M&M Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

When it comes to candy, there are few treats that I adore more than peanut butter and chocolate together. So, naturally, these M&M peanut butter blossom cookies are one of my favorites. 

You’ve probably seen a variation of these cookies before, called peanut butter kiss cookies. Those are peanut chewy peanut butter cookies topped with chocolate kisses. 

While I will never turn down any cookie topped with chocolate, I prefer to top these cookies with M&M’s to give them a bit of crunchy texture. I love the way thick, creamy cookie contrasts with the chocolatey crunchiness.

Peanut Butter Cookie Base

As for the cookies themselves, this is one of those classic cookie recipes — I used to make them with my mother during the holidays each year. It’s a super fast recipe to make and they bake even more quickly.

The next time you need to whip up some quick cookies to impress guests or take to a party, try these!

Why You’ll Love M&M Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Quick – These cookies come together quickly and require very little baking time.

Customizable – You can trade out the M&M’s for any kind of chocolate candy you like. You can also change them up with different colored candies for birthdays or baby showers, or dress them up during the holiday season.

Convenient – Most of the ingredients are likely already in your kitchen and there are plenty of easy substitutes. 

Flavorful – These cookies have the perfect sweet and salty combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter – You can leave your butter on the counter to soften, or microwave it at 30 second intervals.
• Creamy peanut butter – I prefer to use natural peanut butter, but you can use any brand you choose. Creamy (instead of crunchy) works best. 
• Light brown sugar – If you do not have light brown sugar, you can substitute dark brown sugar but avoid white sugar. Brown sugar imparts a richness in this recipe. 
• Egg – While eggs are the ideal emulsifier, if you don’t have any on hand (or someone has an allergy) you can use applesauce or mashed banana as egg substitutes in some recipes. 
• Vanilla extract – I love using homemade vanilla extract but store-bought works too.
• All-purpose flour – Make sure to use all purpose flour and not self-rising. You can also experiment with almond flour (though admittedly we have not tested it).
• Baking powder – This ingredient will help your cookies to rise. 
• Baking soda – Using baking soda in conjunction with baking powder will make your cookies lighter and fluffy. 
• Fine sea salt – The fine granules of sea salt dissolve more quickly which equates to less of a chance of over-mixing. 
• M&M Candies – You can use the typical candies that you can find year-round but you can switch it up with seasonal varieties instead.

How To Make M&M Peanut Butter Blossoms

1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Blend on medium speed until creamy and smooth.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You can use a sifter or a whisk to ensure that all ingredients are completely incorporated.
3. Mix the two. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend on low speed until all ingredients are just combined — be careful not to overmix. 
4. Scoop the dough. Use a melon-baller or small cookie scoop to spoon out the cookie dough. Roll it in your hands to make ¾-inch balls of dough (you can make 1 inch balls for a thicker cookie).
5. Add M&Ms. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press one M&M candy into the center of each cookie dough ball.
6. Bake. Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and bake until the edges are a light golden brown. Be careful not to overbake – if the tops become brown, the cookies are overdone.
7. Cool. Cool the M&M peanut butter blossom cookies on a wire rack, allowing them to come to room temperature before storing.

Variations

• Other candies – Try Hershey’s kisses, Rolos, chocolate chips, or even chunks of dark chocolate  instead of the M&M’s. You can also try Reese’s pieces or peanut butter cups for extra peanut butter flavor.
• Nut butters – Instead of peanut butter use almond butter or pecan butter. For more chocolate flavor, you can try chocolate hazelnut butter. 
• Extract – Substitute almond for vanilla extract for a more nutty flavor. 
• Nuts – Choose any crushed nut of your choice and use it instead of candy.
• Colored sugar – You can use colored granulated sugar or decorator’s sugar to make the cookies festive for whatever occasion you are celebrating.

Storage and Freezing

Store these M&M Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.

More Homemade Cookies

• Thumbprint Jam Cookies
• Almond Joy Cookies
• Applesauce Cookies