Speaking of birthday treats, I made a very festive one for our lab technician Juliana this week. I topped a chocolate chip cookie base with a thick layer of eggless mini M&M cookie dough and then decorated the top with more M&Ms!
I always like to add some oats to my chocolate chip bar cookies because it makes them a little more sturdy and chewy, so I went ahead and did that with the base layer, which I baked in a 9-inch springform pan. Then I mixed very cute semisweet mini M&Ms into the eggless cookie dough layer that topped the tart.
Between my messy handwriting and lack of word centering skills, I have no talent at all when it comes to writing on the top of cakes. But, using the M&Ms to write “Happy Bday!” worked really well, even for me, because I could make sure all M&Ms were in exactly the correct position and that the words were centered before pushing the M&Ms down into the cookie dough and finalizing everything. Big and little kids alike would love this, and you can customize it for almost any occasion by using different colored M&Ms!
M&M Cookie Dough Tart
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Base Layer:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cookie Dough Layer:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet mini M&Ms
1/2 cup plain chocolate M&Ms
Directions:
To prepare the baked cookie base, heat oven to 350F. Mix butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until creamed; add egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Gradually mix in flour, baking soda, and salt; stir in oats and chocolate chips. Spread cookie dough evenly into a greased 9-inch springform pan and bake at 350°F for 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
To prepare the eggless cookie dough, mix butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until creamy; add milk and vanilla and mix until well blended. Gradually mix in flour and salt; stir in mini M&Ms. Spread cookie dough evenly over cooled cookie crust and decorate the tart with plain chocolate M&Ms. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, then remove from pan and cut into wedges. Makes 16 servings.
Nutrition: 392 calories, 20.7g fat, 2.7g fiber, 3.8g protein per serving
Cost: $0.52 per serving