Bacon & Bourbon

Before I was an open-minded foodies, I never ate bacon. I thought the concept of eating essentially fat was gross, and I hated how salty it was. Growing up, I would order a BLT, and then scrape off all the bacon. My lettuce-tomato-mayo sandwich satisfied my needs and my dad ate my bacon. We were both happy.

One holiday weekend, my sister was home from college and we were food shopping for a Christmas breakfast. We got to the meat area and she was exclaimed “oh yeah we need bacon!” I rolled my eyes. No, no we didn’t need bacon. Who was going to eat it all? I sure wasn't. In the aisles I explained why I hated bacon and my sister basically told me to suck it up. Instead of purchasing the atypical kind, she chose Maple-Bacon, which obviously would taste sweeter.

When I said how I hated how hard bacon was, she told me she would make my pieces chewy. On Christmas morning after opening presents, my sister made a packet of bacon for my family. It was my time. I took a bite of the chewy maple mess, and basically then ate a whole packet the next day. I was a converted baconite. Suddenly I would crave it, Apple-wood smoked bacon, extra-thick bacon, bacon, bacon, BACON. I was becoming like the dog on the commercial. Eventually this addiction plateaued and I stopped eating so much bacon. I like to think my arteries thanked me.

Around the time I was divulging in my own bacon-obsession, so was the baking world. Baking and bacon became the hottest food trends and it seemed like you couldn't go anywhere without seeing a dessert that had some sort of bacon within it. I feel like this is still coming, if not heightening. I mean… I’m going to a bacon festival in Florida in a week.

Ultimately, last weekend I decided to bake cupcakes that had elements of bacon. This was apart of my “Sarah and Evan Series” aka the two most loyal customers I have. Since I started Gilly’s Sarah has placed an order for her anniversary with Evan. Every year the cravings they have are so awesome that I really enjoy having a surplus to eat everything too.

This year, one of the elements was bacon. This was also present in the Apple Pie with Bacon-Cheddar Crust. It was also present in these Maple-Bourbon Cupcakes.

Aside from my bacon craze, I like alcohol. I’m sure my mother will call me and tell me to delete that, but sorry Mom, I like my liquor! I’m a big fan of whiskeys, and gins, and really anything and these alcohols are awesome to bake with. Having the flavor of liquor within a chocolate cupcake is mind-exploding.

These cupcakes are the perfect combination of salty and sweet. They are topped with candied bacon and have overwhelming hints of a Knob Creek Bourbon (thanks Justin!) The frosting is made with a maple-agave syrup, and it’s lighter. To me, these cupcakes made me question why I wasn't have seven at once and why I didn't make more. I liked them a lot.

Plus, like a lot of the recipes I post, they’re easy. Believe it or not, I used to hate making cupcakes, until I decided that they didn't need to be all frilly. Yes, some people use cupcakes as a show-off for their decoration skills, I use mine for taste.

If you’re hesitant to use alcohol, you can substitute it or omit it.

This recipe comes from Christina's Baking Adventure and its awesome!

So to start, make the candied bacon. Note to bakers: DON’T put the candied bacon on a paper towel to dry. I don’t know WHY I thought this would be a good idea, but no, the towel will stick to the bacon. No one wants to taste Bounty in their cupcake.

While the candied bacon cools, make the cupcakes. I got 12 cupcakes out of the batter, but some cupcakes differed in size. I use a ¼ cup scoop to pour the batter, which helps ensure equal sizes.

So for the cupcakes, whisk the bourbon, butter and cocoa powder until it is smooth. Try to eliminate the lumps that the cocoa may form. Whisk in the Greek yogurt until there are no more lumps. Add the egg and whisk, then the sugar. Your mixture will be thicker and gritty.

With the dry ingredients, I sifted mine over the bowl. This ensures that the flour won’t be so clumpy and I won’t over mix. You don’t want to over mix this batter as your cupcakes will be dense. Pour into the liners until ¾ full and bake for 18 minutes. Allow to cool.

Once the cupcakes are completely cool, make the frosting. Like I mentioned, I used a maple-agave syrup from Trader Joe's, but maple extract or regular maple syrup will suffice. Cream the butter until it’s soft and then add the powdered sugar and heavy cream in increments. I also like to sift my sugar to get rid of lumps. If using a syrup, I started with ¼ cup and if the frosting needed anymore maple flavor, added by tablespoons. Add a pinch of salt. You don’t want this frosting to be too sweet. Lighter is better. I mix my frosting for at least 3 minutes to ensure its softness.

Using a piping bag, cut a ¾-1-inch line at the bottom. Pipe in a circle on top of the cupcakes. Take the chopped candied bacon and top. Voila! Now eat!

