It might sound strange, but in my opinion, making cookies is like making risotto. What I mean is that in general, you shouldn’t use too many chunky ingredients to accent the cookie dough. I typically make use of whatever I can find in my pantry, and this time I limited the additions to coconut toffee peanuts and M&Ms.
The M&Ms came from a package of goodies from Rutgers University. My father-in-law was inducted into Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni a few years ago and has stayed close to the school. The colors of the Scarlet Knights are faithfully represented in the M&Ms, and I think they add a nice touch of color to the cookies while showing off some school spirit. Thanks, Dean McCormick!
1. Info for M&M Cookies with Toffee Peanuts
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 32
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for M&M Cookies with Toffee Peanuts
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1-½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup demerara sugar (or more granulated sugar), to taste
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1-¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup M&Ms
- ¼ cup coconut toffee peanuts, store-bought
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set side.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the egg with granulated sugar for about 5-6 minutes. You’ll get a pale, yellow foam and the texture of the egg will be thicker. Add vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, cream the butter with the demerara sugar until it forms a uniform paste.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and butter to the egg mixture and blend and knead the dough with your fingers until the cookie dough comes together. Finish with the M&Ms and toffee peanuts (I reserved a few for decoration later).
- Form a long cookie log. Wrap and chill it in the freezer until firm; it will take at least 30 minutes to harden. If you’re planning on storing the dough and baking the cookies later, don’t forget to label your food with the date! (see storing tips).
- Remove the log from the freezer. Unwrap it and slice into about ½-inch thick disks. Place the cookies on baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Make sure to space the cookies about 2 inches apart, as they’ll expand while baking.
- Bake for about 5 minutes at 375°F, then lower the heat to 350°F and bake for another 8 minutes. (up to 10 minutes depending on how you like the consistency of the cookie). Transfer the cookies to cooling racks. Allow to cool completely.
- Bon appétit!
