Recipe: Oatmeal M&M Cookies

My grandpa's brother was one of the cutest old men ever. He was my favorite. Like his brothers, he loved baseball and trap shooting. (I guess we know which side of the family I take after.) He loved gardening and had gorgeous lilac bushes lining his driveway. We used to play baseball in his back pasture when we had family reunions. He ate oatmeal every day for breakfast and lived to be 90. So when I add oatmeal to cookie recipes, I feel like they are a little bit healthier and it always reminds me of Uncle Vaughan.

Today's recipe is a balancing act of healthy oatmeal and not-so-healthy M&Ms. They are easy, delicious, and who doesn't love to see the colorful M&Ms in a cookie?

Oatmeal M&M Cookies
1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c flour
2 c oats
M&Ms

1. Cream the butter and sugars. You shouldn't see streaks of butter and it will lighten in color. (It should remind you of cookie dough at this point.)

2. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, powder, and soda. Mix well.

3. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Add remaining flour and oats and mix until combined.

4. Stir in M&Ms. Yes, I used my mixer. It does break up the M&Ms a little bit, but I was in a hurry. We all make sacrifices.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

6. Wait until the cookies cool, put them in gallon-size baggies, and put them into the freezer. You can eat them once they are completely frozen.

The next time you have a craving for sugar, adding oatmeal to your recipe will ensure your treats are healthy too. (Can you imagine? Oatmeal creme brûlée, oatmeal banana pudding, and oatmeal mint brownies. Oatmeal is going to change the face of desserts. I can feel it.)