It’s the last weekend of 2012, and I apparently fell off the face of the earth for the week of Christmas.
Oops.
But these were able to bring me back.
Lucky for you, because now I’m able to share these delightful goodies with you, for our last installment of COOKIE MADNESS.
I’m sure you thought cookie madness ended with Christmas. Don’t worry, I did too.
But then, well, like I said… these happened.
Giant, soft, chewy, candy-filled cookies. Oh, and you don’t need to wait for butter to soften, because it’s melted. Oh, and you don’t need to use a mixer, just a sturdy whisk and your arm. Although, if you’ve been slacking off at the gym (like some of us lately), you may want to pull out your hand mixer. It’s easier to lift than the Kitchen Aid anyway.
Oh, and they’re completely delicious. Did I mention that?
Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies
[ Printable Recipe ]
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt (scant)
- 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 to 1 ½ cups mix-ins (chocolate chips, m&ms, even dried fruit if that’s the way you roll)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the flour, scant ½ teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the butter and sugars until they are thoroughly blended. Add the egg, extra yolk, and vanilla. Continue stirring until mixed.
Add flour mixture and continue mixing just until dough forms. Once ingredients are incorporated, gently fold in your mix-ins.
Scoop into dough balls (1/4 cup portions for 18 large cookies or 2 tablespoon portions for 36 smaller cookies).
Roll each ball in your hands, and then gently pull the ball apart at the center, creating two equal-sized half-balls. Press both halves back together with the jagged edges (what used to be the center of the ball) facing up. Try not to feel too ridiculous while doing this. Clearly it’s totally normal, right?
Place the new mutant dough-“balls” on your baking sheet. If you’re doing large cookies, I’d leave at least 2 inches in between each. Large cookies will probably be about 4 inches in diameter, “smaller” cookies will be more… regular-sized.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden and just set. Cool the cookies on their baking sheet at least ten minutes to finish setting. Move to cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Makes about 16 large or 36 small cookies
[ Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated: The New Best Recipe ]
