These Cookies with Pretzels and M&Ms are a mix of soft, chewy, and crunchy textures. Every bite is packed with caramel candy and colorful M&Ms. They offer a sweet and salty treat that’s hard to resist!
Today’s recipe is all about cookies. And honestly? This one might just be my favorite. But no shade to the others! Sweet Potato Cookies, Apple Pancake Cookies, and Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies still make me happy.
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What are Cookies with Pretzels and M&Ms?
These Pretzel M&M cookies are sweet and salty treats. They mix soft cookie dough with crunchy pretzels and colorful candy-coated chocolate. The cookies are fun, chewy, and slightly crispy. The pretzels give them that extra crunch. A touch of sea salt boosts the flavor even more!
They’re popular in many American homes. Especially during Christmas and holidays. One unique ingredient is caramel candy. It adds a gooey, buttery bite in the center.
History of Cookies with Pretzels and M&Ms
This cookie style started in the United States. Sweet-and-salty desserts became popular in the 2000s. Home bakers began mixing cookie dough with snacks like pretzels, M&Ms, and caramel. That’s how “kitchen sink” cookies were born.
Many say moms and food bloggers helped make it popular. Sprinkles and holiday cookies started trending on social media. This fun flavor combo became a favorite.
Substitutions
- Butter – Use vegan butter or coconut oil to cut down on trans fat and make it plant-based.
- Eggs – Replace each egg with a flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp water).
- M&Ms – Use vegan candy-coated chocolate or dark chocolate chips.
- Caramel candy – Try soft vegan caramels or dates chopped and rolled in a little flour.
- All-purpose flour – Replace with a gluten-free 1:1 flour mixture for gluten-sensitive diets.
Recipe Variations
- Peanut butter twist – Add ¼ cup peanut butter to boost protein and flavor.
- Double chocolate – Swap ¼ cup flour for cocoa powder for a chocolate base.
- Trail mix cookies – Add chopped nuts and dried fruit for more fiber.
- Mini cookies – Roll into ½-inch balls for bite-sized treats that fit perfectly in lunchboxes or holiday gift bags.
Storage
- These cookies freeze well. You can store them for up to 2 months.
- Keep baked cookies in an airtight container. You can store them in the fridge or at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To keep them fresh, layer with parchment or wax paper. Cool them first on wire racks or a cooling rack.
Ingredients
Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:
- Butter (vegan substitute)
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Pretzels
- M&Ms
- Caramel candy
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Before starting with the mixing process, make sure to preheat the oven to 375°F and grease cookie sheets or use a silicone mat.
Then let's begin! In a large bowl, add butter, sugars, and cream.
Mix it thoroughly until all the added ingredients are well combined.
Add vanilla extract, eggs, and mix until well blended.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix.
In this step, I was having a slightly hard time mixing it with just a rubber spatula. So I used my ever-reliable handheld mixer to make the job easier.
Now it's time to add the caramel, M&M's, and pretzels.
Carefully and thoroughly mix with a spoon.
Roll into 1-inch balls and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Pretty and delicious Cookies with Pretzels and M&Ms are ready to be devoured! 🙂
The recipe was fairly easy to make, although there was a bit too much of caramel candy in each cookie, so I suggest maybe cutting the caramel amount to half, but these cookies were still AMAZING!
Look what happened when I added too much caramel candy in one small cookie.
Anyway, the pretzels gave the cookies a good crunch and now that I think of it, it's actually so much better than nuts. First of all, pretzels are inexpensive, secondly, you get more for your price, and last of all pretzels are delicious!
Hint: Allow the cookies to sit on the pan for about 10 minutes for the caramel to harden, or else the caramel will be everywhere!
⭐ Top Tip
Don’t overbake! These cookies will look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them from the oven. That’s exactly what you want. They’ll continue to cook and firm up as they rest.
For an extra gooey center, slightly underbake and let them sit for the full 10 minutes before moving.
