If you’re a fan of oatmeal cookies, you’ll gobble up these M&M Oatmeal Cookies packed full of candy-coated chocolate candies!

An M&M Cookie Recipe is always a crowd-pleaser, and this one is full of healthy oats making it slightly healthier than other indulgences.

Overhead view of 3 oatmeal M & M cookies on a square white plate.

Why You Must Make

  • Full of M&M candies, these are kid-friendly cookies.
  • They’re great for picnics as the candy won’t melt like chocolate chips.
  • The oats provide more nutrition than regular M&M cookies.

4 M & M cookies on a round white plate

Recipe Tips

  • Use regular, old-fashioned oats for a nice texture.
  • Use real butter, never margarine. I use salted butter since salt is a flavor enhancer and helps prevent cookies from tasting flat.
  • This recipe calls for dark brown sugar which gives a caramel undertone to the cookies.
  • PRO-Tip: If you don’t have dark brown sugar, you can mix 1 tablespoon of molasses into a cup of light brown sugar as an easy substitution.
  • Use a cookie disher to make all the cookies the same size. This will help each batch finish baking at the same time.
  • Chill the dough for 1-2 hours to minimize the spreading as they bake.
  • PRO-Tip: This recipe calls for baking powder, not baking soda. It often comes in a can and does expire. So check the date on the package and replace it if it’s outdated or near the expiration date.
  • PRO-Tip: Reserve some M&Ms to carefully press onto the top of the warm cookies after they come out of the oven. This makes them look like they came from a bakery!
Ingredients for Oatmeal M & M Cookies  on a sheet pan.

Ingredient Notes:

  • Butter – I use salted butter in all my recipes unless otherwise noted.
  • Dark Brown Sugar – Contains more molasses than light brown sugar giving a deeper caramel undertones.
  • Sugar – White, granulated sugar.
  • Egg – I use large eggs in all my baking unless otherwise noted.
  • Vanilla – Use real vanilla extract, never imitation vanilla.
  • Flour – Use All-Purpose Flour
  • Baking Powder – Check the expiration date. It often expires while in your pantry since it’s not used as often as baking soda. To check its potency, put a spoonful in a cup of hot water. It should bubble vigorously if it’s fresh.
  • Salt – I use table salt as the finer grains mix more thoroughly into the dough
  • Old-fashioned Oatmeal – Sturdier than Quick Oats
  • Mini M&M’s – Reserve some to press into the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven for a nice presentation. May also use some regular M&M’s to garnish.

Substitutions

  • May use light brown sugar instead of dark.
  • May add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or white chocolate chips instead of the M&Ms.
  • Quick oats will work in a pinch if you don’t have old-fashioned oatmeal on hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Oatmeal Cookies Healthy?

The oatmeal provides soluble fiber, protein, and vitamins and minerals including copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, iron, zinc, and B1. Oats can help lower cholesterol, too. But the saturated fat in the butter and egg may raise cholesterol.

What Else Can I Add to an Oatmeal Cookie Recipe?

If you don’t have M&Ms, add any flavor of chocolate chips—milk chocolate, white chocolate, semisweet, or bittersweet. Raisins and dried cranberries or cherries are delicious additions, too!

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3 oatmeal M & M cookies on a square dessert plate

M & M Oatmeal Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 34 minutes
Yield 2 dozen

Chewy, buttery oatmeal cookies full of colorful mini M & M candies.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup  dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ salt
  • 1½ cups old fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 cup mini M & Ms, reserve some to garnish tops
  • Regular M & Ms, optional, to garnish

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350º.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
    2. Cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar till thoroughly mixed. 
    3. Add eggs, then vanilla, and mix well. 
    4. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix till all flour is incorporated. 
    5. Mix in oatmeal, then M and M's.
    6. Cover and chill dough for at least an hour (longer will help minimize flat cookies).
    7. With a medium cookie disher, scoop out mounds of dough and place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
    8. Press a few of the reserved M and M's into dough balls.  Bake 12-14 minutes. 
    9. Cool for a couple of minutes on the pan, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

Oatmeal cookie base adapted from Ina Garten. May use chocolate chips instead of M & M's.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

2 cookies

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 319Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 37gProtein: 3g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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