Soft and chewy Smartie Cookies made from scratch. These golden cookies are filled to the brim with white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and colourful Smarties candy. Quick, easy and ready to eat in under one hour!
It’s a Smartie party over here 🥳
I’m madly in love with my new Smartie Cookies. This easy recipe will result in buttery, golden cookies that are packed with chocolate chips (two kinds!) and oodles of Smartie candy.
There’s no chilling the dough, so they’re ready in minutes. And they make for a super festive treat for birthday parties and celebrations.
why you will love this recipe
- The cookies are soft, chewy and buttery
- They are super quick and easy to make
- You don’t need to chill the dough
- They’re packed with chocolate and Smarties!
recipe testing
When I’m out and about with my toddler, I can often be found sampling the leftovers of a kid-intended Smartie Cookie from a local cafe. So I decided it was about time to make my own!
And this easy Smartie Cookie recipe ticks all the boxes. Unlike the store-bought kind that are often dry and crumbly, these cookies are soft and chewy with crispy edges.
I used the base cookie recipe from my popular White Chocolate Chip Cookies. Not only does it make beautifully, buttery cookies, but it’s quick and easy too.
There’s no chilling the dough, so you can be enjoying a plate of these Smartie Cookies in under an hour.
And in addition to crunchy Smarties, I also added a handful of chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Sprinkled with sea salt, they are a real treat!
ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make a batch of my easy Smartie Cookies:
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Caster sugar: Or granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Plain flour: Or all purpose flour.
- Baking soda
- White chocolate chips
- Dark or milk chocolate chips
- Smarties: If you don’t have access to Smarties, you could use M&M’s or Cadbury Gems or another candy coated chocolate.
- Sea salt
how to make Smartie Cookies
The cookie dough for these Smartie Cookies comes together in minutes and you don’t need to chill it. Once the dough is ready, it’s time to scoop, roll and bake! Here’s a snapshot of how to make them, but the detailed instructions are included in the printable recipe card below.
- Mix together the butter and sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add egg and vanilla and mix briefly to combine. Then add flour, baking soda and salt and mix until soft cookie dough forms.
- Finally, stir through all the chocolate chips and Smarties.
- Scoop cookie dough and roll into smooth balls using your hands. Place on prepared trays, leaving room for them to flatten as they bake.
- Bake until golden.
How to store them
Once baked and cooled, Smartie Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Make ahead instructions
If you want to make the cookie dough ahead of time, you can scoop and roll the dough and then freeze it. When you want to bake your Smartie Cookies, simply thaw the cookie dough balls at room temperature and then bake as per instructions below.
tips for perfect Smartie Cookies
- Start with room temperature butter: Make sure your butter is nice and soft (you should be able to easily make an indent with your finger), but not melty or wet.
- Don’t over-mix your cookie dough: Once your cookie dough is combined and your mix-in’s are evenly dispersed, stop mixing.
- Roll them smooth: Use your hands to roll the cookie dough into smooth balls and then place them on your prepared trays. There’s no need to flatten them – they’ll spread out naturally in the oven.
- Try not to over-bake your cookies: Slightly underbaking your cookies will give you a beautifully soft and chewy texture. Remember cookies firm up as they cool.
- Add a few finishing touches: Press a few extra Smarties on top while your cookies are still warm and sprinkle over some sea salt flakes. Perfection!
frequently asked questions
No. Smarties candy won’t melt in this recipe since they are only in the oven for a short amount of time and they’re mostly encased in cookie dough.
You could use M&M’s or Cadbury Gems or another candy coated chocolate. Or you can leave them out for a still delicious chocolate chip cookie.
Cookie spreading often comes down to the temperature of your butter. If your cookies went flat, it’s likely your butter was too warm. It could have been too warm to start with, otherwise over-mixing or too much handling can also make your cookie dough too warm. Next time, try chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking. And read my tips on cookie spreading.
The most common reason for cookies not spreading is adding too much flour. This is very easy to do if you use cup measurements, which is why I’m a big advocate for using a baking scale. Here are more reasons why cookies don’t spread when baked.
more cookies we love
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Let’s Bake
Smartie Cookie Recipe
Easy Smartie Cookies with chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 115 grams (1 stick or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 75 grams (1/2 cup) white chocolate chips
- 75 grams (1/2 cup) dark or milk chocolate chips
- 200 grams (1 cup) Smarties
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line two baking trays or cookie sheets with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugars and beat using an electric beater on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add flour, baking soda and salt and beat again just until a soft cookie dough forms.
- Add chocolate chips and Smarties and mix on a low speed just until chocolate is evenly mixed through the cookie dough. Try not to over-mix.
- Scoop out cookie dough (roughly 1.5 tablespoons each) into balls and place on baking trays, leaving room for the cookies to spread. Place in oven for 11-12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
- Leave cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt.
Notes
Smarties: If you don’t have access to Smarties, you could use M&M’s or Cadbury Gems or another candy coated chocolate. Otherwise you can leave them out for a delicious chocolate chip cookie.
Storage: Once baked and cooled, Smartie Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
Make-ahead: If you want to make the cookie dough ahead of time, you can scoop and roll the dough and then freeze it. When you want to bake your Smartie Cookies, simply thaw the cookie dough balls at room temperature and then bake as per the instructions.
Nutrition Information
Kathryn says
Can I omit the white chocolate chips?
Do I need to replace them with more regular or smarties?
Jessica Holmes says
Of course! And it’s up to you. Either way, they’ll be delicious.
Rose says
Yet again another delicious buttery choc filled cookie! So simple and so yummy!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed them Rose!
Connie says
Love these!! So yummy and easy to make. I made them exactly as is (weighed all my ingredients) and they turned out great. I used M&M’s instead of smarties since that’s what we have in the US. The only thing is, I found that one cup of M&Ms, and one cup of chips is way too many. I think next time I’ll use half a cup of M&Ms in half a cup of chocolate chips, and that will be the perfect balance. Other than that this was great thank you so much for the recipe.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed them Connie! Thank you for your kind feedback.
Josh says
I really enjoyed making these with my toddler!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!