Saturday, February 9, 2008

M&M Cookies

I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. When it seems that I just can’t escape talk of love and romance, all I can think of is how obnoxious this must be to those who aren’t all coupled-and-loving-it. On the other hand, I do have a soft spot for the color pink, and I will jump at any reason to make cute cookies. So, just to be clear, this post is not in honor of Valentine’s Day. This post is in honor of cute cookies.

Just look at these:

When I saw these Valentine’s Day M&Ms, I had one thought: I have to make cookies with these.

I used the same cookie recipe that I always use. I found this recipe when I was in college, and it was the first time I ever made chocolate-chip cookies from scratch. And let me tell you something—I may not have known how to pick a man in college, but I sure knew how to pick a cookie recipe. These are awesome. Every time I make them, without fail, somebody asks what’s in them. People can sense that these are no ordinary cookie. There must be something in them, they think, that makes them taste so good. And they’re right.

My mom asked me for the recipe years ago, and I almost didn’t tell her. The recipe of course is not mine, but I was the only person I knew who could make them, and I guarded that role jealously. But, eventually, I gave my mom the recipe and revealed the secret ingredient. And now, dear reader, I’ll reveal it to you, too.

It’s a box of instant vanilla pudding mix.

This stuff makes the best cookies! These are incredibly soft, moist, cakey cookies. And now they have M&Ms. Pink M&Ms, no less.

Here’s the M&M-ified recipe, and it makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies. You can do tons with this recipe—change the flavor of the pudding, add walnuts or pecans or cashews, stir in some coconut. I’ve done it all, and it’s all been delicious.

M&M Cookies
adapted from Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 3.4-oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 14-oz bag M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

Sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla until blended. In two or three batches, fold in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the M&Ms until just distributed.

Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven or until edges are golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

The one thing I CANNOT make - chocolate chip cookies. I saw this post and thought, "Well, I could never make those." However, for some reason the addition of the box of pudding mix makes me think they MIGHT work for me. I LOVE soft, chewy cookies. Not much of a valentine's day fan either, but I do love all the beautiful, creative desserts it inspires. These cookies are adorable!

Vicarious Foodie said...

Miss Scarlett: You should definitely try these! Like I said, I made them in college when I knew nothing about baking, and they still came out great.

Maya said...

I love this recipe! And are those pictures of your cooking, or just off the internet?

Vicarious Foodie said...

Thanks, Maya! These are all my pictures. Half the fun of making the food is taking the pictures afterward!

Beyond The Bomb said...

Oh my! I just came across this post and decided to give it a try as my daughters wanted to make cookies and we had m&ms to use. I didn't have any vanilla instant pudding but did have chocolate so I used that. I only used half the 4 oz pack because I didn't want the chocolate to be over powering. They turned out DELICIOUS! They are so light, fluffy and airy and before I could even get the first batch off my cookie sheet my husband had already eaten 3 of them! Thanks for sharing the tip!

Kimberly Lloyd said...

One caution: I tried making these with sugar-free (aspartame) pudding mix and they turned out pretty poorly. Make sure you're using the real thing!

andre'a said...

You are so funny, about your not liking V-day. Thank you for this recipe. I have used it at least 3 times (and needed to find it again to make them again today!!!) and never said thank you. They really are the best!

Sarabellum said...

I was looking for a crowdpleaser cookie to take to a SuperBowl party. Loved the idea of the pudding in the dough. Now that they are out of the oven, I'm not sure if there will be any left to take to the party tomorrow! Note: I used baking stones and needed to cut the time to 10-11minutes. THANKS!

Emii said...

These look gorgeous! I've been looking for an M&M Cookie recipe, and they look exactly how I want them! Thankyou for sharing the secret recipe with us all!

Anonymous said...

I 'm going to make these for my dad's birthday with all color m&m's!!!

Taste of America said...

Great recipe!! I received a lot compliments on these cookies, especially regarding their "softness." Everyone loved them.

http://tasteusa.blogspot.com/