Before I get into sweeter things...I am switching my facebook baking/blog page to a fan page. Originally I had it setup as a person so that I could message ect. But things have changed a bit and the switch has been needed for awhile now. You can go here and click like to follow me, don't forget I will be deleting the other page soon. I will soon have all the picture, links, and albums there.
I've been in a bit of a cookie craze lately, I hope you all don't mind! I have been getting so many questions on how I keep my cookies shape and how they are so soft .... so today I'm going to share an easy drop cookie recipe. Along the way I'll share some tricks and tips I use to make sure the cookies are just as pretty as they taste. It's really not just about the recipe it's just as much about technique. So grab these ingredients and lets get started.
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks salted butter melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg and 1 egg yolk at room tempature
2 tsp. vanillia extract
1 cup m&m's
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. I personally like to bake just about everything at a little lower then the norm.
Step 1: Melt 1 1/2 sticks of salted butter in one bowl and in another bowl crack 1 egg and the yolk of another. Set the two bowls aside to let them come to room tempature.
Step 2: Line a few pans with foil or parchment paper. I ALWAYS do this...no matter the cookie. Trust me it will come in handy. Maybe soon I'll invest in those baking mats I should have bought ages ago ;)
Step 3: Mix 2 1/4 cupe 1/2 tsp. baking soda in a bowl, and of course set aside. Does it drive anyone else nuts to always dirty up a bowl to mis the dry ingredients?
Step 4: In another bowl or a mixer bowl mix the melted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar.
Until it's nice and smooth.
Step 5: If your using your mixer here's where you can switch to your dough hook. Slowly mix in the flour in small portions. Until it becomes a soft dough.
Step 6: Add in 1 cup of m&m's. Just to be careful I use a spoon to fold them in.
Step 7: Time to drop the cookies on to the sheet. I use my cookie scooper to measure out the dough. It's about the same size as a tablespoon, that works too.
After dropping them on the cookie sheet about 2.5 inches apart I like to roll them each with my hands to make them more round. Remember to allow enough space! I'm using a sheet size here so it's pretty big. If I'm baking to take them somewhere and want them to be as nice as possible I will bake as little as 8 cookies at a time, to insure no cookies touch.
Step 8: Now here's where I make things a little complicated! Once you have dropped all the cookies stick the first cookie sheet into the freezer for about two minutes. This help the cookies keep their shape sooo much better. Especially with sugar cookies. Instead of the cookies just melting and flattening out right away they hold their shape well.
Step 9: After 2 minutes in the freezer slide them into the oven and set your timer for 6 minutes.
Step 10: Here's the sneeky part. After 6 minutes your cookies should look about like this..the dark center shows they are not done. Pull them out and quickly add m&m's to the top.
See! Now they look like m&m cookies. I'm conviced bakeries must do something like this..I've never baked a m&m cookie that came out pretty on top..on it's own....yet I see them in stores all the time. This works for me!
Step 11: Now pop them back in the oven for 4-6 minutes. Often people simply over bake cookies. If you pull the cookies out when the bottoom starts to brown (this is often reccomended) you better eat them fast because their going to be crunchy when they cool. I pulled these cookies out around 10 minutes, they are very soft and all the same color.
Step 12: Let them continue to bake for about 2 minutes on the cookie sheet. Then grabing both ends of the foil/parchment paper quickly slide the entire thing onto a cooling rack. Don't move them with a spatula! They should still be really soft and using a spatula on them will only make them mishaped.
While these cookies are still hanging out on the cookie sheet, I pop the second cookie sheet into the freezer and start the whole process over again.
Step 13: After about 5 minutes they have cooled and settled enough I can use a spatula and move them to a cooling rack.
And just incase you over cooked them a bit...I have a great trick! When your cookies are a little too crunchy stick them in a container with a piece of bread. Let them sit over night and by morning your cookies will be soft again. I learned this trick from my husband as crazy as that is. But it really works...even those rock solid little babies will be nice and soft in the morning ;)
And now you can enjoy your cookies....
But wait! You didn't think I would just leave them like this right? These cookies were way to pretty to be left all alone.
My persistent nature to make things more complicated then they have to be won as usual.
I added a little buttercream and some sprinkles to create some really yummy (and incredibly cute) cookie sandwhiches.
I think these might be going into the girls easter baskets.
And don't forget so "like" my new page!