The kids can help make these treats! Also delicious for others to treat moms with too.
Mel’s M&M Flower Bud Cookies
36 bright colored M&M’s, removing all green ones and possibly all dark brown ones
1â„2 cup butter plus 1 tablespoon, soft
3â„4 cup sugar
1â„3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla
12â„3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash salt
sugar
green icing
Put cold butter in the microwave for 5 seconds on medium or until butter is soft but not melted. Whip butter with sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Kids can help with a wooden spoon. Add egg.
Beat in water and vanilla.
Combine flour and baking soda with dash of salt.
Pour these combined dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients. Stir them together until combined. Kids are very good at the next two tasks. Make about 1 inch or slightly larger balls of cookie dough. Make a light layer of sugar on a dinner plate. Roll the balls in this sugar. Place cookie balls on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Parents or experienced teens must handle the oven and the hot cookie and cookie sheet tasks, with hot mitts. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are cooked in the middle. Remove cookies from the oven and place them on a plate with a spatula. Place an M&M in the middle of each hot cookie quickly and press down until they are embedded. Be careful not to burn your fingers. This is the “flower bud” and it does look like an early spring flower bud. Let cookies cool. Meanwhile, mix up green icing (see recipe below.) Make green leaves with green icing, one leaf on each side of the M&M “flower bud.”
Green icing
1â„2 stick butter
heavy cream or water
2 cups powdered sugar or less
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 drops green or as desired to make a spring green
Microwave butter until soft but not melted, maybe 5 seconds on medium, depending on your microwave. Add powdered sugar by the cup and whip.
Add 1 tablespoon cream or water and vanilla. Add more powdered sugar as needed, up to another cup.
Beat the icing until it is ready to use, adding more cream or water or powdered sugar as needed.
Use a paper or canvas pastry bag and either a broad tip or the leaf tip, with the narrow line running down the middle.
— Dads, kids, spouses or anyone else can email their questions about these recipes to Mel at [email protected].
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