Look beyond the bag!
While, yes, M&M's are pretty much perfect right out of the bag, they only get better when you incorporate them into your favorite cake, cookie, and brownie recipes. Luckily, we've got plenty of ways for you to look outside the bag, no matter if you're Team milk chocolate M&M's, Team peanut butter M&M's, or you root for the Team of any of their fun seasonal flavors. Try all 18 of these super-clever ways to bake (and decorate!) with M&M's; it'll be the easiest decision you've made all week!
As far as we're concerned, every home baker should always have plenty of M&M's on hand. Not only just for their crackly shell and rich chocolate filling, but also because they add a festive pop of color to pretty much everything. Even if you don't spring for customized M&M's, there's plenty of colors in a classic bag to decorate desserts for pretty much every holiday. During the winter holidays, you can't get any cuter than our "Kranky" cupcakes, sugar cookie dreidels, turkey cupcakes, and melted snowman cookies, all made even more adorable with M&M's as a decoration. Even if you just want a reason to eat more M&M's, our leprechaun bait and Easter bunny popcorn bars are particularly loaded with brightly colored M&M's.
M&M's, outside of their bright colors, also add a pop of texture to our tried and true dessert recipes. Bake up a batch of , monster cookies, or ice cream stuffed cupcakes for an easy upgrade to your favorite baked goods. These treats also are, no surprise, major winners at a bake sale!
1
Monster Cookies
When you're looking for a satisfying treat—no matter the season—these monster cookies are the perfect cookie for the occasion. Packed with oats, M&M's, peanuts, and pretzels, you can give the cookies a bit of seasonal flair no matter what time of year it is (and what candies you have around the house).
Get the Monster Cookies recipe.
2
Baby Yoda Chocolate Bark
Baby Yoda is a powerful force. The tiny green creature with the big eyes (and even bigger ears) captured our hearts as soon as he peered out of his levitating bassinet in The Mandalorian. Now you can bring a little Baby Yoda joy to your kitchen with this adorable DIY chocolate bark.
Get the Baby Yoda Chocolate Bark recipe.
3
M&M's Cookie Bars
These M&M's cookie bars are big bake sale vibes. They've got all the comfort of a chocolate chip cookie, with the added crunch of M&M's and the added heft of a bar shape, making for a delicious treat that’s impossible to put down. They have a perfectly sugary crust with a gooey, chocolatey interior in a sharable format.
Get the .
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
4
Kranky Cupcakes
Bake up an ode to our favorite grumpy Christmas character complete with a bright red Santa hat made from buttercream.
Get the Kranky Cupcakes recipe.
5
Sugar Cookie Dreidels
These Hanukkah candy–stuffed dreidel cookies are so fun that no one cares we’re not making anything from scratch. You can use your favorite homemade sugar cookie dough or follow our lead and use a couple store-bought logs. From there all you need are white and blue cooking icing, a tub of vanilla frosting, and M&M's Minis to make these adorable dreidel cookies.
Get the Sugar Cookie Dreidels recipe.
6
Leprechaun Bait
Looking for the ultimate St. Patrick's Day snack? The search is over: this leprechaun bait is the festive party mix that will make you feel luckier than ever. We created this sweet-and-salty snack with classic favorites: corn chex, pretzels, M&M's, and Lucky Charms.
Get the Leprechaun Bait recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
7
Melted Snowman Cookies
Easy sugar cookies get turned into the cutest snowman cookies. Use our favorite sugar cookie icing to make these super simple. There's no need to be perfect as you frost because each snowman melts differently!
Get the Melted Snowman Cookies recipe.
8
Ice Cream Stuffed Cupcakes
Nothing beats ice cream and cake, but we certainly took the combo to the next level by loading it up with M&M-laced ice cream that's then topped with more M&M's!
Get the Ice Cream Stuffed Cupcakes recipe.
9
Turkey Cupcakes
This Thanksgiving, you could stick to the classic desserts and no one would blame you. Or, you could switch it up this year by making these ridiculously adorable chocolate cupcakes that are transformed into bite-sized turkeys with simple decorations like candy corn, M&M's, and pretzels.
Get the Turkey Cupcakes recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
10
Number Cake
For this sheet cake, we traced our number on the back of an empty cereal box to used it as a stencil—trust us, it's very doable! As long as you top it with a fun assortment of candies (even the less desirable non-chocolate ones), it'll look adorable no matter what.
Get the Number Cake recipe.
11
Milano Reindeer Cookies
These are the cutest upgrade to store-bought Milanos, and are a fun holiday project for little kids to get in on. Swap for the mint Milanos to make them extra festive!
Get the Milano Reindeer Cookies recipe.
12
Christmas Blondies
Sitting on a pile of leftover M&M's? Separate out the red and green ones (or blue and yellow for Hanukkah, red, black, and green for Kwanzaa...) for these blondies! They're super-festive, and no one will suspect the candy is from Halloween. 😉
Get the Christmas Blondies recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
13
Rolo Ornament Cookies
These are the perfect cookie decorating project for kids (and adults who just feel like one this time of year!). All you've got to do is snag some Lofthouse cookies and candy from the store, then get creative with the ornament decorations.
Get the Rolo Ornament Cookies recipe.
14
Saltine Toffee
Wild but true—Salty crackers make the most unbelievable base for sweet chocolate toffee. Go simple, or do what we did and top these with our fave chocolate candies.
Get the Saltine Toffee recipe.
15
Easter Bunny Popcorn Bars
These easy, customizable popcorn bars are perfect for any and all of your favorite Easter candy mix-ins. We love Cadbury eggs for the creamy milk chocolate and Robin Eggs and peanut M&Ms for some added crunch too!
Get the Easter Bunny Popcorn Bars recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
16
Christmas Light Cupcakes
These cupcakes look so impressive, but are actually so easy to make. You could have these done before your aunt can finish decorating her first sugar cookie.
Get the Christmas Light Cupcakes recipe.
17
Ghost Marshmallow Brownies
These decadent and fudgy brownies are worth making from scratch. But, if you're in a time crunch, feel free to sub in your favorite boxed mix and any of your favorite candies to better suit your sweet tooth needs.
Get the Ghost Marshmallow Brownies recipe.
18
Holiday Toffee
Looking for a festive homemade food gift this year? This sweet and salty holiday toffee truly takes the cake. Just a warning—it's so satisfying, your friends and family just might ask for it every single year. Quick to make and simple to prepare, this holiday dessert is the perfect end to your Christmas celebration, or can simply be a snack to munch on all season long!
Get the Holiday Toffee recipe.
