Whom amongst us doesn’t love a good cookie AND M & M’s? Exactly. So, combined, they make the perfect treat. I used mini M & M’s because I found a big bag of them in the grocery store and HAD TO BUY THEM.

I’ve made M & M cookies before using the Toll House Cookie recipe. They were okay. This recipe is just different enough that it is better suited for M & M’s. The same ingredients are used, for the most part, in different proportions.  I like soft cookies. There, I said it. The secret to soft cookies is cornstarch. You only need a little. I also chilled the batter. This process helps keep them from spreading out on the baking sheet. I left them in the fridge for over an hour. They didn’t spread and were chewy. Perfection!

I made 1/2 the recipe, just in case, the first time. Next time I will make the whole recipe and freeze the cookies. I do this with chocolate chip cookies. You can freeze the balls of batter and cook them later. I prefer to cook them all at once and freeze the cooked cookies. They taste delicious frozen. Ha!

Let’s bake cookies!

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup butter at room temperature, salted or unsalted

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

2 cups M & M plain chocolate candies, I like the mini ones

If you aren’t going to chill the batter, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together. Add in the eggs and mix until the color lightens and batter seems to expand. It takes about 2 minutes. It will seem like eternity, and you can stop at 1 minute. You are trying to get air into the batter. Add the vanilla extract until combined.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer on a low speed. I’ve worn flour. It’s not a good look on me. When the dry ingredients are mixed in completely, stir in the candy with a spatula or spoon.

You can chill the batter now or proceed to baking them. Roll the cookie dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough. Place on prepared pan leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.

Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes. Start watching them around 8 minutes. They are done when they start to become a light golden brown.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, so they can set. Then you put them on a rack or the inside of cut open paper bags. Paper bags are the old school method of cookie cooling! They absorb a little grease/butter too.

Here is the original recipe

Put on some tea water and grab a cookie or two. You deserve a break!

Note: You can gently press additional candies onto the warm cookies, for a prettier presentation. WHY?