m 'n' m holiday cookies.

Easter? Halloween? Christmas? Fourth of July?

Bring it.

Whatever holiday it is, these cookies can waltz right in and be fashionable, readily available, unassumingly appropriate.

All you need to do is buy that bag of holiday colored m 'n' ms. Hey, they are cookies. I didn't say they were good for you. Though I suppose you could sneak in some wheat germ, use wheat flour, add in some flax meal, substitute canola oil for some of the butter, use some applesauce... but I will leave that up to you. Sometimes my version of healthy is less about the ingredients, and more about moderation (I didn't say always, just sometimes). Consequently, these cookies aren't made often: they simply show up, in colorful uniform, to stand in as a holiday treat.

I pop these casually dressed cookies into school lunches to usher in some holiday cheer. They don't require a lot of planning or foresight on my part---I just walk through Target, notice the m 'n' m's and scoop up a bag. And then smile, knowing my kids will hover around the mixing bowl, begging for a taste of the dough. Yes, the dough is unavoidably good. Especially with the big chunks of pecans.

M 'n' M Cookies 2 sticks butter 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 2 cups m n ms 3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans

Oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla and mix. Add flour, salt and soda and stir to blend. Mix in M 'n' Ms and pecans. Place in spoonfuls on tray and bake 10-13 minutes. Happy Holidays!