For the love of coffee and cookies

I love coffee, although I love flavored creamer in my coffee more.  And I drink that coffee so slowly, it's not even funny.  This is a problem, because I don't like to do anything until my coffee is finished.  But sometimes, it takes me two hours to drink my Tim Horton's travel mug of coffee.  Sometimes, I pour it, and don't even take that first sip until a half hour after it's poured; instead, I just hold the warm mug in my hands.

Delicious, and we'll pretend nutritious

I made these cookies yesterday.  Although mine were m&m flavored, and not chocolate chip flavored.  Nutella M&M cookies.  Delicious.  I followed the recipe pretty precisely, but I'll re-post it here:


Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temp.
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup plain M&M's.  If I make them again, I'd use either a half cup of mini M&M's, or a whole cup of plain ones.  It was just a little too sparse.)

Directions

1. Mix together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.
2. Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in egg.
3. Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips.
4. Chill for at least 1 hour.
5. Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks.

I found that I needed to cook my cookies for 12 minutes, and then still do the 5 minute cooling on the baking sheet.  They were perfect- chewy yet slightly crisp.  The flavor was really interesting.  It was chocolaty and slightly salty, with a hint of cinnamon.  I had more than one person describe them as a Chocolate Ginger Snap, although there is no ginger in them.

It made 27 cookies, and there are only five left.  I've eaten four.  This just shows what a hit they were in this house!