Chocolate Maple Bacon Bourbon Cupcakes
recipe from Christina’s Baking Adventure

Ingredients:

For the Candied Bacon:

• 6 slices of bacon, cut in half
• 1/2 cup light or dark sugar

For the Cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup bourbon (I used Knob Creek as it was in my pantry, Jim Beam works)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the Maple Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3-4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract; or ¼ cup maple syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line a cupcake pan with 10 liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the bourbon, butter and cocoa powder until smooth and cream. Whisk in the Greek yogurt until no lumps remain. Add the egg and whisk until combined. Add in the sugar. Mixture will be gritty.
3. Add the flour, salt and baking soda and whisk together until *just* combined. Over mixing will give you a dense cupcake. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. My cupcakes took exactly 18 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the Bacon

1. Once the cupcakes are done, lower the oven temperature to 325F degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, and place a wire rack overtop.
2. Place the bacon in a large bowl and add the brown sugar. Mix together. Make sure each piece of bacon is coated with brown sugar. Line the bacon on the rack. Bake for 25-35 minutes until bacon starts to crisp. Let cool on rack before handling. Top cupcakes with as much as you'd like.

For the Frosting

1. Using a hand or stand mixer on high, cream the butter until smooth. With the mixer on low, in 1/2 increments add the powdered sugar mixing well in between each addition. Add maple extract, heavy cream and mix well. Add a pinch of salt if too sweet.
2. If frosting is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. If too thick, add a little more heavy cream. 

Apple Pie, Oh My My!

I will be the first to admit that I’m not a pie person. I don’t really get excited around Thanksgiving when all the pies are presented in some orderly fashion, and I really could go all year without having a slice. Sure, I like the crust and I think they look pretty, but they’re really low on my list of desserts. Eating pies can be boring. I know what an pecan pie will taste like, no matter where I go. It’s some conventionalism that you either love or hate. I hate to eat pie.

However, I love to bake pies! Pies are so easy to make. Whether you’re using store bought dough, or making your Grandma’s classic cold-butter dough, it’s really kind of simple. You roll out your dough, fill it, bake it, and eat it. Yes, the rolling can be a pain, and sometimes the crust may burn around the edges, but the trick to mastering a good pie is just to bake a lot of them.

For the most part, I would say I bake a lot of apple pies. I’m not counting the chocolate-mousse pies or anything like that. To me, a “traditional” pie involves some buttery crust and a fruit or nut filling. Apple pies can differentiate in taste depending on the filling you use. Whether it’s a mix of Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples, or lime instead of a lemon juice, apple pies are often distinguished by who bakes them.

A few weeks ago, I posted “Apple Pie with Bacon-Cheddar Crust” from Joy The Baker's "Homemade Decadence", which I have described as my new “go-to” baking book. Instantly, people messaged me for the recipe of the pie. It definitely is exotic in terms of pie standards. I baked the pie for my friend Nic, also known as the Gilly’s logo designer. After this pie was posted, another customer ordered it. Simply it’s becoming quite the hit.

The pie is out of this world good. As I am writing this post, I have a mini-pie warming up in the oven…this is coming from the girl who hates pies! Its taste is the perfect mixture between sweet and savory. The crust is divine and I think I could just eat that alone. The apples are soft and tender with hints of cinnamon. This pie is comforting.

I made this pie in 4 mini forms. I chopped the apples to be smaller and reduced the recipe to about 1 pound baking apples. The baking time was 20 minutes. If you’re baking this pie smaller than 9-inches and need assistance just ask!

One suggestion I will make is that this pie takes time. I made the crust a few nights ahead and then thawed it while I was making the filling. But be wary, it will take a little time.

Apple Pie with Cheddar-Bacon Crust

Recipe from Joy the Baker, “Homemade Decadence” (p. 135-136)

For the Crust:

• 6 slices of bacon
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup, cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• ½ plus 1 tablespoon

1. To begin the crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place 6 slices of bacon on a foil lined baking sheet, and bake until crisp, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a paper towel to drain and let cool. Finely chop the bacon and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and using your fingers or pastry cutter; work the butter into the flour mixture. Quickly break down the butter until some of the pieces are the size of oat flakes and some the size of peas. Add the cheese and chopped bacon and toss well. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour the buttermilk. Using a fork, stir the buttermilk into the flour mixture until a dough forms.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter or pastry board. The dough will be moist and shaggy. Divide the dough in 2 and gently knead each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

*if freezing dough, place wrapped dough in another layer of plastic wrap and freeze. Once ready to use, thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator. You can also thaw on counter surface… timing varies. 

