You know it's Spring when Pastel-Colored M&Ms are in stores!

The weather in Mountain View has been incredible the past couple of weeks - sunny and warm! The flowers are blooming and the birds are chirping. But you know it's really Spring when pastel colored M&Ms make their way into stores.

To commemorate the beginning of Spring I decided to make some M&M cookies. These were a fun treat my mom used to make when we were kids. I think the pastel colors are just beautiful. And did you notice that these Spring M&Ms also have bunnies, lambs, and chicks? I don't think they taste any different, but they sure are cute!

Cookies pre-bake time.

I looked online for a good recipe, and ended up using one from the Joy of Cooking. I ended up tweaking the recipe, because I ran out of all-purpose flour. I subbed 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour to make up the 2 cups of flour. I also used baking powder instead of baking soda. As a result of these substitutions I ended up with a puffier, "cakier" cookie. They had more of a wholesome flavor due to the wheat.

The trick to making these cookies visually appealing is to push the M&Ms into the dough after you have formed them into balls and smashed them down into discs. This way you can show off the cute lil' chicks and lambs. I let AJ decorate a couple. He said, "This is how a man makes a cookie." That crazy kid.

"Man" cookies.

I like the lambs with "Ms" for eyes.

I am not sure I would add whole wheat flour to the next batch of M&M cookies I make, but they were tasty. I think the whole wheat version could do well with the addition of some spices and maybe a brown butter glaze. Something to try next time.

Enjoy! Happy Easter!