From The Candy Jar To The Cookie Jar

It's been a few days since my last post.  Okay, okay... it's been a week.  I did use my time away from posting to plan new upcoming posts.  Including three new upcoming series of themed posts!  The first one is...  "Baking From The Candy Jar"  There just might be some hints of what is to come in this series in the cleverly crafted photo above.  First up... M&M cookies!

M&M cookies are probably my third favorite cookie.  I've loved them since I was a kid.  I've been looking for the perfect recipe from my childhood since my late teens.  I could never seem to find it.  The recipe I was looking for was NOT merely a chocolate chip cookie recipe that switched the chocolate chips for M&Ms.  While reading some recipes online last week, I finally came across the one I've been looking for!  It was titled, "Oldie But Goodie M&M Cookie Recipe."  I couldn't wait to try it!  So let's get started....

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces

As you may have noticed (or maybe not) from the picture, I made a couple of changes to the ingredients.  I used half a cup of shortening (butter flavored) and half a cup of butter.  My Meemaw taught me this trick when I first started baking when I was little.  It makes cookies turn out better.  I never questioned it  (Meemaw said so!), but have learned through trial and error that she is correct.  Also, instead of using 1 1/2 cups of M&Ms, I used the whole bag.  You can never have too much chocolate.  (The Princess says so!)

Ok, I know what you are thinking (if you are anything like me).  Princess, these ingredients are VERY similar to chocolate chip cookie ingredients.  And you are correct, but the measurements are a bit different, and besides the recipe is called an oldie but goodie... so we are pressing forward and hoping to not be disappointed.  Don't doubt The Princess!  :-p

Preheat your oven to 350 and in a large bowl mix sugars, eggs and vanilla thoroughly.

Yep, they are all in there.  Some of them are hiding but if you look hard enough, you can see all of the above mentioned ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.  Add the flour mixture to creamed mixture gradually, blending well...

Now the fun part...  add the M&Ms!  The recipe said to add 3/4 cup to the mixture and then has you push a few into each cookie as you drop it on the cookie sheet.  But I say, no way!  Come on, being surprised at how many (or how few, as the case may be) M&Ms you get in your cookie is half the fun of eating them!  Why ruin the surprise.  I say dump them all in at once...

It is trickier than you think to capture this moment, while pouring M&Ms and shooting the camera yourself...   just saying.  :)  Mix them into the batter, I went old school at this point and mixed them in by hand.  I still do the same thing with chocolate chips...  does anyone mix them in with the mixer?  I just always switched back in the day, you know, pre-kitchenaid, so I still do it that way.  Hmmm.... now I'm curious, it never crossed my mind to try it in the mixer, hmmm... maybe next time.  Anyway, here is the dough all mixed up and finished...

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.  (The recipe actually said that.)  Here is another baking tip that I learned from Meemaw...  while your first batch is in the oven, get the  next batch ready to go in the oven on another cookie sheet!  It cuts your baking time in half.  As the first batch comes out of the oven, put the waiting one in, move the first batch to the cooling rack and get the third batch ready to go in on the cookie sheet you just emptied.  Repeat until your batter is all gone.  I got 40 cookies out of this recipe.

I couldn't wait to taste these!  I was so hoping that they were the recipe I remembered from my childhood.  (Yes, I was way confident at the beginning of this post.  Don't worry I tasted them before I started this post, so I have reason to be confident.  But you are skipping ahead, be patient!  :-P)

Doesn't it look temptingly delicious?  I can't wait anymore!  I have to try it!  They look right.  They smell right.  Could it be?  I finally found the recipe after all these years???

I did!  This is THE one!  They are so yummy.  Simple, sweet, buttery, chocolatey...  yummy!  You need to try these.  They are super simple and will take you back to your childhood...  or at least to my childhood.  Enjoy!