Soft & Chewy M&M Spring Cookies

It’s been a bit since I’ve been in the kitchen, so whipping up these soft and chewy cookies was quite the treat for me and my family! The kids have loved to help me bake since they were teeny tiny and this day was no different. So as the sun shone brightly outdoors and the open windows brought in a cool breeze, we got busy. This recipe is super easy and you could even add your own little spin, such as white chocolate chips or funfetti sprinkles—you decide! We used spring colored M&M’s, and followed this recipe to a tee!

Here’s what you need and hopefully you have in your pantry:

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 2/3 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

• 1/2 to 1 cup pastel M&M candies or candies preferred

And here’s how to make them:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Place parchment paper on top of baking sheets (or set aside un-greased baking sheets)

• Add butter to a microwave dish and microwave for 25 seconds or more until butter is partially melted, like 1/2 of the butter should appear melted while the other half still looks like a melted butter stick.

• Add the sugars (brown and white) to a large mixing bowl with the partially melted butter and stir well to combine.

• Next, beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined.

• Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined.

• Add in your candies of choice (I just used a 1c. measuring cup and then gently stirred with our standing mixer. Don’t over beat or stir though)

• Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) to scoop out 12 cookies or use a medium sized cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons) for 18-20 cookies and arrange them evenly on baking sheet .

• Bake for 10 minutes for medium sized cookies and 13-15 minutes for larger cookies. Cookies will still be slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven. Make sure not to over bake for soft and chewy cookies. Cookies will not spread much while baking. (I followed this precisely and ten minutes was the perfect amount of time!)

• Let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before eating. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container for up to 4-5 days.

The kids have been enjoying these as an after dinner treat. It’s too bad we aren’t really supposed to share food or common spaces with people, because we would have loved to share with neighbors! I guess it means more for me though, so I won’t complain too much ;) I highly, highly encourage you to make these. Treat yourself to a moment on your deck or porch, cookie in hand. Stay well, friends and happy baking!

An Eggscellent Easter Spread for Your Sunday Meal!

Cheesiest caption ever—but seriously. As you all know, my husband is the Chef in our family, and he did NOT disappoint with our recent [early] Easter spread. This year we decided we wanted to host some friends and get together, so that’s what we did! My number one request for basically every formal (or informal, who am I kidding) meal my husband makes, is that he makes his amazing Deviled Eggs. I posted a story on Instagram about it and asked if anyone else was as obsessed with them as I am, and did you know that in Australia, no one really eats them!? This sweet gal said, “No, but I’ve also never really had a deviled egg before, they aren’t popular here.” I told her that she desperately needed to change that, OR she should fly to Kentucky so my husband can prepare some for her the right way. Easy, right? ;)

My mother-in-law actually took the kids to a movie for some of the afternoon, and so it was REALLY nice to have a meal in our formal dining room fellowshipping with some of our favorite people, without them interrupting. I love them to death, but let’s face it, sometimes you can’t get much catching up when you have a busy five and six year old present. (They did show up towards the end though, and they were equally as happy to see our friends and eat their Dad’s delicious food.)

While we tend to have too much food no matter the holiday (no complaints there!) we like to keep things pretty simple. For our Friends Easter, we enjoyed a delicious ham, honey glazed carrots, green beans, baguettes, deviled eggs, and another favorite of mine…mashed potatoes! We also indulged in the desserts, and went with a yummy Kroger Carrot Cake, and cute Easter themed sugar cookies. YUM!

If you’re looking for some Easter inspiration, I hope this helps! If you need to pick my husband’s brain for recipe ideas, or any further details, don’t hesitate to e-mail me. He really is an amazing cook and I am SO thankful for him!!

Here are a couple of the items Asa (my husband) whipped up. You’ll have to tell me if you re-created any of these ideas or how this post inspired YOUR Easter planning! Happy Holiday, sweet friends!

Everything found in this blog post was purchased at our local Kroger, but it was not sponsored by them. I just wanted to show you what we did for this meal and thought it may be helpful to know where we got everything, decorations included!