Mini M&M Cookies

Ingredients

4  ½ cups all purpose flour

2 cups Imperial light brown sugar, packed

1 cup Imperial granulated sugar

3 sticks salted butter plus 6 Tablespoons, softened

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2 cups toasted pecans, finely chopped

3 cups mini M & Ms

4 Tablespoons corn starch

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

Instructions

To make brown butter:

Melt butter in light colored pot over medium heat.  Stir constantly until butter starts to turn brown, about 5 – 8 minutes.  You can see the brown in the bottom of the pot.  Remove from heat and pour into a heat proof bowl and cool completely. 

Add pecans to microwave safe dish and toast 30 seconds at a time; remove and stir; repeat 3 more times.  Let cool completely; then using a food chopper or food processor, chop pecans until they are fine but not processed to a complete pecan meal.  You want to see tiny pieces of pecans.

In large mixing bowl combine all purpose flour, salt, baking soda & corn starch. 

In large mixing bowl (stand mixer works best for this), combine granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cooled brown butter, vegetable oil and cream together well.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Then add vanilla and beat well.  Add flour mixture (about 1 – 1 ½ cups at a time), mixing well after each.  Repeat until all flour is mixed in cookie dough.  Add finely chopped pecans and mix well.  Fold in mini M & M’s and mix well.  Chill for about an hour.

Pre=heat oven to 375.  Lightly grease non-stick cookie sheets 

Remove cookie dough from refrigerator.  To make small cookies, use a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop.  Place ball in lightly greased baking sheet, or silicon pad & press down.  Repeat.  If making regular size cookies, use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop.  Place balls in lightly greased silicon pads or cookie sheets.  For mini cookies – bake for 7 – 8 minutes; check.  They should be lightly brown around the edges. May need to cook an additional minute or two, but don’t overcook.   If using a regular size cookie, bake for 9 – 10 minutes, checking around 9 minutes to make sure you don’t over bake.

NOTE:  This is a double batch of cookie dough.  Can easily half it.

NOTE:  If freezing cookie dough, make balls by using a cookie scoop and place on parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer.  Put in freezer for about an hour.  Remove and place in zip lock freezer bags and freeze for up to a month. 

NOTE: If freezing cookie dough balls, write baking instructions of outside of bag so you don’t have to get your recipe back out for cooking instructions.

NOTE:  Before baking, remove from freezer and thaw until cookie balls a soft enough to press down in the muffin tins or cookie sheets.