Choices. Decisions. The dots that make up our life constellation.
Dad always used to say that not making a choice is making a choice. I always was fantastic at avoiding a decision. Too fantastic. I think about Dad’s comment all the time, when I pick my head up and question whether I made a choice somewhere along the way by not making a choice. Where was Jiminy Cricket with the giant neon sign that said “Big Life Choice In Progress, Take Care”?
It’s an interesting conundrum–if I decide that I made a choice by not making a choice, I then have the ability to make a choice. But in a very Schrodinger way, the fact that I made a choice doesn’t become a fact until I make a choice that I made a choice. Round-and-round until I put off figuring it out while I have a cookie or two or three . . . and there I go making non-choice choices again.
Is my life filled with more choices or non-choices? How about yours?
Soft Pretzel M&M Cookies
David loves candy. For some reason, he is so happy when he sees a little stock pile of his goodies in the kitchen–lemon heads, mike & ike, sour patch kids, M&Ms . . . I was trying to decide what baked goodness was going to grace our kitchen this past weekend. David requested pretzel M&M cookies. And folks, David doesn’t make many requests. So I made pretzel M&M cookies.
I know so many people are tempted to replace the shortening with butter, based on their most recent temperature on the whole butter/shortening debate. But for the very best soft cookies, there really is nothing better than shortening. I was so happy with this recipe–the dark brown sugar gives it a heavier, deeper flavor that balances the sweet and salty pretzel M&Ms just right. And judging from the glare David shot me when I thought about taking a bag of extras into work . . . he thought so too. 🙂
wyldflour
24-30 cookies
15 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
35 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups flour (*see notes)
- 1 1/4 cups pretzel M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cream together shortening, butter, and sugars.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt by hand.
- Stir in pretzel M&Ms. Pull off 1/4 cup-ish sized chunks and roll into balls. Space out at least 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Dot each cookie with a few extra M&Ms.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes and remove from oven. Remove to cooling rack, being careful not to break the cookies. They will be just a tad underdone, but this will preserve the softness. Store in a plastic bag on the counter.
Notes
*If you prefer flatter cookies (aka David's choice), then drop the flour down to 2 3/4 cups flour and flatten the cookie dough balls slighty with your palm before baking.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
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