Double Chocolate M and M Cookies

When I was planning for Olivia’s Minnie Mouse inspired birthday party, I knew I wanted to use pink and white M&M’s, but hadn’t decided how until I remembered how amazing my Triple Chocolate Cookies were that I shared over at Pamela’s Heavenly Kitchen last year.

This recipe is very similar, and the result is a super chocolaty cookie, with lots of pretty colors – the perfect polka dot effect I was looking for!  Now you know how much my Ethan love baking with me, especially when it involves chocolate.  My little sous chef wandered into the kitchen, saw chocolate chips and M&M’s and immediately pulled up a chair and said, “What are we making Mumma?” He’s the best helper ever… well, mostly.

Let me just say a quick word about eggs and four-year-olds. Mine is obsessed with eggs – specifically cracking (or hatching, as he calls it) eggs. He even sits on balls and pretends to be hatching eggs – strange, I know.

He literally asked each step of the way if it was time to crack the eggs. I mean, every single teeny-weeny step.

With Liv at the store with Mr. Juggling Act Mama, I was feeling uber calm and super patient (thank goodness) and I decided to teach my soon-to-be five-year-old how to crack an egg. I demonstrated the technique, showed him how to tap the egg against the bowl and how to hold the egg, but guess what this mama forgot….

Instructions on holding the egg OVER the bowl.

Yes, seriously.

I ended up with a ‘hatched’ egg all over my counter, floor, and said soon-to-be five-year-old.  I don’t know who was more stunned, me or Ethan.  The poor kid was close to tears (I think he thought he was in trouble), but we just wiped it up, picked out the couple of egg shells that landed in the bowl, and started over.

That’s the nice part about being four-almost-five…. lots of chances for do-overs.

2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 sticks unsalted butter

3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cup M&M candies

Preheat oven to 325-degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

In another heat-proof bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.  Into the chocolate mixture, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined.

Carefully add in the flour mixture and fold in the M&M candies.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days – but trust me that these are the most delicious right out of the oven when the M&M’s are still melty in the middle – so good!

PS – For Olivia’s party, I froze the batter.  The night before, I put the dough in the fridge to thaw, and the next morning I scooped and baked so the cookies would be super fresh.  We sent guests home with a couple cookies for later in these cute goodie bags.