Friday, October 2, 2009

EXTRAORDINARY M&M COOKIES

MandM cookies

Gold Medal has a recipe for “Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies” printed on the back of their 5-lb. unbleached all-purpose flour bag. Always up for a new CC cookie recipe, I thought I would try it, especially since they bragged with the title that the cookies are “extraordinary.”

Right off the bat, I made a change, switching from chocolate chips to M&M’s. And instead of using white sugar + brown sugar, I opted to use white sugar + molasses. And, sorry Gold Medal, but I also decided to use up some of my Ultra-Grain (30% whole wheat) flour and add some of my “coffee essence.”

MandM cookies (5)

And here’s a little reminder: Don’t get out your Kitchen Aid for these cookies. Use a spoon or spatula to mix the dough. That way, you won’t overheat the dough, causing your cookies to rise up high, then deflate when they cool. And don’t leave the butter out on the counter too long either. The butter should be at cool room temperature, so plan to leave it out for about 15-20 minutes for best results.


Well, these cookies lived up to their title, because everyone who tasted them raved. They’re crispy, crunchy and chewy, and have excellent flavor and sweetness. They’re not big and fat like a Levain cookie, but they are the kind of cookie that people really like. That chewiness and sweetness with the crispy-crunchiness is a winner. And the M&M’s definitely belonged in these cookies. This one’s a keeper for sure.

EXTRAORDINARY M&M COOKIES
Adapted half batch from Gold Medal’s Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies
Rating: 9 out of 10
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS: 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
1 cup + 3 Tbsp. sugar + 1-1/2 tsp. molasses (Or, you can use 1-1/4 cups brown sugar, packed)
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coffee essence (equal parts of coffee liqueur + instant coffee granules)
1 large egg
2-1/4 cups flour (I used Ultra-Grain)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
12 oz. bag of M&M’s (or you can use chocolate chips, if preferred)

Heat oven to 350F. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, molasses (if using), vanilla, coffee essence and egg till thoroughly combined. (It’s okay if you see some specks of butter; don’t worry about getting the butter totally smooth in the batter.) Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Dough should be slightly stiff. Stir in M&M’s.

MandM cookies (3) Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (I used my small ice cream scoop.) Flatten slightly with fingers or fork.
MandM cookies (2)
Bake 11-13 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted near center returns clean. Cool on baking sheets at least 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling. (Leaving the cookies in the pan to start cooling helps to make them chewy, so don’t move them for at least 5 minutes.) Yield will depend on size of cookies.
MandM cookies (4)

16 comments:

Mar Varela said...

Wow, delicious, espectacular, I want one cookie now!!!!
A kiss from Spain

Valerie Gamine said...

They look and sound perfect. I like how you use clever substitutions such as molasses and coffee essence! :)

Linda said...

Sounds like a great recipe! They look terrific. I add coffee to many of my recipes with chocolate... adds a hint of a great coffee flavor and brings out the chocolate flavor too.

Thanks for the tip about not using the Kitchen Aid mixer... I would have used it for sure.

Trish said...

Great substitutions....and say...we are never toooooo old for M & M cookies are we?!

Barbara Bakes said...

M&M’s always make a cookie more fun! Yours look perfect!

Coleens Recipes said...

Interesting that you've baked with ultra grained flour...the cookies look perfect.

Kerstin said...

What great pictures, your cookies are making my mouth water! My mom would especially love these - she is addicted to M&Ms!

chow and chatter said...

love m and m cookies, oh you make good eats

teresa said...

oh, these do look extraordinary, mmmmmm.

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

Really a gold medal for these cookies, they're outstanding..the M&M supply extra yummy colors :)

Cheers!

Gera

Donna-FFW said...

I would love to try these with the halloween colored m and ms I just bought. Thx for the idea.

Reeni said...

Such delicious treats Judy!! I love the M&M's in them!

Marge said...

I love the changes you made to the recipe - these sound wonderful and look great :)

MC said...

They look really delicious so I really want to try these and with the hand dandy printable version available - I can! Thanks, very thoughtful!

I would dare say that this is more YOUR extraordinary cookie recipe than Gold Medal's ;) You were just inspired by them

I have some molasses sitting in my kitchen so now I'm dying to try this out. I never knew you could "overheat" the dough. Thanks for the tip

Judy said...

MC - Good luck and please let me know how they turn out.

angelinthekitchen said...

These look fabulous! And thanks for the tips ... I didn't think you could possibly soften your butter enough, so that's good to know!