Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Guys! Today is the day! Are you excited? Are you? Are you? Huh huh huh?

Today I am finally giving you my Peanut Butter M&M cookie recipe. *the crowd goes wild* But first, I need to tell you a short story.

For some time now I have been on a quest to discover the world's best peanut butter cookie recipe. I started out, as everyone does, with the classic Peanut Butter Blossom cookies, adorned oh-so-sweetly with a Hershey Kiss. I didn't like those. So I tried my own Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies. They were alright, but I didn't love them. After that I invented my own recipe while laying in bed half-asleep and attempted to bake them the next morning from my scrawled notes. I kind of forgot all about the egg, because, evidently, sleepy me doesn't care much for eggs. I tried a couple more times and tweaked the recipe to become what you're getting today, and I'm pretty happy with it. However, throughout this journey to find the perfect peanut butter cookie recipe, I have come to realize something very important about myself.....I don't like peanut butter.

Yes, you read that right. So long, Peanut Butter M&M cookies. So long, Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Oreos. So long, horrible peanut butter sandwiches my mother used to make without jelly. (I feel like that last one may have started my psychological aversion to peanut butter, but who knows. Maybe I had a peanut allergy in a past life or something.)

Since I've hyped this recipe so much lately--and since I invested so much stinkin' time trying to perfect it--I'm going to share it today whether I like it or not. People around me who like peanut butter claim they're delicious. If you don't like them, blame my friends.

Here's what you'll need:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs egg replacer
3 tbs warm water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup mini M&Ms
Note: I don't use eggs and used the egg replacer and warm water as a sub. I'm pretty sure it's the equivalent to approximately two eggs....or maybe an egg and a yolk....but probably two eggs, so give that a whirl and let me know if I need to adjust the recipe for egg-eaters.

Here's what you do:

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl.

2. Beat together the butter and sugars.

3. In a tiny bowl, mix together the egg replacer and water and then beat it into the butter mixture. If you're using real eggs you can skip the tiny bowl....unless you really want to pour your eggs into a tiny bowl, in which case, follow your dreams and stuff.

4. Beat in vanilla and peanut butter.

5. Add the floury mixture into the peanutbuttery mixture in two portions, beating after each addition. Dough should be squishy. Be sure to test for squishiness by squishing.

6. Stir in 1 cup of mini M&Ms. Or mini chocolate chips. Or candied ants. Whatever you happen to have on hand is fine. I happened to have a few M&Ms.

7. Roll dough into approximately tablespoon-sized lumps, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and squish slightly because squishing is fun.

8. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

9. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes roughly 32 cookies depending on how big they are and how much dough you eat.

How do you feel about peanut butter? Did your mother put jelly on your sandwiches? Was it delicious? I bet it was....