Big, chunky cookies modeled after American-style cookies have become quite popular in recent years. Even here in Germany, shops selling these XXL cookies are popping up everywhere – despite the fact that Germany isn’t exactly known as a »cookie country«. Usually, you’d find other types of sweets at a German bakery. But if you’re a fan of extra-large cookies, you really have to try these Chunky M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are big, sweet, and absolutely delicious. Exactly the way they should be…
Chunky cookies like these chocolate chip cookies have been around in the US for quite some time, but they gained massive popularity a few years ago thanks to Levain Bakery in New York. That’s why these are often labeled »NY-style« cookies. Theoretically, you could just call them »XXL« or »humongous« which might be less confusing if you aren’t familiar with the New York originals…
Anyway, the defining characteristics of these cookies are, of course, their size, and weight. One of these cookies can easily tip the scales at 130g (4.6 oz). The ones from the New York bakery are even heavier. However, the real highlight is the texture: crispy on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside. Some might even say they aren’t fully baked through – which is actually pretty close to the truth.
Cookies like these M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies are intentionally extremely soft on the inside when they come out of the oven. That’s nothing unusual for American cookies, though. They are often baked at higher temperatures for a shorter time to achieve exactly that type of texture. Even though the centers are (and should be) wonderfully soft, the outsides still need to get crispy and nicely browned. This means you do need to be a little careful when baking these.
To achieve the perfect texture, the cookie dough is frozen before you pop it into the oven. This ensures the cookies stay soft on the inside, even though they are baked at a higher temperature. Of course, you have to be mindful here: texture aside, the dough needs to be heated all the way through to the very center. If the cookies still look slightly moist on the surface after the recommended baking time, you should definitely leave them in the oven a bit longer – this is usually a good indicator of how well-baked the cookies are.
If you prefer your cookies more thoroughly baked, simply leave them in the oven for a little longer. Just be careful and don’t let them get too dark. If you’re unsure, start with just one portion of dough and keep the rest in the freezer. You can then adjust the baking time for the remaining cookies based on the results of the first one.
By the way, the cookies don’t come out of the oven looking exactly like they do in the photos. Since m&m’s tend to crack and change color when exposed to direct heat, you should make sure the m&m’s are always covered by dough. This is also mentioned in the recipe instructions. Of course, cookies without m&m’s on top would look a bit boring, so simply press a few into the warm dough right after baking. It works beautifully, and once cooled, they normally stay in place. Provided you’ve »anchored« them well.
We already have other NY-style cookie recipes on the blog, of course. We’re in the »cookie business« for a while already – this means we try pretty much everything that’s new and interesting. In case you are looking for additional recipes, be sure to check out our (NY-Style) Pumpkin Pie Spice Pecan White Chocolate Cookies. Big, chunky, sweet, and absolutely delicious, too!
Of course, we have plenty more here on the blog. Our Crumbl Style Tiramisu Cookies, for instance, are just as delicious but come in a different style/look. They’re large as well, though not quite as chunky as the cookies from the recipe below. In addition they have a delicious mascarpone cream on top. Sounds good, right?!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(6 cookies)
1/2 cup (100g) sugar (fine)*
1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar*
1/2 cup (120g) cold butter, cut into small pieces
3.5 oz. (100g) semi-sweet chocolate*, coarsely chopped
8.5 oz. (240g) all-purpose flour*
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg (large)
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
1.8 oz. (50g) mini M&M’s*, plus a few extra for decoration
(6 Cookies)
100g Zucker (fein)*
50g brauner Zucker*
120g Butter (kalt), in kleinen Stücken
100g Zartbitterschokolade*, grob gehackt
240g Mehl (Type 405)*
1 TL Backpulver
1/2 TL Salz
1 Ei (L)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt*
50g Mini M&M’s*, plus ein paar mehr für die Dekoration
As previously mentioned, it is best to bury the m&m’s in the dough so they aren’t damaged by the oven’s heat during baking – they really have a tendency to crack or turn brown and unsightly. For this reason, I always insert the M&Ms as a decoration after the cookies have been baked. This works just as well for chocolate chip cookies if you want larger chunks visible on the surface, for example.
Right after taking them out of the oven, the cookies are still relatively soft – this means you can reshape them if they’ve spread too much or decorate them with chocolate and other sweets. If you press the m&m’s firmly into the dough, they will stay in place once cooled and won’t fall off. However, you shouldn’t overdo it by pressing them all the way to the bottom of the cookies – as mentioned, they are quite soft and fragile immediately after baking. But this changes quickly after a few minutes of exposure to the air… so don’t wait too long to decorate.