For the Filling:

• 2 ½ pounds baking apples; peeled, cored and sliced ¼ inch thick (I used about 7; 4 Granny Smith, 3 Pink Lady)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ½ to 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• ¼ tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 large egg, beaten

1. In a large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes, transfer the apple and their juices to a colander set over a bowl. Let the apples drain until you have at least ½ cup of liquid. This may take some time. Transfer the liquid to a small saucepan, set over medium high heat. Add the butter and cook until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Swirl the liquid. It will reduce in size to about 1/3 cup.
3. Transfer the apples to a bowl and toss with cornstarch. Pour the syrup over the apples and toss gently. It may harden, which is normal.
4. Roll out the bottom pie crust on a well-floured surface until it’s 1/8-inch thick or less and 12-inches in diameter. Move the crust around so that it doesn’t stick to the counter. Once rolled, transfer to the pie dish. Trim edges to be even with the pie dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the top crust large enough to cut a 12-inch circle.
5. Once chilled, transfer the apple mixture to a pie shell. Lightly brush the border of the bottom crust with water and adhere the top crust over the fruit. Trim the overhang so that the top crust only overhangs by ½ inch. Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust and press to seal. Crimp the edges using a fork or fingers. On the top, cut 5 evenly spaced 2-inch vents. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put a foil lined baking sheet in the center of the oven.
7. Brush the top of the pie shell with the egg and sprinkle generously with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Put the pie on the foil-lined sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake until the juice bubble and apples feel tender, but not mushy, about 35-40 minutes. If the pie browning too quickly, make a loose foil tent to put over the pie while it bakes.
8. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool for at least 4 hours before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Brunettes vs. Blondes

For many years there has been an endless dispute between what is better: blondes or brunettes? No…I’m not talking about hair color, I mean blondies, also known as vanilla brownies, versus chocolate brownies. For countless months, Gilly’s has been team brownie. I mean how could I not be? Chocolate is my life source. In my opinion, there is nothing better than coming home after a long day and biting into a warm, gooey brownie that soothes your soul. Brownies ensure me that no matter how bad my day was, they will restore my faith in the world.

But now let’s talk about blondies… Every Thursday, my friend Victoria comes over to watch TV. This usually revolves around some Shonda Rhimes drama, chip and salsa and pizza. I always bake something for the occasion. Earlier in the week, I asked Vic what she wanted and she said something like cake-batter. So obviously I thought about some funfetti cupcakes, but hesitated as I had scheduled other cupcakes for the week. She then suggested cake batter brownies.

I hesitated. What? I had never even thought of the idea! The best thing about being a baker is having your friends serve as a source of inspiration for your recipes. Victoria single handedly stimulated this recipe.

My mother loves blondies. Every time I am home she always requests two things…carrot cake or “a really good blondie”. Blondies are often overlooked in baking as they resemble a chocolate-chip cookie bar. Blondies differ in a manner however, as they are made with brown sugar, opposed to granulated white sugar. While this recipe is not entirely a traditional blondie, it still represents the essence.

This recipe too, is so easy. Like freakishly easy. I think they look a total of an hour and 30 minutes were dedicated to cooling. The recipe comes from Sally's Baking Addiction and like I said, they are so simple. This recipe is perfect for you to quickly whip up and bring to a party. They are vibrant and delicious.

You need: 1 box of yellow cake mix.

When I started Gilly’s I was adamant about not utilizing box mixes. Once you make the real thing, you don’t jump to go back to the old. I did have a change of heart though. Box mixes are great. They’re perfect when you want to practice your frosting skills, without wasting your ingredients. Box cake mixes make sturdy cakes which are awesome for practice. Long story short, I always have a box mix on hand.

Next you’ll need vegetable or canola oil, an egg, ½ cup of milk and sprinkles and white chocolate chips. I did not have any white chocolate chips so I added regular semi-sweet in. To reduce the overwhelming chocolate taste, I added some vanilla extract as well.

This recipe requires one bowl and it’s just some heavy hand-mixing. Use those muscles and you’ll be rewarded with a treat! Below is the recipe.

Bake these up!

Cake Batter Blondies

recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 -1/2 cup milk (less is better)
• 1/2 cup sprinkles
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips; or semisweet

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Spray 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add the milk slowly. You want to cake batter to be as dense & thick as possible. Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips.  Pour into prepared baking pan, sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown.
3. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets, before cutting into squares.

