Peanut Butter and M&m Cookies

Photo: Valerie

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt ( I used 2 tsp. of sea salt )

1/2 cup of room temp. butter

1/2 cup of vegetable shortening

1 cup of peanut butter ( I used Peanut Butter & Co's Bee's Knees )

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of packed light brown sugar

2 eggs beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract ( I used almond )

1 cup of M&M's ( I used an entire large bag of the dark )

Preparation

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening together.

Add the peanut butter and beat until smooth.

Add both sugars and continue to beat until everything is well incorporated.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the vanilla extract and beat to blend. Using a large wooden spoon or your hands, add the flour a little bit at a time until there are no white streaks.

Stir in the M&M's until they are evenly dispersed through out the batter.

Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F. And line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and place each cookie about 2 inches apart.

If you want, you can make a criss cross pattern with a lightly floured fork.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes.

If you prefer crispy cookies, increase the time to 11-12 minutes.

Allow the sheets to cool for 5 minutes before removing the cookies.