All the fun in half the time!Valentine Chocolate M&M Sheet Pan Cookies are a mix and bake cookie recipe – no rolling into balls and no baking in batches!
VALENTINE CHOCOLATE M&M SHEET PAN COOKIES
The first time I made a sheet pan cookie was at Christmastime. I used the exact same recipe that I’m using here for a Valentine’s Day version. I’m so in love with this recipe. You you get all of the flavours of a great cookie in less time.
For those of you who love chewy cookies, and for those of you who prefer a crunchier cookie, this recipe provides both of you with your favourite cookies from the same batch. Whenbaked, the edge of the cookies that are pressed against the sheet pan. Those are crispy, while the center pieces are chewy and super moist.
This particular version of a sheet pan cookie is just screaming everything pink and Valentine’s day. Try switching out the colours for another theme, if you prefer.
BAKING WITH M&M CANDY
That’s one of my favourite things about baking with M&Ms. They have to be the most recognized candy on the planet. And, the good folks over at the M&M factory make sure we have those candies available in almost every colour and every flavour.
Nearly two years ago, I was attending a work conference in Florida. My besties and workmates, Lesli and Margaret were there too. We decided to go shopping and in our travels, we hit up a Walmart. Since both John.e and McKenna love M&Ms dearly, I decided to bring them back a few packages.
Well, in the United States, M&Ms are available in a large variety of colours and flavours. In Canada, I can think of maybe four or five different varieties. And the price of a large bag of M&Ms in the United States is sooooooo much cheaper!
I bought so many packages that I was sure my luggage was going to be way over in excess weight. I was right. It was way over. But, the good people at West Jet let my luggage go through without asking me to pay extra luggage fees.
So, if pink and red is not your thing, or if you boycott Valentine’s Day completely, you can use just the red and white M&Ms for Canada Day. Or, try red, white, and blue for 4th of July celebrations. There’s black and orange for Halloween, pastels for Easter, and of course, my favourite, red and green for Christmas!
To be completely honest with you, Dear Reader, this cookie recipe has to be the best and the easiest cookie recipe you will ever get your hands on. Please, please, please save this recipe – especially if you have kids!
For you moms and dads who have those forgetful kids that tell you the night before that they have to bring something to school the next morning for a bake sale or for some other school event,Chocolate Chip M&M Sheet Pan Cookies will save the day and will also save your sanity. Did you save this recipe yet? Do it! 🙂
Here’s the recipe. Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
All the fun in half the time! Valentine Chocolate M&M Sheet Pan Cookies are a mix and bake cookie recipe – no rolling into balls and no baking in batches!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In large bowl, use a hand-held mixer to beat together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat until just combined.
Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the M&Ms. Stir into the cookie batter using a wooden spoon.
Spread the cookie dough as evenly as possible onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Don’t get too worried about the dough being even. It will expand and fill in the gaps during the baking process.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips and M&Ms, along with the candy sprinkles. Return to over and bake for 5-7 more minutes.
Remove from oven. Allow to cool, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Carefully slide the giant cookie off of the sheet pan and onto a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Once completely cooled, slice into large bars.
Notes
Sheet Pan: I am using a two thirds sheet pan (also referred to as a three quarter size sheet pan) and measures 21″ by 15″.
How to Tell When Chocolate Chip Cookies Are Done. Chocolate chip cookies are done when they have a firm golden edge or bottom and appear slightly set on top. If the edges become dark brown, they are overbaked. If edges aren't golden and tops are soft and shiny, bake a little longer.
You always want to use chilled cookie dough—even if that means putting it back into the refrigerator after you shape it. If you're using balls of cookie dough, form them tall to give them plenty of room to spread down as the ingredients melt.
Adding it to the pre-made dough will give it more sweetness, a chewier texture, moisture and that homemade flavor you're craving. You can also melt butter with brown sugar and incorporate it into the dough for extra tender, chewier cookies.
Baking soda also serves another important purpose when it comes to cookies: It encourages spreading by raising the mixture's pH, which slows protein coagulation. This gives the dough more time to set before the eggs set, which results in a more evenly baked cookie.
Double the batch with another chocolate chip cookie mix or get funky and use a second flavor, like the peanut butter cookie mix, instead. Flavor Twist: To give your cookies a comforting and tasty twist, add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dry chocolate chip cookie mix, before creating the dough.
We've found that the optimal temperature for cookie baking is 350F. It gives the butter in the dough time to melt and lightly spread before the remaining ingredients cook through. When your oven is too hot, it rushes this process, resulting in a puffy, dry and potentially burnt batch.
Remove cookies from the baking sheet as soon as they set. Most recipes tell you to leave them on for three to five minutes after taking them out of the oven. That time on the cookie sheet is still baking time because the sheet is hot.
In an oven preheated to 350 degrees F, the chocolate chip cookies should be perfectly baked in about 10 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and the cookies should be mostly set (they'll continue to set as the cool).
Try using baking powder instead of baking soda. Baking soda encourages spreading while baking powder puffs the cookies up. If your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking soda, you would use 3 to 4 teaspoons of baking powder. Caution: This could result in an unwanted flavor shift.
If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.
Just before the dough goes in the oven, I take each ball of dough, and flatten it slightly. I then press chunks of chopped chocolate onto the top. You can add some of the chocolate dust from chopping too. Then I squeeze it back into a ball, and place it on the baking sheet.
Try adding macadamia nuts and white vanilla baking chips, or pack a double punch of peanut flavor with peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts. Make salted butterscotch-pecan cookies by swapping in butterscotch chips and chopped pecans, and then sprinkling your cookies with coarse salt before baking.
A teaspoon or two of extracts will noticeably boost flavor when blended into your sugar cookie mix. Vanilla is the obvious choice. For a more intriguing flavor, add both vanilla and almond extracts. Rum, maple and anise are other delicious varieties to consider.
Place a piece of bubble wrap in the box, followed by a piece of tissue paper.Layer the cookies in the box, 4 cookies per layer, with bubble wrap and tissue paper in between each layer. I pack as many as 16 cookies in an 8x8x5" box. Place a piece of bubble wrap on top and close the lid.
Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
