Recipe: Giant M&M Cookies

Judging by the comments from the cookie batter picture here yesterday, and on Flickr and in my e-mail box, you guys are in need of some sweets. STAT.  I’m here to help.

If you’re a regular reader, you might know how seriously the O’Malley family takes our rainbows.  Which is why you can understand that I take a teensy bit of umbrage that these cookies were originally called Giant Rainbow Cookies.

Colorful they are.

But M&Ms does not a rainbow make.

I do, however, think it would be pretty awesome if the M&Ms crew came out with a rainbow colored pack.

I mean, why the heck not?

You can already order and personalize them with any color you want.

It would be super cool.

And we would certainly be supportive of such a thing.

Back to the cookies.

They were giant.  And we do so love a giant cookie.  Or a monster cookie.  Same thing, right?

The super-size-ness just seems to make them that much more fun.

Because of the unusual method when putting the dough on the cookie sheet, the insides of the cookies are ultra-soft even after they’ve cooled.  And the next day too.

And we do so love that.

And the dough?

Crazygood raw.  I may or may not know that from personal experience.

Last night, we each had a cookie, and then one went to work for a co-worker, and then some were packaged up for Mystic and his kids.  On the way home from an appointment this afternoon, Nick asked about the cookies.  Demanded I count off how many had been distributed, to make sure there were still some at home for him when we got there.

There were.

The recipe says 18 large cookies, using a 1/4 cup measure.  I got 13, and my cups weren’t even close to 1/4 cup full.  So be warned if you want more.  Or like the original 18.  Maybe make them smaller (way less fun) or double the recipe (our vote!).

But either way, official rainbow or not, 13 or 18, bake these babies up.

Tomorrow?  Joyful stuff.

Thursday?  That recipe for the chicken casserole.  Which is more aptly named Cheesy Chicken Strata.  My bad.

xoxo

PS – Did you notice that spiffy new “follow me on Pinterest” button on the sidebar?  I’m pretty stoked that I figured out how to add that there all by myself.  You can reward me by going to follow me, so I can check out your boards too.  My friend Beth is addicted to the point that she wakes up thinking about things she has to pin.  Yeah, it’s that cool.  You need an invite to join, so drop me a line at cate AT sweetnicks DOT com if you need a hook-up.

August 9, 2011 – Bonus Photos

Nick is on a friendship bracelet kick. It always gets a resurgence with summer camp. The string kind. And the plastic lanyard kind. I’m not a big fan of the latter. Mostly because I haven’t figured out a good way of making the knots stay put for him. Is there a secret?  The other kind, the old school kind if you will, I have a soft spot for. You know, ’cause they remind me of when I was young and stuff. This purple, pink and white one was on its way to his sister.

I would love to get a peek at Dunkin’ Donuts corporate training program. Because I am convinced that there is ZERO training when it comes to new product knowledge. We have five DDs within a 7 mile radius and they are all unilaterally the same. You ask for something new and they have no idea it exists. Caramel Almond Iced Coffee? The quizzical look follows. “You know, like THIS PICTURE YOU HAVE HERE?” More quizzical looks. Today I tried to order the Mocha Turtle Praline something or other. The man had no idea what it was and asked me way too many questions about it. How the heck should I know? I don’t WORK AT Dunkin’ Donuts. I swear I didn’t say that but I was totally thinking it. I think Nick holding his head in his hands and lightly beating the counter with it might have been a clue though. Corporate peeps? PLEASE introduce your employees to your new product launches. Let them try it. Teach them the ingredients. And better still, how to make it. ‘Tis good for customer service. I promise.

Giant Rainbow Cookies
Recipe courtesy of How Sweet Eats

makes 18 large or 36 small cookies

2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of salted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini m&m’s (or something else that you love)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the butter and sugars until they are combined (and look like the first picture above). Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to help at one point. Fold in the m&m’s.

Divide the dough how you choose (1/4 cup portions for 18 large cookies or 2 tablespoon portions for 36 smaller cookies). Shape each portion into a ball with your hands then pull each ball into two equal pieces. Turn each half so that the rough side of the half (what used to be the inside of the ball) faces upwards and then squish both halves together. Place the dough rough-side up on a baking sheets. If you’re doing large cookies, I’d leave about 2 inches in between each.

Bake for 12-15 minutes (large cookies) or 8-12 minutes (small cookies) or until the edges are slightly brown. The centers should be
soft and puffy. Do not over bake. Let cool completely then dig in!