You know what they say about the green ones...

I'm sending Hotrod off to work today with about 6 dozen M&M cookies for his company picnic (employees only or I'd be going too). M&M cookies are one of my secret weaknesses. I love cookies anyway, but I love the extra crunch of that candy shell. Mmmm...

Anyway, I'd never used this recipe before but these came out AWESOME so I thought I'd share. Make these with red, white and blue M&M's and you've got a perfect July 4th treat.

Red's Ultimate Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 12-ounce package M&M’S® MINIS® Milk Chocolate Candies
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional - I did NOT use nuts, but I may have thrown in an extra handful of chocolate chips)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; blend into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in M&M’S® MINIS® Milk Chocolate Candies and nuts, if desired. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.

MAKES ABOUT 50 COOKIES. I actually doubled the recipe and it came out great.

Favorite Christmas Treats

These are a few of my favorite Christmas treats:

1. Holiday color M&M's - yes, I know they don't taste any different, but they're so festive and pretty. Eating the Christmas colored ones seems less like a cheat.

2. Eggnog - but only in small doses. Too much and I lose my love of it quickly. Unless it's homemade - for some reason, that goes down easier.

3. Cookies - so many varieties, so little time. I love all cookies. Sugar with thick icing especially. And those peanut butter ones with the Hershey kiss in the middle. And good ole chocolate chip. And M&M cookies, with the Holiday colors, of course.

4. Ham - Ham is good eats no matter the time of year, but Christmas seems about the only time when I get my fill. We rarely have it otherwise. Bacon would be a subset of this treat, but not as special since we have it more often. Mmmmm...ham.

5. Hot cider - the perfect thing for when you come in from playing in the snow. (Obviously not here in FL.) I talked to my mom this morning and she said they have fat flakes drifting down - warm up the cider!

6. Mashed potatoes - See ham. Love them, rarely eat them. Holidays are all the excuse I need. Plus there's butter involved. What's not to love?

7. Panettone - like Italian fruitcake, but more cakey and less chopped gross candied fruit. So good with coffee. Leftovers make an awesome bread pudding.

8. Godiva chocolates - somehow (maybe a Christmas miracle) a box of these always ends up in the vicinity during Christmas. I adore Godivas, but hate to share them. I know, I need to work on my Christmas spirit.

9. Cheese - another thing that seems to show up in abundance around Christmas, maybe because cheese and crackers is such an easy snack to hold off the ravenous crowds trying to eat dinner before it's time. Behold! The power of cheese!

10. Meatballs - Not a traditional Christmas treat, but when Christmas includes my dad, there are bound to be meatballs. And let me tell you, my dad's meatballs...you'd kill for them. They are little balls of meaty heaven on earth. Sicilians just know how to cook, what can I say? The fact that meatballs usually means pasta is also involved is not to be overlooked.

What are your favorite Christmas treats? Anything out of the ordinary? I'd love to hear about it.