Tag Archives: cookies

M&M Christmas Cookies

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Thick and chewy M&M Christmas cookies with crispy edges, a soft center and bursting with chocolate flavor. Who can resist? The pops of red and green color from the M&M’s make them the perfect dessert to add to your holiday cookie platter. And the double shot of chocolate with both M&Ms and semi-sweet chocolate chips, well, just see for yourself…

For the dough, start by creaming the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla just until combined. Mix in the dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate. Chill the dough for 30 minutes if you have the time.

Bake at 375°F for about 10 to 12 minutes. The edges should be barely golden brown when you remove them. Let set on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. When cooled completely, indulge!

Another much-beloved cookie recipe: Many folks were asking me about the recipe for the Olive Oil Sugar Cookies with Pistachios and Lemon Glaze. You can find the post at this kink.

M&M Christmas Cookies

  • Servings: Yield: 2 dozen
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. fine sea salt
  • ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (more if desired)
  • 1 cup Christmas M&M’s (more for tops if desired)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with beaters. Mix for 1-2 minutes, or until creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix just until combined.
  2. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and M&M’s. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes if time allows.
  3. Using a large cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place any extra chocolate chips or M&M’s on the top of the cookies if desired.
  4. Bake for 10-12 minutes (longer if necessary), or until the edges are barely golden brown. Allow cookies to set on pan for 2-3 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Jamilyn Nye

Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

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A favorite combination for many with a sweet tooth: chocolate and peanut butter. Here, the famous duo meld together seamlessly with a chocolate cookie base that replaces one quarter of the butter with a 1/2 cup of smooth-style peanut butter mixed into the dough.

Another twist in the recipe, was the inclusion of some semi-sweet chocolate chips in addition to the peanut butter chips. Then, as if that isn’t enough, even more peanut butter chips were added atop the dropped raw cookie dough before going into the oven.

The double batch recipe shown below yielded 4 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

  • Servings: Yield: 4 dozen
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup smooth-style peanut butter
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 4 cups peanut butter chips (more for topping)
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease 2 cookie sheets.
  2. Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat first egg into butter mixture. Beat in second egg along with vanilla extract.
  3. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into creamed mixture until just combined. Fold in peanut butter and semisweet chips. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Add 2 or 3 chips to the tops of each cookie mound.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven until edges are set, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets briefly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Michelle Laverdiere for AllRecipes

Dark Chocolate and Pecan Cookies

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Some times you feel like a nut, some times you don’t. In this case, we are talking pecans—not loosing your marbles. With the dark chocolate morsels, they elevate flavor another notch above your typical chocolate chip cookie.

I like to add a whole pecan on top of each cookie after you drop them onto the cookie sheet and before they go into the oven. This takes the guess work out of wondering if they contain nuts for those who deal with nut allergies; or for those who have an aversion to particular nuts, such as walnuts (ahem, my other half).

Make sure your butter is softened, otherwise you won’t obtain a creamy base with which to start.

Dark Chocolate and Pecan Cookies

  • Servings: Yields 3 1⁄2 to 4 dozen
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated whit sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 10 oz. dark chocolate morsels, more for topping
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, more for topping

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. In a small bowl, combine flour baking soda and salt.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Beat in flour mixture gradually. Hand stir in nuts and chocolate morsels.
  6. Drop onto ungreased baking sheets by rounded tablespoon. Top with a whole pecan.
  7. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Switch and turn each cookie sheet after 6 minutes, continue baking.
  8. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely.

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I made another batch a few weeks later and packaged them up for a bake sale.

M&M Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

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Shortbread is a celebration of simplicity—a combination of butter, sugar, and flour that adds up to so much more. Add M&Ms and a chocolate drizzle and you’ll knock it out of the park! And no eggs necessary.

Never made shortbread before? The “short” part refers to the lack of gluten development in this cookie. Liquid activates gluten, but because there’s no liquid in the recipe, the gluten doesn’t have a chance to develop protein that give other baked goods their chewy texture. Since the gluten is kept “short,” you get a tender, crumbly cookie that melts in the mouth.

Of course, you don’t need to know the science behind the dough to end up with tasty cookies!

M&M Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

  • Servings: Yields 4 dozen
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1 1/2 cups M&M chocolate candies (240 pieces)
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, optional for drizzle
  • 2 tsp. shortening, optional for drizzle

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Mix butter, sugar and vanilla thoroughly using an electric mixer. Gradually blend in flour and corn starch.
  3. Form into 1-inch balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Gently flatten each cookie using a flat-bottomed drinking glass rubbed with softened butter and dipped in sugar to prevent sticking. Press M&M’s into top of cookies.
  4. Bake for 30 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown.
  5. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
  6. Drizzle melted chocolate* over the cooled cookies, if desired.

*Optional Chocolate Drizzle:

Place 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips plus 2 teaspoons shortening in a small bowl. Microwave on high for 60 seconds, then stir thoroughly. (If necessary, microwave another 15-30 seconds.) Transfer melted chocolate to a small pastry bag or squeeze bottle and drizzle over cooled cookies. Let dry completely before storing.

http://www.lynnandruss.com