These Valentine Chocolate Chip Cookies are filled with chocolate chips, cupid mix M&Ms, and Valentine’s sprinkles. Golden and crisp on the outside with a soft center, they have layers of chocolate flavor, are colorful and fun for the holiday, and are perfect for sharing with family and friends.
What we love about these Chocolate Chip Valentine Cookies
A couple of weeks ago, I made these cookies for my son’s end-of-the-season club volleyball party and had a lot of requests for the recipe. They are a fun and delicious cookie for Valentine’s Day, but can also be made with different colored M&Ms and sprinkles for different holidays and occasions.
I love the combination of the semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate M&Ms and the sprinkles add a little sweetness and festivity to the cookie. There’s something about the chocolate combination that makes the cookie taste balanced and a bit indulgent. They are so colorful and fun, kids love them, and the best part is they taste as good as they look.
I love the texture of the cookies as well, slightly crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. They are crunchy, soft, buttery, sweet, chocolately, and honestly a little nostalgic all in one bite, because who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie, plus one with colorful M&Ms?
Looking for Valentine’s treats? Try our delicious Heart Shaped Shortbread Cookies, our White Chocolate Popcorn Valentine’s Mix, our Cherry Bars, Cream Cheese and Strawberry Pie, or our Cherry and Cream Cheese Pie.
What you need to make these Valentine’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
You will need the following ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Milk chocolate M&Ms cupid blend
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Valentine’s sprinkles mix
Chocolate Chip Valentine’s Cookies Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You could substitute chocolate chunks for the chocolate chips.
- You could substitute white chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips. They will have a sweeter flavor. I like the balance of the semi-sweet chips with the milk chocolate M&Ms. You could also add 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips or do half and half.
- This is a versatile recipe you can use any time of year. Substitute the M&M colors and sprinkle mix for the holiday or occasion of your choice.
- You could add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, or other nuts if you would like to add nuts to the cookies.
- I have not tried making these dairy-free, gluten-free, or egg-free, but gluten-free flour, dairy-free butter, or an egg substitute may be possible; I just can’t guarantee the results.
- If you don’t have sprinkles, you can omit them as well. I would add 1/4 cup more chocolate chips or M&Ms to substitute.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2. In a separate large bowl with an electric mixer, or with a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and blend until thoroughly mixed in. Mix the dry ingredients into the dough just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not over-mix. Mix in the M&Ms, chocolate chips, and sprinkles just until evenly distributed. The dough will be stiff.
Step 3. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop dough onto the prepared cookie sheet and space about 2 inches apart. After placing them on the cookie sheet, with your fingers, shape them so they are a little taller like a column. This helps them bake into a slightly thicker cookie.
Step 4. Bake cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and right after they are removed, I like to take about a 3-inch cookie cutter or glass cup and move it in a circular motion to nudge the edges to make a more perfect circle. I also like to press a few extra M&Ms or chocolate chips into the cookies.
Step 5. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2-5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips
- I recommend keeping parchment paper on hand; it is especially helpful when baking cookies. Lining your pan with parchment paper helps prevent cookies from spreading when baking, which in turn helps prevent your cookies from becoming too thin and crispy. The cookies won’t stick to your pan, and pans are much easier to clean up. Also, the parchment paper creates a thin layer between the cookies and the pan, which helps promote even browning and prevents hot spots on your pan that may cause cookies to burn.
- I love using a cookie scoop when making cookies so that the cookies are a uniform size and shape. I use a medium cookie scoop for this recipe, which makes a scoop of about 2 tablespoons. I really like the one from Pampered Chef or this scoop from Amazon works great as well.
