Soft Baked M&M Cookies

I don't know about you, but when I hear "soft baked", I think "delicious". It's how my mind works.
That translation holds true for these M&M cookies.

Please pardon the horrible, awful, no good, rotten photograph(s). Look past the photos to see the true soft-baked, delicious cookie for it's true self.

Yes, that really is my best picture. Let me explain. I quickly snapped this picture at about 1:00 am with my iphone. It's sitting on the lid to the tupperware container. I was a little nervous about taking pictures the next day because there was only a few left (I had made them for a cook-out). When I got home the next afternoon, they were all gone. Not one left. Just what I was afraid of.

This should just serve as a testimony to how delicious they truly are. I used my go-to cookie dough base which has been all around the web. It uses the secret ingredient, cornstarch, to achieve thick, soft, and chewy cookies. Every. single. time. I've used this dough base to make chocolate chip cookie (classic perfection), triple chip cookies with white, regular, and snocaps (a unique and addictive treat), and now these! I consider M&M cookies to be another classic. The sweet chewy cookie loaded with bites of candy coated milk chocolate that melt in your mouth is something I will never tire of.

Apparently, it's something no one tires of. It's something that is consumed by the dozens. Almost four dozen cookies gone in 24 hours. Do the math.

I did, however snap a few photos of the process. Making cookies from scratch is not as scary as it sounds. Let's take a look, shall we?

First, cream the butter and sugars. There is more brown sugar than white because this lends to a softer and chewier cookie plus depth of flavor.

 Then, add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat.

 I use this handy dandy, older than dirt, hand mixer. And the cookies still turn out perfect. Every. single. time.

 Look at the beautiful cookie dough in the making. I could just eat it up. At this point, exercise self control. (Slowly mixing in dry ingredients is not pictured.)

 M&M's are vital for M&M cookies. I used about 1.5 cups of pretty pastel M&M's. Fold them into the dough.

 Here's the resulting beauty, ready to be chilled.

 Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, leaning towards the lower end. I baked mine for exactly 8 minutes. Then, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. They will look underdone initially, but will firm up as they cool. If you overbake the cookies, they will not be as soft and chewy. Obviously, they begin to crisp up more the longer you leave them in the oven.

Don't be afraid. Even if you've never made successful cookies from scratch, try it with this dough base. It's my no-fail dough and you can mix in anything your heart desires. That's what's so great about cookies - they're delicious in endless ways. :)

Soft Baked M&M Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
• 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups M&M's (depending on personal preference)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed until combined. 
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Slowly mix in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt until thoroughly combined. Fold in the M&M's.
3. Cover the dough and chill for at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Drop cookie dough onto baking sheet (mine were about 1.5 Tbsp of dough). 
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should look underdone; they will firm up as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to cool completely. 

Makes 3-4 dozen depending on the size of your cookie. Adapted from Kelsey's Apple a Day and similar recipes seen on Sally's Baking Addiction and Averie Cooks. I told you this was all over the web!