April 18, 2012

B is for Baby. and Bribery

^ Two things that, in my opinion, go hand in hand.

I get weirdly excited when I get the opportunity to watch other people's children. Throw a baby in the mix and it's comparable to Christmas morning. But I would be lying if I said it wasn't hard work. I would also be lying if I said I was always a good role model.

"No, I said tucking, silly."
"Ok please don't repeat that to your mother. No seriously."
"Want a cookie...?"


A while back I watched a couple of hellions angels for a weekend, and by the time Sunday rolled around I felt like I had been hit by a train. Or spent the weekend at the Gorge. How do real moms do it? Kids are tiring. It probably didn't help that I stayed up until the wee hours playing video games with them. Can you blame me though? They had an obscene amount of gaming systems, including Nintendo 64 which might be the greatest creation ever known to mankind.

Side note, since when did kids become so bossy? The following morning this conversation went down:

Child: Babysitter, I want waffles for breakfast. (yes, he really called me "babysitter" instead of "Maddie." I didn't make him call me by my name though because how hilarious is that?)
Me: I actually don't really want to make waffles. Let's eat cereal instead. OMG you guys have Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Child: But you're the babysitter, so you have to make what I want to eat. That's your job.
Me: Damn, you have a point. But dude, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is seriously what's up. And I'm tired from all that dominating I did in Mario Kart.
Child: No, I want waffles.
Me. Ok fine. Wait...I don't even know how to make waffles.
Child: Google it.

I find no matter the babysitting situation, you must come prepared. These cookies are vital for the overall success of the experience, because they are delicious and gigantic and kids get SUPER excited about the m&ms. They will probably pick out the m&ms before touching the rest of the cookie, a trait I personally find annoying. But to each his own.

When things start to get out of control, and you sense a meltdown on the horizon, just whip out one of these bad boys. It's foolproof. Parents also really appreciate coming home to cracked out little people due to the massive sugar overdose. Sike.


Giant M&M Cookies
How Sweet It Is
Makes 18 large cookies

Ingredients
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of salted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups m&ms

Preheat oven to 325F

Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms - it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. Fold in the m&m's.

Shape dough into balls (roughly the size of large golf balls), and then pull each ball into two equal pieces with your hands. Turn each half so that the rough side of the half (what used to be the inside of the ball) faces upwards and then squish both halves together. Place the dough rough-side up on the baking sheet. Weird, I know. But it's the secret and it works.

Bake for 11-14 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. The centers should be soft and puffy. Do no over bake. Let cool completely.


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