Naked Cakes are Underrrated

One of the first orders I had from Gilly’s was a basic vanilla cake with chocolate drizzle. I think it was my second order. Instead of making a 9in cake for 2 people, I suggested a mini-cake, which was essentially 4in pans making two fat cake layers, but still on the smaller side. After I made that cake, it felt like I was always suggesting mini-cakes. Whether it was for a birthday, holiday, simple indulgence; I was always making mini-cakes. I got the pans at the fancy Walgreens downtown for $5 and they became a staple in my baking. Below are some of my first mini-cakes:

Until recently, I always used these pans. Then one day, when I was frantically mixing some dough, my hip bumped into my baking station and one broke. I was so sad. This poor ceramic pan, my friend, was dead. Ironically for me, I was making a mini-cake and needed to improvise. This is how this cake became to be.

First let’s talk about naked cakes. Naked cakes are so underrated. Yeah, we see them at rustic weddings, but I don’t know why more people don’t order them more. Baking-wise they are so much easier than a traditional cake, as there is less frosting, aka less fuss. Second, they have so much fruit that it just tastes so fresh. Seriously, if you want to make a cake that looks like you put 100% effort in, with only putting in 25%, make a naked cake.

Basically with a naked cake, you bake a cake; box, scratch, whatever. Flip, let it cool, etc. Then, I douse the cake in powdered sugar, but still a light amount. You grab your frosting and place it in a pastry bag and cut about a ¾-1in line into it. Then hold the bag in at a straight angle and line the first layer of the cake with frosting. Fill the center like you would normally. This can be done with whipped cream, ganache, frosting, whatever suits your fancy. Custard is also a nice alternative. Then fill the center with fruit and nuts. In the recipe below, the center is filled with strawberry slices and blueberries and hints of lemon peel. Simple. Then add the next layer, line the top with frosting and top with fruit. Done.

Here’s a link I found useful for how to build a naked cake.

Now some background. This cake was made for my roommate, Paty’s parent’s anniversary. Paty wanted something simple with fruit. At first I was going to make an intricate cake with custards and cream and every fruit on the planet, because obviously she’s my roommate and deserves my undivided baking efforts. Paty insisted something simple would do. So the naked cake became the answer.

I used a golden-vanilla cake layer, and a basic whipped-meringue powder buttercream. This was one first time using meringue powder in my buttercream and I was not disappointed. I dipped some strawberries for the top of the cake, and sliced some for the center.

With my mini-pan broken I needed to think of a plan. I baked the cake in a 9in pan and when it cooled, measured three bowls I owned and placed on in the heaviest part of the cake and cut around it. You’ll notice in the photo, one layer looks a little more sharp with the cuts and ones a little smoother. That’s because on the second layer I used an off-set spatula to make it smoother. The cake layers were 6in, which I found to be a perfect size for mini-cakes. Goodbye 4inchers, hello 6inchers!

Overall, I liked this cake, however I did not dedicate enough time to photograph it. I was simply in a rush and only have about three pictures of it. When my baking schedule clears, I intend to make one again to really capture the essence of the naked cake.  

Below are the recipes I used to craft my cake!

I used I am Baker's yellow cake mix, which has become something I always keep on hand. It’s better than a box, without being too intricate for novice bakers.

For the frosting I modified King Arthur's quick buttercream. For the original, click the link.  

For the Cake

I am Bakers Homemade Yellow Cake Mix

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs

Instructions

1. Measure the dry ingredients into medium size mixing bowl
2. Place softened butter into stand mixer and mix on medium for 1-2 minutes.
3. Place dry ingredients into stand mixer and combine with butter for 30 seconds.
4. Add milk, oil, vanilla and eggs and mix on medium-high for one minute.
5. Pour batter into prepare pans. Bake at 350. For 9-inch pans its 20-25 minutes. For cupcakes start checking around 15 minutes. Cool before frosting.

For the Frosting
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon meringue powder, optional, for "holding power"
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups (10 to 12 ounces) confectioners' sugar
• 2 to 4 tablespoons (1 to 2 ounces) milk or heavy cream

1. Cream the butter and/or shortening until fluffy. Beat in the salt, meringue powder, and the vanilla. Add the confectioners' or glazing sugar, 2 tablespoons of the milk/heavy cream, and beat well.
2. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Adjust the consistency of the frosting as needed by adding more confectioners' sugar or milk/heavy cream. If you're not going to use the frosting right away, keep it at room temperature, covered, to prevent it from developing a dry crust. Yield: 2 1/2 cups.

