Honestly, I had not heard of peanut butter M&M cookies before last week, but someone asked me if I had a cookie recipe for them. Well, that was all it took for me to search for the ingredients I wanted in my version of this cookie.
For my taste, I always felt that peanut butter cookies could end up being dry and hard. So, I added cream cheese (just a little) to help keep it creamy.
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Ingredients
- Butter unsalted
- Cream Cheese
- Sugar white
- Light brown sugar
- Peanut butter creamy
- Vanilla Extract
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Mini M&M
- Mini Reese's pieces
Full Size or Mini M&Ms
Most cookie recipes I Googled for the peanut butter cookies used the full-size M&M's, which is OK, but I wanted the colors to spread more throughout the cookies. So, before I decided on the mini-M&M's or full size I wanted to know if there was any difference between the two sizes as far as taste.
Apparently, the M&M's minis taste sweeter for a reason is not because of a different recipe for making the two but because of the surface properties according to Mashed's article The real Reason Mini M&M's May Taste Better Than The Original.
It has to do with the surface area-to-volume ratio which is different for the two sizes. With this information I decided to use the mini size for my cookies. Besides I found matching size minis for the Reese's pieces.
Mixing Easy Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
These cookies are so easy to make and pack a lot of flavors in each cookie. Perfect cookies for the young baker to tackle.
Start by weighing or measuring the white and light brown sugars into a bowl and then setting it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Finally, take a whisk through the flour mixture to blend them.
Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixer bowl and gradually increase the mixer speed to medium. Continue to blend for a couple of minutes. You want it creamy looking and the cream cheese blended well into the butter.
Next, blend the peanut butter into the butter-cream cheese mixture. I mix this on medium speed for a couple of minutes. Scrape down the sides and across the bottom to ensure everything is combined.
Now add the vanilla extract and the egg and mix. You want it to be a light brown color with soft peaks.
On a low mixer speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Mix for about a minute, then scrape down the sides and across the bottom. Mix for another 30 seconds.
In my opinion, the most important part is "The M&Ms and Reese's Pieces. " Add those pretty pieces of candy to the cookie dough and mix for about 15 seconds. Then, I usually just take a one-piece spatula and turn the cookie dough all around to make sure all the cookie dough has the color pieces all through the dough.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Shaping and Baking Peanut Butter Cookies
Heat the oven to 350° and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Grab a medium size cookie scooper and add 12 cookie mounds to one of the prepared cookie sheet pans.
I like to shape my peanut butter cookies, so I start by pressing down on the mounds. Then I go around the sides, smooth them out, and tuck in any pieces of cookie dough or candy pieces.
Bake at 350° for 11-13 minutes. Leave them on the pan for a minute after pulling them from the oven before moving them to a cooling rack.
FAQ's
Store them in an air-tight container for 4-5 days. If you think it will be longer, you can refrigerate for a week.
If you have a brand you love and adore, you can use it instead of the Jif brand I use. I like to show the brands I use in my photo of ingredients so you have an idea of what I use to get the results I show in my pictures. You certainly can make these your cookies! I would not, however use natural peanut butter.
Natural peanut butter has a lot of oil that separates. Therefore, it will not give you creamy cookie dough and make your cookies greasy. But if you can adjust the recipe to use natural peanut butter, I would love to hear what you did!
Love Peanut Butter
Recipe
Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
Barbara HallIngredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 4 ounces (4 ounces) Cream Cheese room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar white
- ¾ cup (165 g) Light brown sugar
- ½ cup (129 g) Peanut butter creamy
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 1 (1) Egg
- 2 ¼ cups (281.25 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- ¾ cup (236.59 g) Mini M&M
- ¾ cup (94 g) Mini Reese's pieces
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Finally, I use a whisk to blend the three ingredients.
- In a mixer bowl, add the butter and cream cheese. Mix for a minute or two, then add the peanut butter. Mix on a medium speed for 2 minutes. Now add the sugars and mix for 2 minutes. Stop and scrape down the bowl sides and across the bottom. Turn the mixer back to medium speed and mix for another 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and the egg, blending until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again, and on a low mixer speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Finally, add the mini M&Ms and the mini Resse's pieces. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350° and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Place 12 mounds of cookie dough onto 1 of the prepared pans using a medium cookie scooper. Bake for 11-13 minutes. Leave the cookies on the pan once out of the oven for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack.
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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