Christmas Cookie 2012- M&M Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Cookies

It's December 2nd and I've officially started my Christmas cookie baking. A few years back, a received come good advice regarding Christmas cookies. Clinton's friend's mom always gives out the most amazing cookie trays every year. There are at least 30 different cookies on the tray. I asked her how she has time to make so many. She told me that she starts mid-November and freezes them in her deep freezer. I tried this last year and it worked! You'd never know the cookies weren't fresh. So, that's my strategy again this year. I'll make a few different cookies a week and have a great collection by Christmas.

Now, to have the time to give out the cookies I make...

For these two cookies, I doubled my normal chocolate chip cookie dough and divided it once everything was mixed minus the chips.


M&M- Chocolate Chip & Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

4 1/2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 4 serving size instant vanilla pudding mix
4 sticks butter- softened
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 C white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
4 eggs

For M&M cookies- one cup M&M's & 1 C milk chocolate chips
For Peanut Butter cookies- 1 pkg peanut butter/milk chocolate chips & 1/4 C chopped pecans

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and pudding mix together in a large mixing bowl.

Cream butter and sugars. Once mixed, add vanilla and eggs. Mix until completely combined. Slowly add dry ingredients in batches until completely incorporated. Scoop half of the batter into a separate bowl and combine remaining ingredients to create two separate batters. Refrigerate for at least one hour- over night is recommended.

 Heat oven to 375 degrees. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookies onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, two inches apart. Bake 9-11 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack. Enjoy!

My little cookie thief