M&M Cookies

It's been a while since I've posted any recipes - the holidays have had me busy. I hope to get back to a more regular schedule in the near future...

Speaking of the holidays, my family loves cookies this time of year. My absolute favorite cookie recipe comes from my grandmother: M&M Cookies! This recipe is easy to make, but disgustingly unheathly, I'm afraid. But these cookies are oh-so-tasty and keep for months in the freezer.

To bake these cookies start by mixing the following ingredients:

• 2.25 cups of flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup of butter, softened
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 12 oz. bag of regular M&Ms (although I suppose peanut/almond/peanut butter M&Ms would work just as well)

After mixing, place on a baking sheet and bake 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees.

Growing up my cousins and I would spend about a month of the summer at my grandmother's house. She would make batches upon batches of these M&M cookies prior to our arrival, and put them in the freezer. These cookies can be served frozen, thawed, or warmed in the microwave for 5-15 seconds. Regardless of what temperature you consume them, they are delicious and go great with a heaping bowl of French vanilla ice cream, just like we used to have at Grandma's house.

Single Serve Cookies

While there are innumerous recipes for assorted kinds of cookies available online, virtually every recipe explains how to make a batch of cookies (8 to 12, typically). Sometimes, you want one cookie; and you want it now; and you want it warm and gooey and fresh out of the oven. What's a cookie lover to do?

My solution - which, admittedly, doesn't make the best tasting cookies, but is quick, easy, and satisfies that cookie craving without gluttony - is to make a single cookie. Yes, that's right, I bake one cookie. I do this using a toaster oven and my "single serve" cookie recipe. Now, I don't have the amounts for each ingredient down pat, which is what makes cooking these single serve cookies so much fun - each time it a new experience!

Ok, here are the ingredients, mixed in a small bowl:

• A spoonful of brown sugar
• A spoonful of normal, white sugar
• Two to three spoonfuls of flour
• A few drops of vanilla
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of baking soda
• About a quarter-inch from a stick of butter, melted
• A couple Tablespoons of egg beaters (virtually all cookie recipes call for 1 or 2 eggs; since I'm making a single cookie, I need like 1/4 of an egg. Rather than waste an entire egg to only use 1/4 of it, I buy the egg beaters, which comes in a carton and is egg whites, basically)
• A bit of your favorite cookie add-ons - chocolate chips, walnuts, peanut butter, oatmeal, raisins... whatever you fancy and have lying around

Before mixing, I turn on the toaster oven to 350 degrees or so. After mixing all of these with a spoon, I get out a sheet of aluminum foil and spray some Pam on it. I then spread out the cookie dough mix onto the sheet of aluminum foil and let it bake for 10-15 minutes, depending if I'm in the mood for a chewy or crispy cookie.

Once it's done baking, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then enjoy your dessert!