M&M Christmas Cookies

In my unending quest to be seasonally appropriate and my yearning to learn how to bake sweets and eat them, I decided it was necessary to make M&M Christmas Cookies.

I wanted chewy cookies (my fav), so I began an internet search. Multiple sources said 2-3 hours of dough refrigeration is needed, adding cornstarch and undercooking creates the perfect soft texture. Chilling the dough for three hours was troublesome considering my column was already past the deadline. With that in mind, I sourced the internet for the fastest, easiest, chewiest, M&M Christmas cookie recipe out there.

But I lost focus, distracted and alarmed by the names of these baking blogs…  I Heart Naptime, The Seasoned Mom, Two Peas In A Pod, Dessert for Two, Live Well, Bake Often. It gets “better” – One Happy Housewife, A Diary Of A Real Housewife. What’s a fake housewife? And to make it more cringe, all of the blogs have the same ugly, cookie-cutter template design (pun intended.) The June Cleaver vibe of these sites are disappointing. I thought we moved past the feminine mystique decades ago?

The recipe from I Heart Naptime actually seemed the best,  but I just couldn’t, so I decided on another recipe from a blog I can identify with –  A Dash Of Sanity.

While my dough was refrigerating for hours, I wondered about the origin of the Christmas cookie. It must go deeper than Santa gluttonously eating housewives’ home-baked cookies. And subsequently getting stuck in chimneys while delivering presents worldwide – in record time – despite getting stuck in chimneys.

Fortunately, there’s more cultural context and as one would assume, we have the Germans to thank for that and for the inception of the cherished Christmas cookie. Weihnachtsplätzchen means “cookie” or “holiday treat.” The cookie is tied to medieval German monasteries where monks used spices like cinnamon and cloves in their baking. The treats gained popularity due to their long shelf life, allowing for advanced baking and storage in the absence of refrigeration. They were easier to transport than cakes or pie and share with townspeople, making them ideal for establishing Christmas cookie traditions worldwide.*

M&M Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup red and green M&M’s

Directions:

1. Soften butter ahead of time or melt in the microwave.
2. In a mixing bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch. Combine, set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl add butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Cream using a hand mixer for one minute or until completely smooth. Or handmix.
4. Beat in eggs and vanilla to butter mixture.
5. Add flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well.
6. Carefully with the flat part of a knife, crush half the M&M’s, combine. Set the other half, whole M&M’s aside
7. Cover dough and set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour / 3 ideally, or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
8. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Scoop dough and place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Top with the reminder of M&M’s
9. Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Don’t over bake for a chewy cookie! Allow to cool, then eat!

I’m very happy with homemade batch of cookies! They were soft and chewy, I was pleasantly shocked. The flavoring was a bit salty but the mistake made for a nice salty/sweet contrast. I’d definitely recommend this Christmas cookie recipe. Share with your neighbors and share your pictures with me on IG and I will repost – @theglorifiedtomato.