Mini Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Mini peanut butter M&M cookies are the perfect bite-size treat for peanut butter lovers! These tiny cookies are soft, gluten-free, and are ready in less than 30 minutes.

Flourless peanut butter cookies are the perfect treat to make when you're looking for a quick homemade dessert. I used my classic recipe as the base for this bite-size version and filled them with mini m&m's candies. They're the perfect treat for peanut butter fans!

The dough comes together with just a handful of ingredients. Plus, it needs no chilling time beforehand - your cookie dough is ready to go straight in the oven after mixing.

These cookies are small - about one or two bites each. Perfect for a tiny treat after dinner, or enjoying a handful at a time (we won't tell)! They turn out soft, tender, and filled to the brim with peanut butter flavor.

Serve these mini cookies any time you're looking for a quick homemade cookie recipe. They're so easy to make, the kids can help! Perfect for holiday cookie trays, after school treats, or movie night at home. These cookies are gluten-free and dairy-free.

Ingredients and substitutions

Store-bought creamy peanut butter works best in this recipe (I used JIF brand). Crunchy peanut butter would also work. I do not recommend using natural/homemade peanut butter in this recipe - the dough turns out dry and does not hold together well.

I used a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar for added depth of flavor. But, all granulated sugar will work if needed.

You'll need one room temperature large egg. To bring your egg to room temperature quickly, place your whole egg (in the shell) in a cup and cover in hot tap water. Your egg will come to room temperature in minutes.

Mini M&M's candies can be substituted with mini chocolate chips. Or, omit them entirely to make plain peanut butter cookies. If using regular size M&M's candies, I suggest making larger cookies (double the size). Otherwise, the larger candies can cause your mini cookies to fall apart.

Lastly, you'll need vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Make sure you grab the baking soda, not baking powder. They react differently in baking recipes and are not interchangeable.

Mixing your dough

When mixing your peanut butter cookie dough, you'll first cream together your peanut butter and sugars.

Next, you'll add your remaining ingredients - egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Last, you'll stir in the mini M&M candies. Once all of your ingredients are combined, your dough will look crumbly.

However, when pressed between two fingers or rolled into a ball, your dough should hold its shape (as shown in the photo below).

Your dough will feel a bit greasy (it is made with mostly peanut butter, after all!), but will bake up into a regular cookie in the oven.

Storage and freezing

Raw cookie dough can be refrigerated for 3 days in a sealed container (or wrapped in plastic). Raw peanut butter cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed, freezer-safe container. Or, form your dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and place in a freezer-safe plastic bag.

Baked peanut butter cookies will keep for up to 5 days in a sealed container at room temperature. To elongate your cookie shelf life, add a slice of bread to the cookie container. Replace the bread as needed (it will get stale as it helps keep your cookies fresh).

Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, set them on the counter and allow them to come to room temperature. This can take between 30 to 60 minutes.

Cookie tips and tricks

Room temperature ingredients make a consistent, creamy, and even dough. When beaten, the eggs and peanut butter form an emulsion, which traps air in the dough. This turns into a soft, even, perfectly baked cookie.

Using parchment paper helps prevent your cookies from spreading too much while baking. A greased baking pan will guarantee your cookies spread more than they should, so I always suggest parchment paper (or a reusable baking mat) instead.

Cookies still spreading too much? Refrigerate your dough for up to 30 minutes, then scoop and bake. Or, place your prepared cookie dough balls (on the baking sheet) into the refrigerator for 10 minutes just before baking. Colder dough spreads less in the oven.

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