FAQ
More Recipes
Let's make more cookies! Look down here:
Cookies with Pretzels and M&Ms
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter softened
- ½ cup White sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs
- 2 ¼ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups Pretzels lightly crushed
- 1 cup M&Ms or vegan chocolate gems
- 5 ounces Caramel candy cut into small pieces
Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough:
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease cookie sheets or line with a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract and eggs, then mix until fully combined.
- Add all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until a soft dough forms.
- Fold in caramel pieces, M&Ms, and crushed pretzels with a spoon.
Bake the Cookies:
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are just set.
Cool and Serve:
- Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring - this allows the caramel to firm up. Serve warm or let cool completely.
Watch The Recipe Video!
Storytelling Time!
I LOVE COOKIES! I think I started many of my cookie blog posts with that sentence! Anyhow, I really do love cookies, and I have tried to deny it for many years.
But I gave up this year and finally admitted that I am addicted to cookies. Does anybody know of a cookie anonymous meeting I can check into?!
sim sim says
Hii! these look soo good! quick question, are these individual wrapped caramels chopped up? and I'm guessing since you say 5 oz in your recipe, just roughly take half of the caramel squares from an 11 oz bag? Thanks!! 🙂
Lainey says
Hi sim sim,
Thank you! Yes, I forgot to mention these were individually wrapped caramels chopped up and yes, take roughly half of the caramel squares from the bag! 😀
Daniela says
These cookies were really good!! And very easy to make! I actually just folded in chopped up peanut butter m&ms's and baked them and put caramel sauce on top and harden them. It was yummy.
Lainey says
Hi Daniela,
Awesome, I'm glad the cookies turned out great for you and what a great idea to put caramel sauce on top! Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah says
I'm a big fan of your recipes & your white chocolate strawberry cupcakes are my holy grail whenever I have a family party! 😀 I watched your video for this recipe on YouTube and I've been dying to make these! I have a quick question though. Instead of using softened butter, do you recommend melted butter or were the cookies chewy enough as it was?
Lainey says
Hi Sarah!
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! I recommend softening the butter only because I didn't completely melt all the butter when I used it. The cookies were actually very chewy! 🙂 Hope this helps and let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
Serena says
These cookies are truly delightful! I have made these 3 times already, and I'm gonna make it again! The pretzel's are a really nice touch for the sweet caramel and m&m's. Thanks for the wonderful recipe, Lainey 🙂
Lainey says
Hi Serena,
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! I would love to see some pictures, post them on my FB or tag me on IG.
Warmly,
Lainey
deborah says
Excuse me,Iwant to ask 1cup of butter is how many ___kg
1/2cup white sugar is how many ___kg
21/4cup flour is how many ___kg
Thank you so much
deborah says
skrry I mean howmany g
deborah says
sorry I mean how many g XD
Lainey says
HI Deborah,
Great questions, to make it easier to convert I like to use this website: http://bit.ly/TqLvGS Hope this helps! 🙂
Deborah says
Thank you so much!!
Maryam Yaseen Khan says
Hi Lainey
I made these cookies and they were lovely as u!
But I wanted to know how much caramel should we exactly add?
Thank u
Maryam
Lainey says
Hi Maryam,
aww, thank you! 5oz is a perfect amount of caramel. 🙂
Michelle says
Hi!! How many cookies does this recipe make? Sorry if you have it listed. I might have missed it thanks!!!
Lainey says
Hi Michelle, it makes about 2 dozen cookies. 🙂
Karen says
Do you have any tips on cutting up the caramels ? Sometimes they are really hard . I know it's 2017 , but I am a "newbie" .
Lainey says
Hey Karen! You can cut it with a sharp knife. Placing the caramel in the microwave for just a few seconds would make it so much easier to chop. Hope that helps!
Bonnie says
I love how you come up with amazing recipes! Make some more!
Lainey says
Thanks so much Bonnie!
Sweet says
Yummy! I love cookies and I love M&Ms. So this is two of my favorite foods in ONE!