*Tap, tap, tap* Is this thing on? Ahem. I'm finally poking my head out after two insane weeks of student conferences, meetings, and grading. I spent about nine days or so buried under piles and piles of final portfolios. I didn't intend to go on a blogging hiatus, but the mountains o' portfolios won out and sapped all of my energy (I have a love/hate relationship with portfolio assessments - while I greatly enjoy reading my students' writing, I kind of hate reading mass quantities in a short amount of time).
The good news is that I am now officially done with the semester and am SO ready to commence the holiday excitement! Woo-hoo! Yesterday, a few of my colleagues and I kicked off the season at
Duke's with celebratory tater tots and
Winterruption (sooo delicious) and later today Mario and I are riding the
CTA holiday train (in the thirteen years I've been in Chicago, I've somehow never managed to catch it). I also dug into our remaining stash of White Chocolate Peppermint M&M cookies for breakfast this morning (all in the name of celebrating what my wonderful friend has deemed The Eating Season).
I came across the recipe for these cookies on
Pinterest a few weeks ago and immediately knew that I had to try them. Holy deliciousness!! I am in love with these cookies (and so is everyone else that tried them - I've already received several requests for more). After I made the first batch (following the original recipe from
two peas & their pod), I did find that I had to make a few adjustments as the cookies weren't as soft as I wanted them to be, nor was there a good M&M to cookie ratio. A few small tweaks resulted in what is now my new favorite holiday cookie. If you are a peppermint lover, these cookies are a must-try!
White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies
Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (
this is my favorite brand)
1 cup white chocolate chips (I used
these)
1/2 cup crushed candy canes
1 bag
White Chocolate Peppermint M&M's (found at Target)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Using a mixer, first cream butter and sugars together until combined. Then add eggs & vanilla and beat until smooth. Finally, slowly mix in the dry ingredients.
4. Using a wide silicone spatula, stir in the white chocolate chips, candy canes, and M&M's (this can also be done by hand).
5. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool completely.
