Giant M&M Sugar Cookies

I am not usually a fan of M&M cookies, but I stumbled upon this recipe which I think was from The Girl Who Ate Everything blog.  I do have two sweeties in my family who are especially partial to this type of cookie, so I thought I would give it my own spin.  The only difficult part of this recipe is waiting for the cookies to chill and bake.

Giant M&M Sugar Cookies

Beat:
3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, soft and melty
4 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup vegetable oil
I know this is an unusual start to a cookie and I was worried about the structure of the finished product, but this works.  Just beat until cream cheese is thoroughly broken down into the mixture.
Beat in:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla
Add:
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (I used Kosher)
1 teaspoon baking soda

Stir in:
1 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) mini M&Ms

I moved my dough to a plastic bag so I could clean up the mixer and to keep the dough from drying out.

Chill for 2 hours, or give it a hurry up chill in the freezer.  The dough will still be slightly sticky.  Divide the dough into 1/4's.  Make a roll from each section and divide into 1/4's again.  Then divide each of these sections into 3.  This will yield 48 pieces of dough about 2 tablespoons each.

Shape into balls and roll in:
large crystal sugar
The larger texture sugar gives them a nice crunch.

Place 8 balls per parchment lined cookie sheet and flatten to about 2-inches. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. These should not look brown around the edges...just a pale blonde.

You can crowd these on a cookie sheet, but I don't like square edges, so I went the fewer to a pan route.

They turned out to be very yummy.  I liked the mini M&Ms better than the large because they were more evenly distributed throughout the cookie and didn't crack like the larger M&Ms.  Then I double bagged these for the freezer.  They will a little incentive for those setting up for the Chocolate Decadence fundraiser, Romance, Ribbons and Roses, on Wednesday.  It will be all about PINK this year.

Annette is so clueless that we decided to let her pass the cookies rather than having her set up for Chocolate Decadence. She is looking adorable in her floral pink and yellow dress with coordinating stripped apron. She may not be so great when it comes to common sense, but she did ask all her admirers to send a donation to support the event.  You can help, too.  Check out Aphasia Center of West Texas and donate your time or help with monetary support.