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Add both sugars and the cold butter in small pieces to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low until the butter and sugar have merged into streusels – you don’t want the sugar and butter to fully combine. Add the chopped chocolate and mix it in briefly. Combine the flour with baking powder and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the bowl and mix to combine. You want the mixture (once again) to look like streusels instead of a typical cookie dough.
2. Lightly whisk the egg with the vanilla extract in a small bowl, then add this to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix everything until the streusels start sticking together. You want a very rough-looking dough. Next, add the mini M&M’s and fold them in with a rubber spatula.
3. Divide the dough into six portions and shape them into balls. Avoid M&M’s sticking out of the dough – if you see them, push them into the dough ball and close the holes. Transfer the balls to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and place them in the freezer overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Place the frozen dough balls with enough space in between on the baking sheet and bake the cookies for about 18-20 minutes – they should look nicely browned all around.
5. Take the cookies out of the oven – if you like, you can press a few M&M’s into the still-soft cookies. Be careful, they are quite hot. If the cookies look a bit deformed, you can adjust their shape slightly at this point as well. Let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet for a moment, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool down completely.
1. Beide Zuckersorten mit der kalten Butter (in kleinen Stücken) in die Schüssel einer Küchenmaschine geben. Auf niedriger Stufe mixen, bis sich aus Butter und Zucker Streuseln bilden. Die Zutaten sollten sich hier nur minimal verbinden. Die gehackte Schokolade dazugeben und kurz untermixen. Mehl, Backpulver und Salz vermischen und ebenfalls zur Schüssel dazugeben. Auch hier nur auf niedriger Stufe mixen – hier soll noch kein richtiger Teig entstehen. Die Mischung sollte eher nach Streuseln aussehen.
2. Das Ei mit dem Vanille Extrakt verquirlen, dann zur Schüssel dazugeben und untermengen, bis die Streusel anfangen, zusammenzuhalten – der Teig sollte recht grob und bröckelig aussehen, aber zusammenhalten, wenn man ihn in den Fingern zusammendrückt. Die Mini M&M’s dazugeben und mit einem Gummispatel unterheben.
3. Den Teig in sechs Portionen aufteilen und zu Kugeln formen. Die M&M’s sollten möglichst nicht aus dem Teig herausschauen – man muss sie ggf. einfach tiefer in den Teig drücken. Die Kugeln in einen Gefrierbeutel oder eine Tupper packen und dann über Nacht in den Gefrierschrank legen/stellen.
4. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Umluft vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen. Die gefrorenen Teigkugeln mit genügend Abstand zueinander auf das Backblech setzen und die Cookies dann für etwa 18-20 Minuten backen – die Cookies dürfen etwas Farbe bekommen haben.
5. Die Cookies aus dem Ofen holen und nach Belieben ein paar M&M’s in die noch weichen Cookies drücken – vorsicht, die Dinger sind heiß! Die Cookies kurz auf dem Backblech abkühlen lassen. Sollten die Cookies deformiert aussehen, kann man sie jetzt noch etwas in Form bringen, dann auf ein Kuchengitter setzen und komplett auskühlen lassen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Chunky M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 08:00
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: -
- Cuisine: United States
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These NY-style M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies are big, chunky and really delicious! Maybe schedule a walk with the dog after eating one… you never know.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (100g) sugar (fine)*
1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar*
1/2 cup (120g) cold butter, cut into small pieces
3.5 oz. (100g) semi-sweet chocolate*, coarsely chopped
8.5 oz. (240g) all-purpose flour*
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg (large)
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
1.8 oz. (50g) mini M&M’s*, plus a few extra for decoration
Instructions
1. Add both sugars and the cold butter in small pieces to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low until the butter and sugar have merged into streusels – you don’t want the sugar and butter to fully combine. Add the chopped chocolate and mix it in briefly. Combine the flour with baking powder and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the bowl and mix to combine. You want the mixture (once again) to look like streusels instead of a typical cookie dough.
2. Lightly whisk the egg with the vanilla extract in a small bowl, then add this to the bowl of the stand mixer and mix everything until the streusels start sticking together. You want a very rough-looking dough. Next, add the mini M&M’s and fold them in with a rubber spatula.
3. Divide the dough into six portions and shape them into balls. Avoid M&M’s sticking out of the dough – if you see them, push them into the dough ball and close the holes. Transfer the balls to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and place them in the freezer overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Place the frozen dough balls with enough space in between on the baking sheet and bake the cookies for about 18-20 minutes – they should look nicely browned all around.
5. Take the cookies out of the oven – if you like, you can press a few M&M’s into the still-soft cookies. Be careful, they are quite hot. If the cookies look a bit deformed, you can adjust their shape slightly at this point as well. Let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet for a moment, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool down completely.
Notes
Let’s get baking!
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