Gluten Free M&M Cookies

This recipe combines two of my favorite sweets: M&Ms and Chocolate Chip Cookies (CCCs)! M&M cookies are simply any CCC recipe where you substitute the chocolate chips with M&Ms (try using Peanut M&Ms with this. YUM!). I'm pretty sure that M&Ms are gluten free. Every time I surf the web I find lots of data to back that up. However, when I was in Australia I picked up a pack of Peanut M&Ms and as I was reading the ingredients, I discovered that "wheat flour" was listed. I quickly spit out my half-chewed candy and tossed the rest of the bag to my friend Damian. What would be the purpose of adding wheat flour? Thinking it had something to do with them being "Peanut M&Ms," I examined a plain M&M bag and discovered the same thing. So the whole time I was in the land down under, I was deprived of one of my favorite snacks. But no longer!!

This particular recipe comes from the "Nestle Toll House, best-loved Cookies" book. I love this book! It has 70 of their most requested cookies, bars and brownies, making it a treasure chest for the sweet-toothed. Make a bunch of these and share. People will love you for it!

You can use absolutely any all-purpose GF baking mix for this, but I used the flour concoction below.

The Following gluten-free flour recipe was adapted from the book The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast And Healthy by Bette Hagman.

Gluten Free Flour Mix

• 3 cups white rice flour
  
• 1 cup potato flour
  
• ½ cup tapioca flour
  
• 2 tsp xantha
  

Cookie Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (make sure it's GF!)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups M&Ms
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cooking Instructions (for about 4 dozen cookies)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one until well combined.
4. Gradually mix in the flour mixture.
5. Stir in the M&Ms and the chopped walnuts (if you're into nuts).
6. Using a 1-inch ice cream scoop (or spoon), drop onto an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer to cooling rack.
9. Share and enjoy:) !