Gluten-free M&M Cookies (whole wheat, all-purpose flour options)
These gluten-free M&M cookies are thick and chewy and can also be made with all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour.
I’ve posted a lot of paleo recipes as of late, so here are some gluten-free and whole wheat cookies for my grain-loving friends! If you want healthy cookies, then look elsewhere. ;) These cookies are absolutely loaded with sugar and even more sugar in the form of M&Ms.
I first posted these M&M cookies over on My Baking Addiction and wanted them to be really pretty, so I went with regular M&Ms rather than the naturally colored, kind of drab-looking ones from Aldi. If I had had enough time, I would have ordered Unreal candy coated chocolates for a much less junky version!
If you need your cookies to be gluten-free, make sure your M&Ms (or whatever candy you use) are actually gluten-free. The original M&Ms in the US are gluten-free, at least at the time of writing, but I’ve heard that they’re not in some other countries.
If you don’t want to use M&Ms, here are some other gluten-free cookies you could try!
If you use white whole wheat flour, these cookies do taste kind of whole wheaty. And I most definitely wouldn’t recommend regular whole wheat!
M&M cookies have always been a favorite of mine (as have gluten-free sugar cookies). I always just mixed the M&Ms into the dough and baked them up. One thing that nagged at me is that they never looked as pretty as the cookies from my childhood.
This time, I experimented with the best way to incorporate the M&Ms. I made them in every way imaginable and finally found the best method.
You add the M&Ms to the dough, roll into balls with as few M&Ms peeking out of the dough as possible, bake, and then add more M&Ms post-baking. A few M&Ms may still bleed, which you can see in the pictures, but even with that, it’s a huge improvement over the other methods I’ve tried!
I like my M&M cookies to be loaded with M&Ms, and so my recipe calls for a lot more M&Ms than other recipes I’ve seen. These cookies are actually 1/3 M&Ms by weight! And that’s before you press almost an additional cup on top of the cookies after baking. You can absolutely use fewer M&Ms or toss in some other add-ins like chocolate chips or walnuts.
I originally tried making these much larger. I wanted huge bakery-style cookies, like my healthier New York Times chocolate chip cookies, but the middles were underdone while the edges were a little too browned. One-and-a-half-inch (65-gram) balls seem to be the ideal size for these to bake up properly!
The cookies pictured are the gluten-free version. If you make the cookies with whole wheat or all-purpose flour, they are a little less thick and crinkly in appearance. I actually prefer how the gluten-free version came out!
Going to a holiday party this weekend? Use red and green M&Ms on these and bam! Christmas cookies. :D
Gluten-free M&M Cookies (whole wheat, all-purpose flour options)
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups (406 grams) flour see notes
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (175 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs 50 grams each, out of shell, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (500 grams) M&Ms (or Unreal candy coated chocolates), plus an additional 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (175 grams) to press on top, if desired
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl aside.3 1/4 cups (406 grams) flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla at low speed until well combined.1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar, 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (175 grams) granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- On low, gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Beat in the M&Ms on low.2 1/2 cups (500 grams) M&Ms
- If making the whole wheat / all-purpose flour version, roll into 1 1/2″ balls (about 65 grams) – pushing any M&Ms that stick out back in. If your dough is too soft to roll into proper balls, refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until firm. Freeze dough balls for 2 hours, or until firm.
- If making the gluten-free version, freezing is not necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. Then roll into balls.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F for the all-purpose flour version or 375° degrees F for the gluten-free version.
- Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Place the dough balls 4″ apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 16-20 minutes or until lightly and evenly browned.
- Remove from the oven and immediately press 7 more M&Ms on top of each cookie, if desired. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.
- For the flour, you can use white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or for a gluten-free version, use the gluten-free mixture listed below
- While the wheat flour version uses 3 1/4 cups of flour, this gluten-free mixture, which yields 3 cups of flour, works beautifully in this recipe:
- 2 cups (280 grams) white rice flour
- 2/3 cup (103 grams) potato starch
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- Original M&Ms in the US are gluten-free, but some of the other varieties are not. They’re also not GF in every country.
- Source: My post on My Baking Addiction – M&M Cookies.
hi i def want to try making these but do i hv to press the balls of dough flat or just leave it as it is n it will flatten while baking?
Hi! You do not need to press them down. They flatten while baking. :)
thank you:)
HI. Looks very interesting. To make mown GF flour, can I avoid xanthun gum or any substitute ?
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! It somehow got mixed in with the spam. You can try other recipes that use almond or coconut flours that don’t require xanthan gum but for this flour mix, you need it. Otherwise the cookies fall apart. Sorry about that and sorry again for my slow reply!
Can I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour in place of All-Purpose Flour? And if so, would I use 3 1/4 Cups?
I’m guessing it’d work but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure! You’d use the same amount.
When I was little M&M cookies were one of my favorites! Makes me want to go make a batch of them now! Love the idea of adding the M&MS again after they bake!
I always love a good m&m cookie! I’ll have to make a batch of these!
My kids love m&m cookies! This is a perfect recipe for them to be able to share them with their celiac aunt!
Oh my! My husband would go absolutely crazy over these! I’ll have to make these for him!
I love that there are so many M&Ms…my kids would love that.
I like my cookies packed M&Ms too, so these look perfect to me!
They look very pretty. I love the thickness of them. Not a thin cookie person.
I’m with you, Charlotte! :)
You can’t go wrong with m&m’s in cookies now can you ; )
I have to bake for the gluten free section of the bakery goods table for my temple in January. These would be perfect! Kids love M&Ms, but so do some adults. I am planning to make them and freeze some already made. I want to see how they hold up in the freezer. I want to make them in advance. Have you frozen them, already baked? Thank you!
I unfortunately haven’t tried that (and have never actually frozen any baked cookies because I never have room!) but I know that the dough balls freeze well. :) I hope that they’ll be enjoyed!
There’s just something about M&M cookies that makes me smile. Must be the fun colors!
I love m&m’s in my cookies! These look divine!
M & M cookies have always been some of my favorites. I love how perfectly soft in the center yet crisp around the edges these are.
These look perfect! I love adding the M & M’s, they are so fun!
There’s nothing I love more than M&M cookies!