There goes that famous cookie-pose again. Vogue, vogue, vogue!
Now that I’ve got that song in your head, lets talk cookies.
I am dubbing these as “the best” because, according to my taste buds, they really are!
I have tweaked and tweaked this recipe over and over and over again. I think I have finally got it. It’s in the butter. Or lack thereof.
Yep. No butter.
Instead, you are going to go past your butter and reach for the shortening.
We are talking about taste here, and the vegetable shortening makes a huge difference in the taste and the texture. Oh the texture is just amazing! Trust me.
If you do not want to use shortening, it’s okay. Go ahead and replace it with a cup of butter.
The Bestest M&M Cookies – EVER! 
(makes about 40 cookies)
You will need:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup M&M’s milk chocolate candies
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In your electric mixer’s bowl, mix together the sugars, shortening, eggs, and vanilla.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and blend it all together.
- Fold in the M&M’s. (If you like, you can add in more M&M’s)
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Vogue, vogue, vogue!
Imaginary convo in my head… ever? yes, EVER! Haha! These look fantastic Kate! I’m sure they’re the best EVER!
No butter? Wow those cookies look amazing. I love the pictures too.
nope. just some shortening.
Wow, NO butter!! I shouldgive these a try
then… And they are so cute, Kate!
LOVE IT!!! You are awesome girl!!
Those look so good! My M&M-loving kids would devour these
This is a good recipe (even with the shortening). I’ve made it a point to stick to butter, but for the Best M&M Cookie I can give it a go.
Love that people are ditching the butter for cookies! I have been using 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening since I was born – and everyone laughs at me! Never have gone all the way with shortening, but I am going to have to now!
Awww Kate, why’d you have to put shortening in this. I’m trying to eat healthier here! I can’t justify buying shortening!
But butter I can sneak in. lol.
Eh, it’s only 110 calories per tablespoon
yes, but they’re creepy calories…
You make a great point!
My favorite Christmas cookies use shortening too. It’s deadly I tell you – sooooo good. I’m going to have to try it in these M&M cookies now too. The kids will be thrilled. They are M&M junkies.
If you say they’re the best and seeing as you’ve put so much effort into tweaking them I’m just going to have to make them. Yum!
These look delicious. I’m okay with shortening in cookies. You’re right, it gives them great texture. Sometimes I use a mix of both butter and shortening to get some of best of both worlds. I’ll have to give these a try!
These really do look wonderful. My grandsons will love these cookies. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Delicious! I also use the shortening too in my cookie recipes!
If you say they’re the best, I bet they’re the best! My kiddos would love these beauties~
These cookies look amazing!!!! Love how simple the recipe is too. Thanks for sharing Kate
Vegetable shortening instead of butter. Will that also mean less calorie ? just asking dear .. as I have no idea and you know i am not much into baking!
I really like the look of the cookies .. mine never looks nice
Hi Kankana!!
Butter is 100 calories/tablespoon and the vegetable shortening that I use (Crisco) has 110 calories/tablespoon… so slightly more than butter.
Much as I hate to admit it, I could sit down and eat a bag of M&M’s… well… maybe not really, but the idea of it is really appealing. Surround those tasty little guys with cookie dough and WOW! Yep… we’ll have to make these! And without the butter my lactose intolerant son will be happier!
These are definitely on the to do list, as husband LOVES m&m cookies:)
I love these cookies. They look amazingly delicious – I love the pictures too. Now I need to make these.
Kate – those look pretty darn tasty! Love using shortning instead of butter since it keeps the cookies softer. These are a must try!
Those look so scrumptious, 5 star foodie junior and I must make them!
Kate my kids said mine were the best, lol. Yummy, you know I can’t say no to cookies.
-Gina-
hehehe love candy filled cookies!!! i bet your family devoured them!
I’m trying to hard to stay away from shortening, and failing! I try to stick to the all-butter route, but your description of this recipe makes me want to give shortening another go! The cookies look brilliant
Love it:)
https://mywanderingspoon.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/chocolate-wonderland/
Now I have that song stuck in my head, lol. They look fabulous!
I’ve never tried cooking with vegetable shortening but I’ll have to keep it in mind!
Makes 40 cookies, yikes that would be really dangerous in my house. I love M&M cookies. Although I don’t bake them often at home, they are always the ones I tend to buy at bakeries. Strange I know.
I constantly switch bake and forth between butter and shortening in my cookie recipes. There really is quite a big difference in the cookies depending on which you use.
I’m a confirmed butter addict…but these look pretty awesome! Might up the M&M quota, but they’re definitely vogue-worthy. Strike a pose, cookies, nothing to it…
Anytime I read “the Best” it sounds like a challenge.
I will HAVE to make them so I know for sure!
Oh my do these cookies look sooooo good! I love M&M cookies and can’t wait to try your recipe.
I’ll definitely try baking this with my daughters! I’m sure they will love it!
No butter? Wow – these do look amazing. . .would not last 2 minutes in our house. Awesome!
No butter? Best Cookie ever? My brain…it hurts! That sure looks delicious though. Love that first ‘vogue’ shot
I have wanted to try these since its my favorite candy they look wonderful bet the kids went nuts over these! including the hubby
wink wink)
Those do look fantastic, and I love m&ms in cookies! Great recipe
LOL! Have you seen my *best ever* cookies?! They use shortening too! Poor butter…we love you butter, we really do!
