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+ servings
5 from 3 votes

Brown Butter Peanut M&M Cookies

Yield: 32 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
These brown butter peanut M&M cookies are chewy, simple, and made from scratch for an easy but ridiculously delicious treat! Based on the classic M&M cookie, this version has toasty brown butter and peanuts for a nutty, caramelized flavor. They're truly the best M&M cookie ever!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar)
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup M&MS, plus more for decoration

Equipment

Instructions 

  • To brown the butter, melt the unsalted butter in a shallow, light-colored pan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes. At first the butter will foam up and get bubbly, but eventually, you will start to see small brown bits on the bottom of the pan. It’s ready when the butter is golden-brown and smells nutty and caramelized. Immediately remove the butter from the heat and pour it into a large heat-proof bowl to cool for 5-10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the all purpose flour, baking soda, and Kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Next, add the dark brown sugar and white sugar to the brown butter. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until it’s well-combined, 1-2 minutes. Next add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla extract.
  • Add half of the flour mixture to the sugar-butter mixture until mixed. Then, add the remaining flour mixture, beating just until the dough forms. Use a rubber spatula to ensure there are no dry spots. The dough will be a bit loose, but it will thicken once it's chilled. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  • Once the dough is chilled and you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Then, remove the dough from the fridge and gently fold in the unsalted peanuts, semi sweet chocolate chips, and M&Ms until they’re well distributed.
  • Using a #40 cookie scoop (2 Tablespoons), scoop the cookie dough and roll into balls with the palms of your hands. Place the cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on the parchment-lined sheet pans (they will spread quite a bit). 
  • Bake for 8-9 minutes until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit underdone. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press 4-5 M&Ms on top of the cookies if desired (this is just for aesthetic purposes).
  • Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

To properly measure the flour, fluff it with a whisk or fork. Scoop the fluffed flour into a measuring cup and level it off without packing it in.
The dough must be chilled before you bake the cookies. Because of the melted brown butter, the dough is loose before it is refrigerated. If you bake them right away, the cookies will spread out too much.
If the dough is too stiff out of the fridge, let it warm up for 30-60 minutes. This usually only happens if the dough is chilled overnight. If it's only been chilling for 1-2 hours, it should be fine to add the mix-ins right away.
The cookies may look a bit underdone in the centers when they're finished baking, but they will continue to cook on the pan. Avoid over-baking the cookies or they may end up crunchy instead of chewy.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 173kcal, Carbohydrates: 19.5g, Protein: 2.6g, Fat: 9.6g, Saturated Fat: 5.6g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 166mg, Potassium: 69mg, Fiber: 0.7g, Sugar: 11.8g, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg
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