This season, bake up some delicious Christmas Crinkle Cookies Cake Mix Cookies with M&M’s for gift-giving and enjoying with friends and family.

M&M Christmas Cookies in a Jar

With two little kids in our house, we are all about the holidays this year! From Christmas wish lists, to decorations, and traditional baking recipes… we are making the most of this holiday season.

As parents, we also want to incorporate a sentiment of giving this season. It’s part of what makes the holidays so special. So we’ll bake up a few dozen of our favorite Peppermint Christmas Crinkle Cookies with M&M’S®, enjoy some at home, and tuck a batch in decorated Ball® jars to give to others. Around the holidays, I always have my M&M Christmas jar sitting in my kitchen!  It can double as decoration!

Let me share this yummy cookie recipe that has become a family holiday favorite: these Peppermint Christmas Crinkles Cookies with M&M’S® are a delicious blend of peppermint & chocolate, and taste amazing with a tall glass of milk.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE M&M CHRISTMAS COOKIES IN A JAR: 

DIRECTIONS TO MAKE M&M CHRISTMAS COOKIES IN A JAR:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Use a mixer to combine cake mix, eggs, and oil in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Add peppermint extract, mix well.
4. Divide batter into two portions in separate bowls. Add red food coloring to one and green to the other.
5. Add M&M’S® holiday variety to each bowl of batter, stir to combine.
6. Roll a Tablespoon of batter into a ball, cover in powdered sugar, and lay out on prepared cookie sheet. (Parchment paper works best) Continue with the rest of the batter.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until solid in the center. To get the distinct “crinkle cookie” look, lightly flatten with the back of a spoon halfway through baking.
8. Allow to cool & enjoy!

We bake up a batch to enjoy as a family, and give the rest away in decorated Ball® jars. I like to use cute tags and rosemary to make the gift jars extra festive. Gotta love cookies that come in their own reusable, travel-friendly container!

Plus, the cookies are so fun to make. Start with white cake mix (yes, cake mix!) and make a basic sugar cookie, with some peppermint extract added in. Dye half with red food coloring and the other half with green. I use a mixer to speed up the process. Finally, add the M&M’S® to both batches.

handy tools for making these Christmas crinkle cookies with M&Ms:

• cookie scoop – game changer! same size cookies every time, multiple sizes, speeds up the process
• stand mixer – mixing, blending, whipping…THE BEST!

Roll up into small balls, and dunk in powdered sugar. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, flattening with the back of a spoon halfway through baking time to get the “crinkle” cookie effect.

All done… yum! Love that combo of peppermint and chocolate tucked in a soft sugar cookie. Pour a glass of milk and settle in. ‘Tis the season!

frequently asked questions

Why are cookies hard after baking?

To prevent cookies from becoming hard and tough, avoid adding more flour than necessary to the cookie dough or batter. Also, avoid over mixing once the flour is added.

What do you put in Christmas cookies?

Everything red and green, of course! Candies, sprinkles, frosting, mint flavoring, the list goes on and on! You can get more than a good start on your Christmas cookie list with these 75 Easy Christmas Cookies list.

How long are Christmas cookies good for?

According to the Taste of Home website (which I love!), cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks. You can freeze them for up to a couple months.

In the mood to bake some more? Try these Cake Mix Christmas Cookies or these Nutter Butter Snowman Cookies!