Saturday, December 21, 2013

The illustrated guide to M&M cookies

Yesterday, I baked M&M cookies. Here are photographs of each step of the process. I am sorry that you cannot reach into the computer screen and take a taste test of one of these cookies. Who knows? Maybe one day, technology will advance that far. Until then, enjoy!
I started by sifting the dry ingredients, which included two and a quarter cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon of baking soda. After I sifted these ingredients, I added one-third of a cup of cocoa powder to make the cookies "double chocolate." I like the "special dark" cocoa powder because I think that adds a most wonderful flavor and doesn't make the cookies too sweet.

I then set aside the dry ingredients. In the Mixmaster, I creamed one pound of butter (two sticks) with one cup of brown sugar, one-half of a cup of granulated sugar, two teaspoons of vanilla, and two eggs eggs. After that, I added half of a cup of M&Ms to the mix.
Using a teaspoon, I put the batter on my cookie sheet. Twelve cookies per cookie sheet.

This is the fun part. I get to decorate the tops of the cookies with the M&Ms. I chose a variety of color combinations. This is a way in which I get to play with food, only it seems like I am engaged in "serious business," instead of just "playing with food."
I put the cookies into the oven to bake for ten and a half minutes. Even though most recipes call for this type of cookie to be baked in a 375 degree oven, I prefer to bake my cookies in a cooler oven, at 350 degrees. If, like me, you have ovens that are not quite at the right temperature, you'll find that you'll need to adjust your settings to get the desired temperature. I set one oven at 340 degrees and another at 345 degrees. My mom has a third oven, which can be set at 350 degrees. Sometimes, I use all three!!!
Colorful cookies, cooling on the rack.
Freshly baked cookies with a cup of tea, flavored with lemon and honey. The perfect antidote to a cold and dreary day.