pan full of cookies.
Adjustment: If the dough becomes too hard in the freezer between batches, transfer it to the fridge to soften slightly before continuing.
💭 Recipe FAQs
That depends on the cookies you're making, I usually prefer milk chocolate chips. They melt nicer, look glossy, and give a nice burst of sweetness. Semi-sweet can also be good if you like the contrast in flavor and slight bitterness.
Yes, you could use any boxed pudding in place of the one requested in this recipe. Cheesecake flavored, chocolate, vanilla, or even banana cream would all taste pretty amazing in this recipe.
Yes. Freeze the dough balls before baking or freeze the cookies after they've cooled down. Valentine's cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
❤️ More Valentine's Day Recipes
If you tried these Valentines M&M Cookies, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Valentines M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour ($0.39)
- 1 box (4oz) Oreo Jell-o pudding (dry mix only) ($1.78)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder ($0.05)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon salt ($0.08)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened ($1.98)
- 1 cup brown sugar ($0.44)
- 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.36)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ($0.06)
- 2 large eggs, room temp ($0.30)
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips ($1.07)
- 3 Tablespoons Valentines sprinkles ($0.48)
- 2 ½ cups red and pink holiday M&Ms (10 ounce bag) ($4.28)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, pudding dry mix, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla and eggs, and mix to distribute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of egg mixture and mix until well combined. You may need to use your hands to help mix it in. the dough will be thick.
- Fold in most of the chocolate chips, sprinkles, and M&Ms. Reserve the rest for later.
- Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoon sized scoops and place on a parchment lined baking sheet at least 2 or 3 inches apart.
- Sprinkle your reserved sprinkles over the top of the dough balls.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until the edges look set.
- Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven top the cookies with some remaining chocolate chips and M&Ms. I like to chop my M&Ms for a nicer appearance.
- Let rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack.
- Continue until all cookies have been cooked and cooled.
Notes
- Use a large mixing bowl.
- Incorporate M&Ms, chocolate chips, and sprinkles with dough hooks on an electric mixer.
- Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after baking.
- Chill dough in freezer or fridge before baking.
- Freeze dough balls or cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Substitution: Replace Oreo pudding mix with 3.4-ounce box of vanilla pudding mixed with 4 crushed Oreos. Alternatively, use cheesecake, chocolate, vanilla, or banana cream pudding flavors.
Sarita says
This recipe! These cookies! Oh my my my. I will be making this all year long. These cookies remain soft and gooey. Just like how I love my cookies!
Nicole says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them! They're certainly a favorite around here too.