Lookie here! You don’t even need a mixer. You just mix all the goods with a whisk. Don’t have a whisk? Spoons work too.
Add some super cute rainbow candies… aka mini m&m’s. You could add regular m&m’s. Really… whatever floats your boat.
This is the weird part. Roll your dough into a ball then rip it apart evenly with Hulk Hogan strength.
Bake cookies like this. Laugh because they look funny. Cry because you are ridiculous.
Not even joking. Really bake your cookies like this. It’s the SECRET.
While your cookies are baking, admire the adorable slash colorful slash overflowing bowl of mini m&m’s that you opened two bags of m&m’s for just so you could show all of your invisible internet friends what an m&m bathtub looks like.
After your cookies bake and cool and you inevitably burn the skin off the roof of your mouth because you’re really a child with no patience, flip it over and look at how pretty it’s cookie butt is. Colorful cookie butt.
Stack up some giant rainbow cookies and set them by your overflowing m&m bathtub bowl. Pour a mason jar full of milk so you can photograph your cookies for your invisible internet friends, even though you hate milk and don’t even like to dip cookies in it.
Talk to your cookies because they are so pretty and perfect.
This recipe was sent to me by a reader, Gabrielle (Hi Gabrielle!), and as soon as it hit my inbox I knew I had to make them. I can easily say this is the best cookie I have ever made and that is no exaggeration. Ask Gabrielle… because I professed my love for her immediately like a complete weirdo.
Up until now, I have been using my fat snickerdoodle recipe… which took me hours upon hours to perfect, as the base for newer cookie recipes like my blueberry cookies and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I can say with almost 100% certainty that this will be the only cookie recipe I use for the time being… because if you can’t tell, I’m infatuated. With a cookie. Haaaalp me.
Giant Rainbow Cookies
makes 18 large or 36 small cookies
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of salted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini m&m’s (or something else that you love)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the butter and sugars until they are combined (and look like the first picture above). Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold in the m&m’s.
Divide the dough how you choose (1/4 cup portions for 18 large cookies or 2 tablespoon portions for 36 smaller cookies). Shape each portion into a ball with your hands then pull each ball into two equal pieces. Turn each half so that the rough side of the half (what used to be the inside of the ball) faces upwards and then squish both halves together. Place the dough rough-side up on a baking sheets. If you’re doing large cookies, I’d leave about 2 inches in between each.
Bake for 12-15 minutes (large cookies) or 8-12 minutes (small cookies) or until the edges are slightly brown. The centers should be
soft and puffy. Do not over bake. Let cool completely then dig in!
Note: to melt the butter I simply microwaved it, and to let it cool I allowed it to sit for about 10 minutes.
ETA: a few readers have told me that this is the same recipe as Cooks Illustrated chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Finally, take one single bite of your cookie since you are the epitome of self control, then neatly pack them up to share with others. Do not eat any more cookies, ever, because you are always satisfied with one bite of dessert.
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These are great! First few times I made them they turned out good.
But if you’re thinking about making the dough one night, sticking them in the fridge, and then baking the cookies the next night, don’t. Dough takes forever to soften back up.
“COOKIE BUTT” She said butt! LMBO! First time I have ever heard of a cookie having a butt, love it. I just bought some CINNAMON M&M’s and can’t wait to try them with this recipe. Thank you for posting, first time at your blog and totally love your recipes and snarkiness!
Hey Jessica! Had to tell you that I just made these, and they are amazing! I’m bringing them to my husband’s work Christmas party tonight, and I know that they are going to be a big hit! Thanks so much! I’ll be blogging about them soon, and I will definitely be linking up your recipe and giving you all the credit! You rock!
This is my go to cookie base now!
I divided the cookie dough into four portions and added different mix-ins to each one. It was wonderful.
And one of mine actually came out looking like a butt… ;D
I like these cookies, except everytime i make them i always have to add at last 1 cup more flour becauase the dough is too sticky. also when i rip them apart and stack them before baking it doesnt look or taste any different then when i just drop spoonfulls onto the pan
OH. MY. GOD. So delish. Thanks for the super-awesome recipe and the always entertaining blog!
These cookies are in the oven, and I had the same issue as mentioned by another person–the dough turned out a bit sticky (more like a cake, despite efforts not to over mix.) I added about 2 tablespoons more flour and decided to do a test run (I’ll go look in a few in hopes that my cookies are not melding into one giant cookie!) Either way, I can tell Im already in trouble because this is the BEST tasting cookie dough straight outta the bowl EVER! Cross your fingers for me.
These cookies are the best thing I’ve ever baked. And I’ve made your better than crack brownies before lol! Jessica, this recipe is perfection and I will, without a doubt, use it as my go-to basic cookie recipe for different add ins. I think it is the extra egg yolk that makes them extra gooey and soft. I brought them into work and people were asking if I bought them from the store! You are amazing. Thank you for the wonerful recipes!!
Just stumbled upon your blog, and these look delish!
Love that you posted the reality of the fact that we do so many little things like pouring milk just for the sake of the photo composition. keep it real!
I had to share that I made two batches of these & they came out PERFECT!!
Any complaints on the recipe could probably be contributed to eggs not being at room temp or butter either not softened or not cooled. I followed the recipe exactly as listed (butter was cooled in freezer, though, due to my impatience), and the cookies were a hit at two birthday parties.
I also used the dough as a base for my “giant thin mint cookies”, subbing out the m&ms for crushed up thin mint Girl Scout Cookies and then “stuffed” them with thin mint cookies. My boyfriend took them to work and I’ve been getting requests ever since!!!!
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