This recipe is posted at the request of Gino. I usually make them for him but he wants to give them a whirl himself. Better share them Gino!

I realize everyone didn’t grow up where I did, or go to the mall I went to, but you may have had the same store, I’m almost positive it is/was a chain – The Original Cookie Company – I could probably google it and find out but I’m not all that interested, really. “The Mall” in my world, circa many many moons ago, was Century III in West Mifflin. Back then it was a happening mall, not so much now. The Original Cookie Co was at the end of the escalators that went up to the third level that had nothing a kid could ever want to go look at, at the edge of the Food Court around the corner from the Orange Julius. This was where we always met the parents to get a ride home when we were teenagers & bought our own damn cookies and the place that we begged for cookie cones when we were little kids as we were dragged to the exit. My poor Dad had 3 girls with the Power of the Whine.

Cookie Cones. A silly paper cone in a wax paper bag with a baker’s dozen of undercooked, bite sized cookies that were the best cookies in the history of forever because that meant we won!! Never mind Mom & Dad ended up getting all of the cookies we didn’t want, i.e anything that wasn’t a butter cookie w M & M’s or peanut butter. Looking back I’m not so sure we really won anything in as much as we were Jedi Mind Tricked into thinking we did.

But the butter cookies. Those were my favorite. If I bought a big one it was that kind, when I got old enough to not feel like a complete ass talking to the geeky teenager behind the counter I would get the cone with a split of peanut butter and M&M cookies.

These are what I remember those cookies to be. Thin & buttery, sweet & vanilla-y, crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle and of course, covered in M&Ms. I’m actually pretty sure these are better because they aren’t loaded with the crap they had to use to freeze that dough and idiot proof its cooking for geeky teenagers…but that isn’t a bad thing.

I make these often with my niece, Madison; when I do she is much more precise with the M&M distribution than I am and likes to quality control the merchandise which, really, is necessary for consistency and stuff…or so she tells me. I roll them in a bowl of M&Ms as I scoop and tray them, both ways work. I use a purple handled scoop – the smallest one that measures at about 1 Tablespoon – and only bake 8 per tray, these spread a good amount, the finished cookie is about 3″, and it bugs me when they touch.

Under-bake them a little, they are all the better for it.

 

 

 

 

 

Butter Cookies with M&Ms – makes about 36 – 3″ cookies

• 1 cup Butter, softened to room temperature
• 1.5 cups Sugar
• 2 each Large Eggs
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla
• 3 cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• pinch Salt
• 1 Large Bag M&Ms

Preheat the oven to 375, line cookie sheets with some parchment. Measure all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together with a whisk.

Cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add the vanilla and mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add half of the flour and mix on low until it is combined, then add the rest and mix long enough to let the dough come together. Scoop with a purple handled scoop or by the rounded tablespoon and push the top into a bowl of M&Ms. Tray up with 8 on the tray and lots of space in between. If unsure do 6 & see how it looks and adjust as necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. My oven is 11 minutes for perfect, slightly undercooked chewy cookie. They really shouldn’t take on much color at all. Let them set up on a tray for a couple minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. They will last a couple days wrapped well…but good luck with them lasting that long.