Granola M&M Cookies

I drove the grandchildren to school this week — all three who are in school: Ethan (third grade), Sophie (first grade), and Noah (preschool). The driving is a retirement perk — I am available on weekday mornings now, and Jennifer, managing four children and a returning-to-work schedule, accepted the offer with the gratitude of a woman who has been drowning in logistics and has just been thrown a rope. I drove to White Plains at seven a.m. with rugelach in the passenger seat (the teachers get rugelach; this is law) and I loaded three grandchildren into the car and drove them to three different drop-offs and the driving was chaotic and beautiful and exactly what I wanted: to be useful. To be necessary. To be the grandmother who shows up with cookies and a car and the willingness to sit in drop-off lines at three schools in White Plains before nine o'clock in the morning.

Marvin was with Gloria. I called at ten. Gloria said he was watching television. Gloria said he ate breakfast. Gloria said he was calm. Calm is the word Gloria uses when Marvin is in his chair, not agitated, not wandering, simply existing in the reduced world of his disease, and the calm is good, the calm is the best case, and I am grateful for the calm the way you are grateful for a day without rain when you know the rain is coming.

I made a pumpkin bread — two loaves, one for the grandchildren and one for Gloria, because Gloria deserves baked goods, because Gloria is the woman who makes it possible for me to drive grandchildren to school and visit memory care facilities and write a book and go to the support group and have a life outside the caregiving, and the payment for that is not only money (which she earns) but food (which she deserves) and gratitude (which I give freely, in loaves).

The pumpkin bread was already cooling on the rack when I started thinking about what to bake next — because that’s what I do now, I bake in multiples, I bake for the people on my list, and Gloria and the grandchildren are always at the top of it. These Granola M&M Cookies have become my second loaf, so to speak: the thing I tuck into a bag alongside whatever else I’m bringing, bright and cheerful and sturdy enough to survive the back seat of a car with three children in it. They are the cookie version of showing up — a little crunchy, a little sweet, impossible to resist, and made with every intention of being useful.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granola (plain or lightly sweetened)
1 cup M&M candies (plus a handful for pressing on top)

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the granulated and brown sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing on low just until incorporated — do not overmix.
Fold in granola and M&Ms. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in the granola and M&M candies until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Scoop and space. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Press a few extra M&Ms onto the tops of each cookie for color.
Bake. Bake for 10—12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers look just set. Do not overbake — they will firm up as they cool.
Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days — or pack them in a bag and bring them to someone who deserves them.

Nutrition (per serving)

Granola M&M Cookies — Baked With Gratitude, Given in Loaves (and Batches)