For his last Cookie Friday in Winona, Kevin James requested chocolate chip. I eventually tricked him into M&M – “it’s practically the same thing.” I found this recipe on my baby iPhone in a hurry because I was in the grocery store and wanted to pick up the ingredients. This version from the unassuming AllRecipes was simple and definitely a hit! I used dark chocolate M&Ms! Yum!
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces
Directions
- In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.
- Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.
Yeah. I used a whole cup of Crisco. It made me think of a very funny scene from The Help movie where one of the maids is giving a lesson on cooking fried chicken.
Last night we dropped over to see the Lundgrens and their new baby girl! When they asked if we wanted to hold her, Kevin and I were both like,”Uhhhhhh……..” Kevin ended up braving it. Doesn’t he look so sweet with her? There’s a man who’s going to spoil his baby girls (if Boyd’s treatment is any indication!!). Good thing he totally spoils his wife too!
Frozen pizza. New lows in the Kreisel household. I’ve really missed cooking this week! We’ve been going out a lot for farewell business and besides that it’s been a lot of sandwiches & chips! Tonight we picked up a frozen pizza to avoid buying a million ingredients that we will just have to throw out tomorrow when we get everything packed up and cleaned out. I loved the crispy thin crust! I was generous and gave Kevin 2/3 of the pizza, but let’s face it – I probably could’ve put away the entire thing myself.
While the pizza was in the oven, I got to work on the Cookie Friday cookies. I planned ahead again since tomorrow is going to be full with moving business, Deidre & Kip visiting, and then off to Wabasha for the youth carnival in the evening. As you can see, I multi-tasked and read a book while working. Can you believe that I read the entire 368 pages between the lunch at Bub’s and bedtime? We also ran a whole bunch of errands and tied up some loose ends around the hose. The book was Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffis. I have to admit that, but I’m not going to recommend it. The stories of the two women really sucked you in, but overall it was like reading fictional celebrity gossip. I did enjoy coming across the word “adroit.” I love that word! I had no idea one of the author’s other books has been made into a movie starring Kate Hudson! I only happened to notice because we were in Target (SHOCKER) this evening while I was midway through the book. I’m surprised I miss that. That’s ok. I read today about a study finding that for people over 25, for every hour of TV watched, their lifespan shortened by 22 minutes. I suppose they will eventually find the same thing about internet usage, and then I’m a goner!
Has anyone read Little Bee by Chris Cleave? I read the first 50ish pages last night (I know, I know. I’ll stop bragging about my speed demon reading anytime now) and came across a rather disturbing portion. I’m at that point where I don’t really want to finish it unless it’s good because it’ll probably give me nightmares!
Good night! (I have to go to bed now or THIS will happen.)
P.S. Any ideas for our first Cookie Friday in Denver? I’m going to need something particularly festive! I’m not really sure what I have to work with in the kitchen. It’s a gorgeous furnished apartment very close to Kevin’s office. I’m definitely bringing an apron in my suitcase. And maybe my cute measuring spoons! 
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I haven’t read Little Bee, but my mom did and she told me all.about.it. It sounded really disturbing!! I haven’t even tried to read it at all.
Those are the EXACT same M&M cookies that I make from my moms good old standby recipe. Don’t let anyone tell you to ever make those cookies with butter instead of shortening. They do not turn out at all. In a shameful cookie making experience with Cathy I let her talk me into using butter instead. Bad mistake. Needless to say that is the last time we ever cooked together:) Don’t mess with my baking. It is the one area in life where I know what I’m doing!
Wait, have you told me what chocolate chip cookie recipe you use? I can’t remember… And I’m still struggling with making those perfect! I had no idea about the shortening! Really! But it totally worked! We just happened to have it on hand, and I didn’t want to buy butter that we would have to leave behind in the fridge! So that’s how that magic happened!
I haven’t read that… Girl, those cookies are calling my name and the baby is the cutest thing in the entire world!! I loved your reference to the part in the Help and the fried chicken!! Have the BEST weekend ever!
I would totally make you some of those cookies if we lived closer! In a heartbeat. Interested in moving to Denver? I hear they have a GREAT RUNNING COMMUNITY!
You have to tell us about your cross-country coaching! It’s totally my dream to do that kind of thing someday! P.S. Your comment WAS in the Spam. I would never mark you as spam, Janae!! 
sigh. i miss reading. haven’t had much time for it lately. I can’t remember the last time I started and finished reading a whole book for pleasure. isn’t that SAD?!
I made that recipe you shared for nutella cookies. I took them to a little gathering at my sister in-law’s house because I know how she loves nutella. Those babies were RICH. They were good!
I feel ya on the reading thing. I’ve had a lot of times in my life like that so I’m APPRECIATING it right now! Kevin is so nice about it too when I just have like 10 more pages to finish before bed!
books on CD!!! That’s how I do almost all of my reading. I don’t have time otherwise! So, I always have one going in the kitchen and in the car:)