(Santa's Favorite) Mini m&m Cookies

Mini m&ms make an ordinary chocolate chip cookie extraordinary. We used a tried and true recipe from Martha Stewart (my go-to for the perfect chocolate chip cookie) and swapped the chips for the colorful candy. What resulted was a perfectly buttery, sweet cookie that was crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. This recipe got two thumbs up from the whole gang. But you don’t need to await Santa’s arrival to bake these. They’re good year ‘round!

2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups dark-brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time; add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed throughout. Cookie dough can be refrigerated, covered, overnight, if desired.

Using a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop* drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden around the edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

* We used a smaller scoop and cooked the cookies for 10 minutes yielding a soft chewy cookie that is crisp around the edges.