My mother in law makes her M&M cookies with shortening too and they are so good! I definitely think you both are on to something
These look fantastic!
All my best ever cookies also use shortening, and since I haven’t baked cookies for the longest time, I should give your recipe a try! I’m sure my kids will be delighted
.
Yes – shortening does indeed have a place in cookie recipes. These do look tender – and so pretty and I would only have 7 or 8 of them and share the rest.
Oh no! That song is going to be stuck in my head for days!!
These cookies look so good…love M&Ms in cookies. And the shortening must just make them to-die-for. Yum!
but butter is [a] shortening. Why can’t the two be subbed more easily. I’ll have to do some research.
hmmm… never thought of that … now you’ve got me thinkin’
deliciously done cookies looks wonderful
I’m not suprised that the shortening made this cookie the Best! I found in almost all of my mother’s baking recipes that she used shortening! She never wrote down how much of anything, but shortening was definitely listed!!
M&M cookies! I feel like I’m 5 all over again and I need a big glass of milk.
These look so good and lots of fun (both to make and to eat hehehe). Great pictures as well! Thanks for sharing Kate!
This looks yummy….you have a lovely blog…I am having a giveaway in my blog..Y dont you check and join that
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/2011/05/chocolate-recipe-and-chocolate.html
whoa m&m cookies! dangerous. I’ve never attempted these because I’d eat the whole batch, but these are my absolute favorite cookies!
Yum! I could put away about a dozen of these right now ! and congratulations on making Top 9 !!!
Kate, another winner! These are amazing. Congrats on Top9! Bon weekend xo
These pictures are so wonderful the cookies look like I could just pick one out and eat it! I really wish I could do that because they look delicious! You’re a great photographer and cook/baker. Kudos to you for making Top 9! : )
What a lovely cookies, Kate! My son has been begging me to make something like this for ages… your recipe seems perfect! Congrats on top 9
OMG…flashback. I have not bought/used shortening since, ah, 20 years! Yikes. But I may have to reconsider if those awesome cookies are worth it. I am so hungry on top of it.
These cookies look like so much fun – especially with a GIANT glass of milk
I have not had an M&M cookie in a while. These look amazing and I am sure the shortening must give it an almost melt-in-the-mouth texture.
There is something about adding candy to a cookie that makes us all sit up and take notice. Love the cookie pose!
Congratulations Kate!
Oh I am so going to trust your tastebuds on this one and try these with shortening- how can I resist “the best” m&m cookies?!?
I think M&M cookies are just about my favorite. I buy the holiday M&ms when they are on sale and hoard them for just his kind of thing. At the university cafeteria oh so many years ago, they had the best ones. I got the recipe from them, it has peanut butter of all things, and it is quite good. I want in these cookies, I will have to try this.
These look sooo good – but i have a question….do i need to get the butter flavored shortening?
Thanks so much!!
Hi Molly!! No, you don’t need butter flavored shortening. I use Crisco’s all-vegetable shortening.
Thank you Kate
I can’t wait to make them ~ they look amazing!!
Congrats on Top 9! No. 1, yay! And, yay, I’ve been looking for a butter-free cookie. Sounds perfect.
Our mothers knew something about baking! It was all about the Crisco
After all your fine-tuning I’m sure these are aaamazing! Congrats on the Top 9 – great way to start the weekend – hope the rest of it is equally awesome, Kate 
Oh these look heavenly! I HAVE to try them..
and your pictures are just stunning
Congrats on the top 9
Congrats on Top 9! This cookie recipe is for 40 cookies. Any cookies left for me?
Looks yum and kids and I will go crazy for this for sure!
Woo Hoo!!!! Congrats on making the beautiful number one spot on Foodbuzz!!! It really is a lovely photo:-) AND the cookies look way too yummy:-)
Hugs, Terra
Number 1 number 1 number 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay!!!
These look so delicious! Just like the cookies at the mall
I want to bake a whole batch! (Then eat them all…)
These cookies look so yummy. I love your recipes, you really deserve to be featured on foodbuzz! Well done, my friend!
M&M cookies are such a nostalgia cookie for me.
They were my favorite as a kid. Must whip some of these up.
M&M cookies rank high on the list for me too! Thanks for sharing your secret! These are irresistible!
Ok, I have to make these to make sure are the best. I thought mine are LOL
thanks for sharing your recipe too Kate
Happy weekend
Nom, nom, nom…..I adore these cookies!!! Yum!!!
They do look mighty tasty! No butter would be a tough one though…I’ll have to have yours, besides you do not want to see me trying to bake cookies
Oh my goodness! These cookies are sooo good – i can’t stop eating them!!!!
Yaaay! I’m so glad you loved them! They really are awesome.
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How could I not have noticed these when you made them in June? Well, I do remember I had my last final on June 1st, that evening. Maybe that’s why? Anyway, I totally know what you’re saying about shortening vs. butter in cookies. I love using shortening mainly because I’m lazy and don’t ever think to soften my butter ahead of time. I’m going to be buying some M&Ms, Kate, and I’ll be making these soon
As you can see, I’ve gotten to the beginning of June and actually, I’m into the posts around Memorial Day. Slowly but surely!
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