Smarties Cookies

It is fair to say, the weather in Ireland recently has been somewhat unpredictable, the days are more like micro seasons, sunny with blue skies one minute and hail showers the next!! The cherry blossoms have at last dressed themselves in their beautiful gowns albeit a month late, the trees are in full bloom and the swallows are busy building their nests. It has been a tentative start to the summer but I think we are finally getting there. Baking for me is very cathartic and baking smarties cookies is the most beneficial of all, these bright jewel cookies are the perfect antidote for our strange weather and will be cheery no matter what it's doing outside!! 

This of course all seems so trivial by comparison to the great wonders of the universe, which have been put very much in perspective in the past couple of days with the safe return of Commander Hadfield to earth. We have been enjoying his tweets and videos, especially Space Oddity, although my children were more interested in his "Tears don't fall in space" video, this new found wisdom has been passed on with great excitement to anyone that will listen, you have been warned!

Makes 20-25 cookies

Ingredients
100g Butter softened
150g Light brown sugar
1 Egg + 1 egg yolk
250g Plain flour
½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
150g Smarties (about 4 tubes)

Method

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350º F/Gas Mark 4. Line two large baking sheet with baking paper. Combine the flour and the bicarbonate of soda, set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until pale with a hand mixer.

Add the egg and egg yoke with a tablespoon of flour (to prevent the egg from splitting) mix until combined. Add the remainder of the flour until you have a stiff dough. 

Roll the cookie dough into walnut sized balls or scoop with an ice cream scoop, place about 5cm apart on the baking sheets to allow for spreading, flatten with wet hands.

Place the smarties onto the cookies

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Why not try......

Fold in 150g of dark chocolate chip and the smarties to the cookie dough.

Place walnut sized balls onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten as before.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

 Serve with a glass of ice cold milk and devour!