The Easy Step To Make Your Candy-Stuffed Cookies Even Better

When making cookies, you can't go wrong with mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, and raisins. But sometimes, swapping them out for candy can be a tastier and more visually appealing option. M&M's are a well-known substitute for chocolate chips, but per Jeff Mauro's suggestion, you can even use chopped-up Reese's Cups, Snickers, and Butterfingers. It's an easy way to add flavors like caramel, nougat, and peanuts to your cookies while also transforming the texture with a bit of extra chew or crunch.

Before adding candies to your cookie dough, it's a good idea to first freeze them, Lil Luna says. Not only does this make them easier to cut, but it also allows ingredients like caramel to melt at a slower rate, so they don't burn or overcook before the cookies finish baking. Then, as with any other mix-in, you can incorporate candy into cookies simply by folding it into the dough. However, there's also another way to go about it that can make your cookies look and taste better.

Next time you make a batch of candy-stuffed cookies, set aside some of the mix-ins for the top. According to Broma Bakery, pressing extra candy into each cookie dough ball is an easy way to pack in more flavor and show off all the delicious layers of your favorite chocolate bars (via Instagram). Rather than tiny pieces of candy peaking through the dough, you'll be able to see and taste it with every bite.

Many recipes for chocolate chip cookies call for this same trick — Disney even makes one where the dough is completely rolled around in chocolate chips, according to Justine Doiron — but when it comes to candy, you may have to be a bit more strategic. As Two Peas & Their Pod points out, candy that has caramel in it tends to ooze everywhere and inevitably stick to the pan, so it's best to keep those inside the cookie. Otherwise, any candy you want to top your cookie with is fair game.