Red Velvet M&M Cookies

Ingredients:

Makes 10 large cookies

• 1 2/3 cups All Purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 1 tbsp of buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup Valentine’s M&M’s
• 1 tsp red food coloring of choice
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

Tools & Notes:

• 2 sheet pans
• Parchment paper
• chill time of at least 2 hours (Chill longer to prevent more spreading)

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set the mixture aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, butter, and vanilla paste. Cream the ingredients for about 2 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. You can do this by hand or use a stand mixer.

Once the mixture is light and fluffy, add the egg and mix until combined. Then, gradually incorporate the dry ingredients until everything is well combined.

Next, add in the buttermilk and your choice of red food coloring.

When your cookie dough is ready, gently fold in the M&M’s until just combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Once the dough is ready, scoop your cookies onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them about a few inches (2 to 3) apart in case they spread.

Bake the cookies for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the edges set. Once they are done baking, use a large cookie cutter to help shape the cookies.

For bakery-style cookies, place some M&M’s on top of your cookie while they are still warm from the oven.

Then let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For heart-shaped cookies:

Shape the cookie dough into hearts and place them onto the parchment paper, making sure to space them about a few inches (2 to 3) apart in case they spread.

Bake the cookies for about 10 to 13 minutes or until the edges set. Halfway through baking about 5 minutes in, check the cookies to see if they are holding their shape. If not, remove them from the oven and use a spatula to guide and reshape them. Return the cookies to the oven to finish baking. Once they are done and hot out of the oven, you can reshape them again to define the heart shape you desire.

For bakery-style cookies, place some M&M’s on top of your cookie while they are still warm from the oven.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

Enjoy!