New Improvements

I aspire to be the best I can be, every single day. One of my many characteristics is trying to enhance my projection as a “businesswoman”. I refer to Gilly’s as a home-baking business and I strive to improve it every day. One of the many improvements I hope to introduce into the Gilly’s page is a “Monthly Menu”. The Monthly Menu will be highlights of recipes I think would pair nicely with the month. I piloted this in March (below). As April and Easter approaches, I will announce an April Menu. I hope this brings some baking ideas to you as well! Try some recipes out!

A second improvement, which I briefly touched upon in "This Is Where I am At", is I am actively moving over Gilly’s to a different host. Right now, Gilly’s runs primarily on Google Blogger, which is perfect for simplicity. But me being the overachiever that I am, is seeking to transfer the website to WordPress for a more professional-feel. I’m not savvy with HTML coding and I really do not know what I am doing, but I hope the WordPress site will be finished by the Spring. I am working on it every free minute that I have. This improvement, I hope, will make the page more interactive. I like Blogger, but it’s just kind of boring. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

A third improvement is the Gilly’s menu. Right now, it’s posted, but grainy. That’s because it was made on Publisher. I tried. I am currently crafting a new menu, which is much simpler to focus on. 90% of my orders are custom, hence the menu will reflect that.

So, stay tuned for more improvements coming! 

M&M Cookies and CDs

I’m about to share something I’ve only shared with 5 people.

Once upon a time, a middle-schooler named Keryn made a CD about cookies with her friend Shannon.

I wish I were joking.

We made it for a friend’s birthday, and the only mistake we made was not releasing this CD to the public. On this CD were maybe about 15 songs (maybe more or less) dedicated to cookies. We were feeling really creative and I think it took us five hours to make. To this day, I wish I had it on my iPod.

Anyways, the moral of this blurb is that I have a deeply rooted obsession with cookies. You probably picked up on that in my skillet post. I just really love cookies. I love the shape, the texture, the crunch, the look, everything! Besides my constant baking of chocolate chip cookies, I also like to dabble with other flavors.

This recipe placed a twist on the M&M cookie.

On any given day, there’s a 95% chance I have some dark chocolate on me. It is my 2pm pick-me-up and I’m convinced I’ll forever because of how much I consume of it. Naturally when deciding to make these cookies, I wanted to use dark chocolate M&Ms because I think they taste better. They’re not too bitter, perfect taste.

One thing that makes M&M cookies different is they typically use shortening to make a fluffy taste. As my girl Minnie from The Help mentioned Crisco is the best. Now living in this health-conscious world we live in, I understand some people may not be so keen on using Crisco. I would say then use butter, but it is not going to provide the soft texture, along with the minor dome in the center. I played around with this recipe using butter and the cookies were flat. Still good, but flat. I would tell you to maybe find a recipe that utilizes butter.

I found my recipe at a "Pinch of Yum", which in my opinion is one of the best food blogs out there. Not directly covering just baking recipes, it has any sort of cooking, photography tips, and resources available. It’s a great source to have on hand.

These cookies are big and soft and are perfect for a snack. In this recipe, it calls for brown sugar…I used dark brown sugar, which really has more molasses than light brown. There was no significant taste or look difference.

You begin by mixing the sugars with the shortening, eggs, and vanilla. Since shortening is always soft, the mixture will combine very easily. I expected it to take a while due to my usage with butter, but it was mixed after 1 minute.

Add the dry ingredients on a low speed and mix until just combined. You’ll notice your mixer slowing down once the dough forms. Take a rubber spatula and add 3/4^th of the M&Ms until combined. Roll into big balls and top with more M&Ms. I usually press it into the dough.

Bake these cookies for about 9 minutes until lightly browned on the edges. I let mine cool on the pan for another 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

When I took a bite into these cookies, I remembered my CD about cookies and I imagine myself singing the songs to it. Sadly, Shannon has moved on from her old Dell laptop and our musical inclination is just a memory.

Check these cookies out and bake some! You won’t regret it.

Big, Soft M&M Cookies
Author: Pinch of Yum, recipe from Lori and All Recipes
Serves: 18-24 cookies, depending on size

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2½ cups flour (+ 2-3 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups M&M's

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, white sugar, shortening, eggs, and vanilla with electric mixers on low speed until well mixed.
2. Add the 2½ cups flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined; I found it easiest to finish this by hand. Add the extra tablespoons of flour until the dough feels thick and almost dry to the touch. Stir the M&M's into the dough.
3. Roll into large balls (unless you want small cookies, and who are you anyways?) and press extra M&M's into the tops. Flatten slightly with your palm or the back of a wooden spoon. Bake for 8-10 minutes (they will be slightly underbaked). Remove from cookie sheet right away and place on cooling rack. Let stand for 5-10 minutes to help the cookies hold their shape.