4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe – believe it or not, these beauties only take 20 minutes to make from start to finish. And yes, peanut M&M’s are gluten-free here in the UK!

4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe, anyone? They’re crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle BUT you don’t even need flour to make them.

If you go nuts for peanuts, then you will *nut* be disappointed here.

(I won’t charge you for my bad puns, don’t worry)

You’ve got soft, bakery-style peanut butter cookies here, packed with chunky peanut M&M’s that crack open when baked. What’s not to love?

There’s a billion ways you can remix this recipe too – just take my 4-ingredient Snickers cookies for example. So feel free to sub the M&M’s for whatever chocolate you like!

Why make my 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe?

It only takes 20 minutes from start to finish. Simply mix up your 4 ingredients in a bowl, roll into balls and bake. That’s it!
No flour required – this is a flourless recipe.
These need a third of the ingredients you’d need to make ‘proper’ cookies.
They taste AMAZING – just like my ‘proper’ cookies, but take a third of the time to make.
You’d never know they’re gluten-free by tasting them AT ALL. Everyone will love these!
You probably have nearly all the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe already – just go grab some peanut M&M’s.

And what do they taste like? They certainly don’t taste like a ‘gluten-free’ cookie at all, because, well… this recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Yep, my recipe has never had flour in it in the first place – so there’s absolutely zero compromise on taste and texture. These are the exact same cookies that muggles would enjoy!

But from tasting them, you’d never know the difference compared to any other bakery-style cookie. Peanut butter is a magical ingredient that means you don’t need flour!

Every bite has a crisp exterior, with soft, peanut butter cookie dough in the middle, packed with peanut M&M’s. Pure cookie monster perfection.

So I’m sure you’re wondering by now… what are those magical 4 ingredients? Here’s everything you’ll need for my 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe. Keep scrolling until you see the recipe card below if you’re looking for the method ??

4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe: Ingredients

peanut butter
light brown sugar
egg
M&Ms (I used the peanut ones for these, but you can use whichever you prefer)

So I thought I’d kick things off with a little frequently asked questions section – if you just want the recipe, then keep scrolling.

But I’ve thrown in some tips here that will be really helpful if this is your first time baking this, or you want to adapt it. So here they are!

4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe: Frequently asked questions

Can I make this recipe gluten free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?

It is gluten free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!

Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination:

Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make that that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).

Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten free products.

Can I make your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe dairy free?

Sadly, because Peanut M&M’s contain dairy, this recipe can’t easily be made dairy-free, as is.

Of course, if you wanted to omit the Peanut M&M’s for more dairy-free chocolate chips, you’d end up with choc chip peanut butter cookies. So feel free to do so!

Can I make your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe vegan?

Well – not using Peanut M&M’s. But if you use dairy-free chocolate chips instead of Peanut M&M’s, then all you’ve got left to contend with is one egg.

Here’s a few ideas you can use as egg replacements, so each of these = 1 egg.

3 tablespoons of aquafaba – water from a can of chickpeas. Keep the chickpeas for a future dinner!
1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp of water
Egg replacement powder – I’d recommend using Orgran as it’s gluten free.
1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
3 tablespoons of applesauce.

I haven’t tested all of these egg alternatives so let me know how you get on in the comments below ??

Can I make this recipe low FODMAP?

Peanut M&M’s contain lactose which isn’t low FODMAP.

But if you use use dairy-free chocolate chips instead of Peanut M&M’s then one cookie will now be lactose-free and low FODMAP.

That would make this recipe suitable for the elimination phase of the diet.

Is your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe nut free?

Sadly not as Peanut M&M’s contain nuts and we’re using peanut butter in the cookies.

Are M&M’s/Peanut M&M’s gluten-free?

Yes, in the UK, M&M’s are gluten-free! But don’t take my word for it (you never know when things might change after all), here’s a link to it so you can check it for yourself.

I actually use these peanut butter M&M’s in this recipe, which are also gluten-free.

According to Coeliac UK, if a product has no gluten-containing ingredients and no ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat etc. then that makes it safe for Coeliacs and those on a gluten-free diet.

Bear in mind that not ALL variations of M&M’s are gluten-free – I believe the ones with crispy bits in the middle (in the blue packet) contain barley, so be sure to avoid those. I won’t link those here in case anyone gets confused!

Which peanut butter should I use?

You can use either smooth or crunchy! But FYI – I used the cheaper kind of peanut butter to make these, NOT the more expensive natural nut butters.

You’re more than welcome to give the more natural nut butters a try, but I can’t guarantee how they’ll turn out as I’ve never tried them.

Can I make your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies in a food processor or standing mixer?

You’re more than welcome to use either to initially bring the dough together. I personally prefer to use an electric hand whisk for this part – here’s a link to the electric whisk I use.

For me, a stand mixer or electric whisk would be my first choice. I find that a food processor is better suited to mixing up wetter mixtures (like cake batter) and that’s about it.

Just make sure that you fold in your Peanut M&M’s or chocolate chips by hand.

Can I make your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe by hand?

You can of course, bake this without any assistance from any appliance – just a good ol’ fashioned silicone spatula will do.

Just make sure you give it a lot of welly, otherwise your mixture won’t be consistent and might not bake properly.

Do I need any special equipment to bake your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe?

Nope – all you’ll need is a large baking tray and some non-stick baking paper.

Does this recipe need xanthan gum?

You’ll see xanthan gum in a lot of my recipes as it’s an essential ingredient in gluten free baking. But not with this one, it’s not required!

Do I need weighing scales to bake your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe?

In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any of my recipes without them.

A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities and for me, baking is all about consistency and precision. I want you to make this recipe and for it to turn out EXACTLY like mine did.

I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement and replicating my recipe as accurately as poss.

Can I bake your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe with less sugar / without sugar?

The fewer the ingredients, the more important the sugar comes. Without sugar, you’ll just end up with baked peanut butter, which I’m not sure if that’s even a thing!

How long can I keep your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies for?

I’ve kept these for 3-5 days in an air-tight container with no problems.

Can I freeze your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies?

Of course! I’ve frozen them for up to 2-3 months no problem. Make sure you slice them up before freezing, then, you can easily defrost a few slices at a time instead of the entire thing.

When you want to enjoy one, each slice should take around 3 hours to defrost at room temperature.

How can I tell when my 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies are done?

They should be nice and crisp on the outside with a slightly cracked surface.

Bear in mind they’ll be really soft until they’ve fully cooled, so don’t poke them to check if they’re done – it’s not much help with cookies!

Needless to say, if they’re hard and crunchy once cooled, not crisp and chewy in the middle, then they’re probably over-baked.

Can I eat the cookie dough?

Well, I suppose the sensible answer is that they contain egg and eating raw egg isn’t the most advisable thing in the world…

So, the official answer is no, don’t eat the cookie dough!

Can I print your 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe?

Yes! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)

4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe: Method

Oh and here’s a printable version of my 4-ingredient Peanut M&M’s cookies recipe. Please remember to give it 5 stars if you tried it and enjoyed it as it helps people know it’s worth trying too! ⭐️ Feel free to leave your written reviews in the comments below this post.