Chocolate Orange M&M Cookies

 If you know me, you know that I LOVE cookies! I also love the flavor combination of chocolate and orange. Have you seen the new chocolate orange M&M's? They taste like those chocolate sticks with the orange jelly inside or those chocolate oranges with the wedge pieces, YUM YUM!! 

I discovered them through a friend and went right out to Wal Mart and picked up a few bags. I knew immediately that I wanted to bake them into a scrumptious cookie.

The end result was some good chocolate cookies devoured by my daughters group of friends. (okay, I ate a few also)

Chocolate Orange M&M Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 bag chocolate orange M&M's- or any kind of M&M would be great!! (save some to add to tops of cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them, set aside. 

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until will blended.

Beat in egg and vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl to make sure everything is blended well.

In medium bowl, stir flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.

Add flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture. Stir in most of the M&M's. 

Place heaping tablespoons of cookie dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. 

Press a few M&M's into the tops of each cookie. 

Bake 12-14 minutes. 

Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Store in air tight container.