- Also, I love my USA pan baking sheets, they cook so evenly, are high quality, and long-lasting.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can the cookie dough be made in advance? |
| The USDA says that cookie dough is safe in the fridge for 2-4 days. I have had a lot of success making this dough the day before, covering the dough in the fridge, and cooking the cookies the next day if I didn’t have time to bake them the day I made the dough. Before baking, keep the dough out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or the dough will be hard to scoop. |
| How do I store Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate Chip cookies? |
| a. Store cookies in an air-tight container. I use a Tupperware container and use parchment paper to separate the layers when stacking so they don’t stick together. For best quality, store cookies at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, and in the freezer for 3 months. b. You can also freeze cookie dough. Scoop them into 2-tablespoon portions and place them individually on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen, they can be frozen in a sealed bag or container for up to 2 months. To thaw, set them on a cookie sheet ready to bake and let them sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes while the oven preheats. I recommend cooking them at a lower temperature, 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then baking them for a little longer, 10-12 minutes, keeping an eye on them. |
Valentine Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Valentine Chocolate Chip Cookies are filled with chocolate chips, cupid mix M&Ms, and Valentine’s sprinkles. Golden and crisp on the outside with a soft center, they have layers of chocolate flavor, are colorful and fun for the holiday, and are perfect for sharing with family and friends.
15
minutes40
minutes36-40
cookies55
minutesIngredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, using the spoon and level method for measuring flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup milk chocolate M&Ms (cupid mix), plus extra for topping the cookies if desired
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup Valentine’s sprinkles mix
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, at medium speed, beat together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the mixture to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Stir in the M&Ms, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. The dough will be stiff.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet and space the dough 2 inches apart. After placing them on the cookie sheet, with your fingers, shape them so they are a little taller, like a column. This helps them bake into a slightly thicker cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are just turning golden brown. Carefully remove them from the oven, and right after they are removed, I like to take about a 3-inch cookie cutter or glass cup and move it in a circular motion to nudge the edges to make a more perfect circle. I also like to press a few extra M&Ms or chocolate chips on top of the cookies so you can see them on the cookie tops.
- Leave on the cookie sheet to cool for 2-5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve when cooled to room temperature or store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Notes
- To make your cookies in the best circular shape, right when you pull them from the oven, put a glass cup or a 2.5 to 3-inch circle cookie cutter around a cookie and move it around in a circular shape to help nudge the edges to make a more perfect circle.
- Another tip to make cookies look even better is right when the cookies are out of the oven place a few chocolate or white chocolate chips on the top of the cookies in places where you don’t see any of the mix-ins.
- I recommend lining your cookie sheet with parchment paper for even browning, to prevent spreading and sticking, and to help with clean up. For more information, read the tip above.
- To measure your flour, spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level off the top using a knife or straight-edged utensil for best results.
- It takes 30 minutes to 1 hour for butter to come to room temperature. I recommend just placing the butter on the counter to soften before making the cookies instead of softening the butter in the microwave, where the butter can melt. Melted butter in this recipe can cause cookies to flatten more and turn out slightly more dense.
These were so soft and chewy. I made them for my kiddos class and they were a hit!
That makes me so happy to here! They really are a fun kid-favorite! My son shared them with friends at a get together too and they loved them. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback!
I had these cookies and they taste AMAZING! They look adorable and were perfect for my daughter’s birthday/Valentines party. Perfect pop of color for the pink and red theme. Delicious and adorable- these cookies are a hit!
I absolutely love hearing that! I am so glad they were enjoyed at her party! They really are a festive treat and I love that the kids enjoyed them. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your feedback Mandy!
These chocolate chip cookies with a Valentine’s theme were perfect for our bake sale. They flew off the table!
This makes me happy to hear! I’m so glad they helped with your bake sale and were enjoyed! They really are fun for the season. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback!
Loved the texture of these! Also love that I can change out the M&M colors for different holidays!
Thanks so much! They really are so fun and versatile for different seasons. Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback!
I made these for a little get-together with friends, so fun, colorful, and everyone couldn’t stop eating them!
I’m so glad to hear it! They really are a fun and yummy cookies. Thanks for leaving your feedback!
I made these for our Galentine celebration and they were so delicious the perfect texture e
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them! We made these several times for different occasions this year, and they were a big hit. Thanks for taking time to leave your feedback!