Smarties Cookies

I don't know about you, but Smarties are not the favourite candy in our home.  After Halloween, when candy is on sale, my husband will invariably buy a box of Nestle chocolate bars.  The Coffee Crisp and Kit Kat will be eaten first, followed by the Aero, while the Smarties boxes will still be sitting at the bottom.  No one really wants to eat them.  They are like poor quality M&Ms, at best.  So, what to do with all these left over Smarties?  Make cookies with them!

I followed a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe from The Joy of Cooking, but I was missing some ingredients, and I always cut down on the amount of sugar and fat in my baking.  I also subbed in some whole wheat flour.  Here's what I ended up doing.

Smarties Cookies

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour with 1 3/4 tsp of baking soda, 3/4 baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.  Set aside.  I added some cinnamon and nutmeg, to spice it up a little.

Cream a scant 1/2 cup of softened butter with a hand mixer, until smooth.  To the butter add 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2/3 cup brown sugar, not packed, 1 egg, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp milk.  Mix with the hand mixer.

Using a wooden spoon, incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Mix until fully combined.  Grind 1 cup of rolled oats in a food processor, or blender (I used 1/2 cup of flax seed because I didn't have any oats).  Add the ground oats to the batter.  Stir in Smarties.  I used nine mini boxes of Smarties.  You could use M&Ms, or chocolate chips.  You can also add nuts if you like.

Roll the batter into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a greased baking sheet, or one lined with parchment paper.  The cookies spread out a lot, so leave at least 2 inches between the balls and flatten them slightly.

Bake at 375F for 8 to 12 minutes, until the edges just start to brown.

The Smarties do not maintain their colour very well through the baking process, but the cookies are mighty tasty.  My husband said, "I know there are wholesome ingredients in these, but the sweetness has won out.  These are good."