Hi Everyone!
Happy Saturday to you! Today’s recipe was made twice this week! I made it the first time and it tasted so yummy, but there was one problem, the pictures! They turned out just horrible! So I got up early on the weekend and re-made the cookies again, so I can take photos of them during the good light. Funny, my old camera takes great pictures in the evening, but my new camera needs natural light and the best lighting in my house is between 10am and 1pm. I think I need to quit my day job just so I can photograph food! I wish!! I guess a girl can dream!
Anyway back to today’s recipe! Today’s recipe is a buttery, delish Easter cookie, chock full of pastel M&M’s. Everyone has their secret indulgences and I have a few, and I have to say M&M’s is one of them! I don’t think there is an M&M I haven’t met that I don’t love. Whenever the holiday time comes and they have colored M&M’s I have to buy a big bag of them. My Husband only loves Peanut M&M’s and he buys them weekly. I try to restrain myself from eating them, but my gosh is that hard!! I can’t resist those colored little chocolate gems. You know what? My favorite ones are the orange and green and for the pastels I love the pink, purple and blue. You know they taste better in those colors. lol, I think they taste the same no matter what color you get. I won’t even get started on the pretzels, coconut, mint ect… flavors, that would be a whole another post!
Ok, I am so getting off the topic of these cookies. These cookies are lightened up because I used less sugar in them. As I always say, I always use less sugar whenever I add a chocolate treat to my cookies. I think that is why my cookies turn out kind of puffy. I realized that if I add a cup or more of sugar to a cookie they flatten and turn crisp. I’d rather have a nice puffy, crunchy cookie with a soft middle then all of the additional sugar and you don’t miss the sweetness in them. Oddly enough, my Husband agrees too! He actually likes puffy cookies better, but I think it’s because that is what he is used too. lol Oh and get this, each one of these Buttery M&M cookies are only 66 calories! Not to shabby for a cookie with candy in it!
Making the cookies are super easy, they contain basic household ingredients, butter, sugar, flour, egg, vanilla, ect… I just mixed up my batter and baked for 10 minutes. I baked them just until the bottom of the cookie is lightly golden. I wanted them a little under baked so they were guaranteed to be soft in the middle and yes they turned out nice and soft!!
When I told my Husband that I made a second batch of these cookies for him he was so happy. He took the whole last batch to work and he said his friend Tom kept eating them. I told him, did you tell Tom I made another batch? He said no way!! I was told that when I bake goodies for my Husband to take to work, he covers it on his tool box so no one knows. I think that’s kind of sweet that he doesn’t want to share. ha ha
I had leftover batter with the cookies and I didn’t want to bake another batch, so as a little bonus treat, I made my Husband a Butter M&M Bazookie cookie! I just took the batter and put it in a little tart shaped ramekin sprayed with cooking spray and baked it for 10 minutes or so. I added extra M&M’s for him. He likes these little bazookie, I think it makes him feel special, which he is! I love to put a smile on his face and if you make a little bazookie for that special someone, I can guarantee they will smile too. Just remember it was about 8 cookies to make this bazookie and that is a lot of calories! That’s why I didn’t make it for me.
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. cream of tarter
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup egg substitute or 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ¾ cup M&M's, milk chocolate flavored
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set a side.
- In a bowl, add flour, cream of tarter, salt and baking soda; set a side.
- In a large bowl add butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until creamy. Beat in flour mixture, until just incorporated.
- Stir in M&M's.
- Using a teaspoon size cookie scoop, drop cookie dough about 2" apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
I have to say these are one of my favorite cookies! Since I made a second batch of them, I froze them. They actually taste really good frozen too! I’m kind of crazy like that. I always freeze my cookies for later and my Husband leaves them out to defrost naturally. It’s the best of both worlds!
Well my Friends! Since I was away this past week, I need to start making some recipes for next week! Any suggestions on what I should make? Any special Easter treat that you love to make this time of year? Actually I’m craving deviled eggs. Think Ill make them today too! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Toodles,
Jennifer
Red Velvet Cookies
Brookies (brownie + cookie)
Lemon Snowball Cookies
Apple, Walnut and Cranberry Stuffing
I love the pastel M&M’s in your cookies Jennifer. They definitely look likght and fluffy. Is that what the cream of tarter does to them.
I basically took my snickerdoodle recipe and made these cookies instead, so yup it was the cream of tarter!
These are so pretty Jennifer and I love that special cookie you made for you hubby, so sweet! I know he loved it. Have fun with the deviled eggs. I know you’ll come up with something wonderful!
Ahhh, thank you Chris! I have been on that egg kick and plan on making some fun deviled eggs this week!