Dark Chocolate Halloween M&M Cookies
on Oct 15, 2020, Updated May 29, 2024
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Dark Chocolate Halloween M&M Cookies are festive and so quick and easy to whip up! Add them to the list of things you make in October to celebrate all month long.
Grab a bag of Halloween M&Ms and make these cookies that your kids will go nuts for. Even better – make a double batch and share some with your neighbors and friends or stick them in your freezer for when you need a treat.
To complete the festive experience, serve these cookies along with Halloween Mummy Hot Dogs and Halloween Bean Dip. They would also be cute on a Halloween Cheese Board.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It makes a delicious treat that combines the classic flavor of M&M candies with a soft and chewy cookie base.
- It’s a great activity to do with kids – they can help mix up the dough, scoop out the cookies, and arrange the M&M candies on top.
- These cookies are sure to be a hit at any Halloween party – adding a festive touch to the dessert table.
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- All-purpose flour
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Halloween M&M candies
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Dark Chocolate Halloween M&M Cookies
Step #1. Beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl with a mixer for about 3 minutes.
Step #2. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again until very light and fluffy, another 1 minute.
Step #3. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix until well combined.
Step #4. Stir in 1 cup of the M&M candies and reserve the other half. Then, refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes.
Step #5. Put about a tablespoon of cookie dough on a lined baking sheet and lightly press a few M&Ms on the top of each ball.
Step #6. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 11 minutes. Let the cookies rest for 3 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack.
Recipe FAQs
Nope. Feel free to get creative! These cookies are also good with semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, Reese’s Pieces, peanut butter chips, candy corn, or chopped up leftover Halloween candy bars.
Watch the cookies carefully. The edges should be slightly crisp. You could also bake a few cookies in the first batch as a test-run and let them cool so you know how many minutes in your oven is perfect for the recipe.
Cookies should last up to 6 months if frozen properly. Make sure they are fully cooled before putting in the freezer. Freezing them in a single layer or putting parchment paper between layers will prevent the cookies from sticking together.
Expert Tips
- If you’d like to skip the chilling time, add an extra 3 tablespoons of flour. That will help the cookies not to spread as much.
- Be sure to lightly press some of the M&Ms into the tops of the cookie dough balls before you bake them. If you only stir the candy in, the dark dough will hide them.
- To make these cookies gluten-free, use a one-to-one gluten-free flour blend. I have found that King Arthur’s Measure for Measure works the best with this type of cookie dough.
More Halloween Recipes to Consider
Pies, Crisps & Tarts
Healthy Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Dessert Recipes
Easy Pumpkin Donut Holes
Halloween Recipes
Halloween Food Ideas for Kids
From Scratch Recipes
Butterbeer
Dark Chocolate Halloween M&M Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups Halloween M&M candies, (1, 12 ounce bag)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
- In a medium mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
- Beat to combine and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again until very light and fluffy, another 1 minute.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and mix until well combined.
- Stir in 1 cup of the M&M candies and reserve the other half.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30-60 minutes. This will help the cookies not spread as much while baking and will make the soft dough easier to work with.
- Put a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough on the lined baking sheet (feel free to roll the dough in your hands to create a round ball if not using a cookie scoop).
- Place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Lightly press a few M&M candies on top of each piece of cookie dough. (The candies are hard to see in the dark dough so placing them on top makes the cookies cuter.)
- Bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes (9 minutes was perfect for me). The edges will look set and the centers will still be slightly glossy.
- Let the cookies rest of on the baking sheet for 3 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Store cookies covered in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or freeze up to 6 months for longer storage.
Notes
- Be sure to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder. It is less bitter and a bit darker in color than traditional cocoa powder. You can use traditional cocoa powder; however, your cookies will be a bit more brown.
- If you want your cookies even darker in color, look for dark cocoa powder like Hershey’s Special Dark blend.
- If you skip the chilling time your cookies will just spread more and get flat, they still taste great. Add 3 tablespoons of flour if you don’t have time to chill the dough.
- This recipe is really flexible. You can stir in any of the following: Semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, Reese’s Pieces, peanut butter chips, candy corn, chopped leftover Halloween candy bars.
Nutrition
This recipe was inspired by and not hardly adapted from my friend Amy at House of Nash Eats. Thanks Amy!
Dark Chocolate Halloween Cookies should be at the top of your fall baking list! They are soft in the middle, crisp on the edges and they will not disappoint.
