Sugar Cookies with M&M's

Note from Marie: I love to make these cookies around the holidays. If you use green and red holiday M&M's, these cookies serve as a festive substitute for the ol' regular chocolate chip. My one main recommendation for these cookies is that you chill the batter before, and in between, each batch. (I keep the dough in the freezer.) This will keep the butter cold, which increases the butter's melting point and, ideally, keeps the cookies from flattening out too quickly. The alternative is to use shortening; but because of the trans-fats in many shortenings, I use butter in all of my recipes...this one included.

Yields 4-5 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup M&M's (plus extra to press into tops)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

In large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Blend in eggs and vanilla.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in 1 1/2 cup M&M's.

Chill dough for 15-20 minutes.

Place rounded teaspoonfuls of dough on ungreased, lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently press 3-4 M&M's into top each cookie.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on cookie drying rack, and then transfer to serving platter.