Sweet Saturday: Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Crispy M&M’s are no longer being sold anywhere, and this is a bit heartbreaking for me.  I loved those little chocolaty, crispy bits.  My friend Kim and I used to share the big bags of them when we were roommates in college.  For a while after they stopped selling them at grocery stores I could find them at Target, but I haven’t seen them in over a year now.  My second favorite M&M is peanut butter.

I was at the store picking up some laundry soap and toothpaste when I saw a big bag of the Peanut Butter M&M’s on special, so I decided to buy one and make some cookies!  I thought about doing an oatmeal cookie as the base, or maybe a peanut butter dough, but after much deliberation I settled on a chocolate chip cookie dough.  I used Alton Brown’s recipe for The Chewy for a few reasons.

1. I am not a fan of those thin chocolate chip cookies where the chocolate chips are sticking up out of the top of the cookie.
2. The recipe uses bread flour, which I have an abundance of and would like to use up.
3. The butter is melted, so I didn’t have to wait for the butter to soften.

I liked the chewiness of these cookies and the M&Ms were a great addition.  The peanut butter inside the M&M’s in creamy and just a tad salty, the chocolate is sweet and soft, and the cookie itself has a terrific flavor and texture.  I will definitely try this cookie dough with other mix-in’s another time.

Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups peanut butter M&Ms

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
3. Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the M&Ms.
4. Chill the dough for at least an hour, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.