Here's everything worth knowing about candy coated chocolate pieces and how to pick them, what they are, how to store them, and what to use instead, plus 15 recipes to cook tonight.

What are candy coated chocolate pieces?

Candy coated chocolate pieces are small chocolate buttons sealed in a thin, hard sugar shell that comes in bright colors. M&M's are the name most people picture, but the generic version sold in bulk and store brands works the same way and costs less.

The shell is the whole point. It keeps the chocolate from melting in your hand and holds its color through the oven.

Most are plain milk chocolate, though peanut and dark versions and a mini size are easy to find. Recipes here use the candy almost interchangeably with the M&M's brand, so treat the two as the same ingredient when you shop.

How to Bake With Them

The shell is what makes these candies a baker's favorite over plain chocolate chips. Stir them into cookie dough and they keep their shape and color instead of bleeding into the crumb, which is why Clover Chip Cookies and Super Cookies lean on them for a speckled, confetti look.

Press a few extra pieces onto the tops of dough balls right before they go in the oven. The ones folded into the center can crack or fade, so the surface candies are what give you that glossy, colorful finish people expect.

They scatter just as well over an unbaked surface. Frosted Christmas Brownies and Easter Basket Cake use them as decoration pressed into wet frosting, and Halloween Chocolate Spiders rely on the candies for eyes and color on no-bake treats.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

These play well with peanut butter, oats, pretzels, and salted nuts, where the crisp shell adds crunch against soft or chewy textures. In a trail mix they become the sweet counterweight to all that salt.

The biggest mistake is overbaking. Past about 350°F (175°C) for more than ten or twelve minutes, the sugar shells crack and the dye runs, leaving muddy halos in light-colored dough. Pull cookies a touch early and let carryover heat finish them.

Color bleed gets worse with moisture. If your batter is very wet or you fold the candies in while warm, expect streaking. Cool the dough first, and save the brightest pieces for pressing on top after baking.

Substitutes

For folding into dough, chocolate chips give you the chocolate without the color or crunch. Chopped chocolate bars work too, though both will melt and spread rather than hold their shape.

When the color is the point, reach for another candy-shelled chocolate. A store brand or mini candy-coated pieces match closest, and candy-coated sunflower seeds cover a nut-free crowd.

For pure decoration on frosting, nonpareils or chopped colored candy stand in fine.

Buying and Storage

Buy them in bulk bags if you bake often. The price per ounce drops well below single-serve packs, and seasonal colors show up around the holidays, from Christmas red and green to Halloween orange and black.

Mini versions distribute better through dough, while standard size reads bolder as a topping.

Stored airtight in a cool, dry cupboard, the candies keep their crunch for many months. Their enemy is humidity, which softens the shell and makes pieces tacky and prone to clumping.

Keep them out of the fridge, where condensation does the same damage. If a bag has gone sticky, it is still safe to eat but will smear in baking.

Quick facts

In Chinese

糖果涂上巧克力片

British (UK) term

Candy coated chocolate pieces

en français

bonbons enrobés morceaux de chocolat

en español

caramelo recubierto piezas de chocolate

Recipes using candy coated chocolate pieces

There are 15 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 15 recipes