Pecan, White Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookies (A riff on a Toll House)

Another cookie recipe from our fabulous cookie queen Loren! The pastel colored M&Ms look great at Easter but are just as tasty anytime of year!

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
- 2 tsp. Rose Ruth’s Pumpkin Spice
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 cup Pecans coursely chopped (or a bit more if you wish)
- 6 oz. White Chocolate Chips (or a bit more if you wish)
- 10 oz. Bag of M&Ms (with white chips I like the pastel colors)  (Don’t like white chocolate? Use chocolate chips)
- 1 cup Butter-flavored Crisco (1 Crisco stick.)
- ¾ cup Sugar
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)
- 2 tsp. Vanilla
- 2 eggs
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a bowl combine the flour, Rose Ruth’s Pumpkin Spice, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the pecans (coarsely chopped; NOT fine), chips, and M&Ms. Set aside.
- Cream the Crisco and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy (3 minutes).
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- On low, gradually mix in the flour. Mix in the pecans, chips, and M&Ms.
- Scoop the dough (I use a 1 ½ inch scoop) onto parchment.
- Bake for 8 minutes. If the top is set, remove from the oven. If not, return for 2 additional minutes.

What makes this cookie better than the rest? Rose Ruth’s Pumpkin Spice. The pumpkin spice has a warm flavor, not the flavor found in all the Pumpkin Spice drinks and sweets available in the Fall. This cookie will be enjoyed ANY time of year. If you make cookies with pecans, try adding 2 teaspoons of Rose Ruth’s Pumpkin Spice to the recipe.
Why Crisco instead of butter? In my experience, Crisco yields a fluffier cookie where butter tends to result in a flat cookie. (Also; no indigestion for me.)

~Loren Katsakos
Boonton, NJ