These fall sugar cookies are soft, buttery, colorful, and packed with all the cozy vibes of the season. With mini M&M's in shades of red, yellow, orange, and brown, plus plenty of festive fall sprinkles, these easy cookies are perfect for autumn parties, Halloween gatherings, Thanksgiving dessert tables, or just a fun afternoon of baking.
The best part? There's no complicated decorating involved. Just mix up the dough, stir in the candy and sprinkles, scoop, bake, and enjoy!
If you love cozy fall treats like this, be sure to try our pumpkin spice cookies next!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They're soft, buttery, and easy to make.
- No chilling the dough is required.
- The colorful M&M's and sprinkles make them extra festive.
- They're perfect for parties, holidays, bake sales, and cookie exchanges.
- You can customize them with your favorite fall-colored candies and sprinkles.
Key Ingredients
You can find the complete list of ingredients and the exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Butter: This gives the cookies a rich, buttery flavor and helps create that soft, tender texture everyone loves.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds that classic warm, sweet flavor that makes a simple sugar cookie taste extra delicious.
- Mini M&Ms: The fun part! They add little bursts of chocolate, giving the cookies their festive fall look.
- Fall Sprinkle: These are mostly for decoration, but they make the cookies extra colorful, seasonal, and fun.
Variations
- Chocolate Chip Fall Cookies: Swap some of the mini M&M’s for mini chocolate chips for a chocolatey twist.
- Pumpkin Spice Cookies: Add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the dough for even more fall flavor.
- Maple Fall Sugar Cookies: Replace part of the vanilla extract with a little maple extract for a warm, cozy flavor.
- Candy Corn Cookies: Add candy corn along with the M&M’s for a fun Halloween-inspired version.
- Nutty Cookies: Fold in chopped pecans or walnuts for a little crunch.
- Different Holidays: The basic sugar cookie dough works for other celebrations, too! Just switch out the M&M’s and sprinkles for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, or any other holiday.
How to Make Fall Cookies
1: Cream the butter and sugar. Then, mix in the wet ingredients.
2: Whisk the dry ingredients. Then, mix them into the wet ingredients until just combined.
3: Fold in the Mini M&Ms and fall sprinkles.
4: Next, place dough rounds on a prepared baking sheet.
5: Bake until the edges are slightly golden.
6: Cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes. Lastly, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Use softened butter. Cold butter won’t cream properly with the sugar, so let it sit at room temperature before starting.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Once the flour is incorporated, stop mixing. Overmixing can make cookies tougher.
- Don’t overbake. Pull the cookies from the oven when the edges are lightly golden. They’ll finish setting as they cool.
- Use a cookie scoop. This helps keep all your fall sugar cookies the same size so they bake evenly.
- Add extra toppings. If you want the cookies to look extra festive, press a few additional mini M&M’s or sprinkles onto the tops of the dough balls before baking.
Fall Cookies FAQs
Yes! You can bake these cookies a few days before your party, holiday gathering, or event. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 to 5 days.
Absolutely. Once the cookies have cooled completely, place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
Yes. Scoop the dough into individual portions and place the dough balls on a baking sheet. Freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes if needed.
No. One of the best things about this recipe is that no chilling is required. Once the dough is mixed and the M&M’s and sprinkles are added, you can scoop and bake the cookies right away.
Yes. Regular-sized M&M’s will work in this recipe. Mini M&M’s are a great choice because they distribute more evenly throughout the dough, but you can use whichever size you prefer.
Definitely! The red, yellow, orange, and brown M&M’s give these cookies their fall appearance, but you can easily change the colors for another holiday or celebration.
Yes. Any fall-themed sprinkles will work. You can also customize these cookies for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, birthdays, or other occasions simply by changing the sprinkles and candy colors.
The combination of butter, sugar, and a small amount of corn syrup helps create a soft and chewy texture. Be careful not to overbake the cookies, since they will continue to set as they cool.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. To help keep them soft, you can place a piece of bread in the container with the cookies.
Delicious Pairings for These Fall Sugar Cookies
If you try this recipe and love it, please be sure to leave a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and comment! You can also pin it to save it for later. Also, you can follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Remember to “like” or “follow” us on all social media.
Fall Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon corn syrup
- 1 cup mini M&Ms, red, yellow, orange, and brown
- ½ cup fall sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together for about 3 minutes.
- Beat egg, vanilla, and corn syrup into mixture until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
- Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix.
- Stir in mini M&Ms and fall sprinkles into the cookie dough.
- Using a 1 ½ inch cookie scoop, place rounded cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes or until the edges start to get slightly brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Use softened butter. Cold butter won’t cream properly with the sugar, so let it sit at room temperature before starting.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Once the flour is incorporated, stop mixing. Overmixing can make cookies tougher.
- Don’t overbake. Pull the cookies from the oven when the edges are lightly golden. They’ll finish setting as they cool.
- Use a cookie scoop. This helps keep all your fall sugar cookies the same size so they bake evenly.
- Add extra toppings. If you want the cookies to look extra festive, press a few additional mini M&M’s or sprinkles onto the tops of the dough balls before baking.
Leave a Reply