The Best Cookies in the World

Okay, really, the best cookies in the world were made by Grandma.  A close second were the ones made by Joan, one of her caretakers.  But, considering that this is the first time I've ever made them, I did pretty okay!

Mr. Red (that's the new name for the KitchenAid) was a breeze at mixing all the good stuff together.  It's almost as if he's done this before (which I'm pretty sure there's been a batch or two made in him).

It all starts with creaming the butter, sugar (granulated and brown) and the teaspoon of vanilla.

Sugary goodness!

Then you start adding the flour, salt and baking soda a bit at a time.  While it's tempting to just dump it in all at once, you really need to take the time to do a bit at a time (plus, you get to do sampling to make sure you get the right consistency!).  Once the batter is just right, you add the chopped walnuts.

Now, I'm not a fan of nuts in my baked goods as a general rule.  But, Grandma was a sneaky one, a wily woman who knew how to get us grandkids to eat what she wanted us to eat.  After the walnuts, you add the special ingredient.  Now, anyone can just make chocolate chip cookies, but only Grandma made cookies with M&Ms!  And, you can't use any generic "chocolate bits"; it most definitely has to be M&Ms.

Sugary goodness with M&Ms.

Then using a handy tablespoon, you dollop the dough (after eating the dough off the beater) onto the cookie sheets and away you go.

Once you get the cookies in the oven, one of the most crucial steps the baking time.  The timing has to be just perfect.  You can't under cook them (because that's just gross) but you also can't overcook them.  Thirty seconds too long in the over will simply turn the cookies a shade too brown, and make them crispy.  The goal is to get that perfect level of "just cooked enough" similar to Chewy Chips Ahoy (but OOOOHHHH so much better).  Normally, you would know when they're done because you'd just start to smell baked cookies.  However, my oven is apparently a nice quality one that doesn't leak...which means it's harder to smell the deliciousness of baked cookie at the right moment.

And, once you have the cookies all baked (recipe makes about 3 dozen, depending on cookie size), you get to enjoy what's left in the bowl before clean-up.  And to truly finish the best cookies in the world, you bag 'em up and stick 'em in the freezer!

Awesomeness in a bag!