Sour Cream M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

After a pre-Cinco De Mayo party I held this weekend (it's finals week, although we all seem to have more time, none of it's co-ordinated), I had leftover sour cream. Since I don't really like sour cream for eating--I'm that person that always asks the Mexican restaurants to leave it off--I knew I had to find some other use for it.

I'd already made a cinnamon chocolate chip sour cream cake for the Tres De Mayo party dessert, but still had more sour cream. I searched the internet, thinking I might make muffins or biscuits--but then couldn't decide when I'd want to actually eat them.

Last night I had a final at a professor's house. He was going to cook for us, but asked us to bring beverages or food. I took some of the cinnamon chocolate chip sour cream cake, some vegetable purses that I made spur of the moment to use up some phyllo dough, and these cookies.

I found the original recipe, which called for more fat, no oatmeal and no cereal, online. I always tinker and I didn't want to wait for extra butter to come to room temperature from frozen. Who really has time for that, most days? It was one of the few recipes that didn't contain nuts or fruit combined with spices. The one person who reviewed it "didn't care for the recipe," but an identical recipe that used yogurt instead had pretty good reviews. I decided I had to try it out--the worst that could happen was that I wouldn't like the cookies and my professor could take them into the mailroom tomorrow. I know from experience that any food that winds up in the mailroom gets eaten by grad students (who love free food because we get paid so little to teach!) and professors.

Sour Cream M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

This egg-free cookie turns out crispy around the edges and soft in the middle. Be careful not to over bake. It should be soft in the middle when you pull it out and only lightly golden on the bottom.

½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup light sour cream
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ cup old fashioned rolled oatmeal (quick oats works too, do not use instant)
¼ cup (about 1 handful) plain cheerios, lightly crushed[1]
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
3-4 ounces semi-sweet baking chips
2-3 ounces small candy-coated chocolates

Preheat oven to 375º F. In a large mixing bowl combine sugars, butter, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sour cream, sea salt, and vanilla. Blend until light and fluffy. Add in oatmeal, mixing by hand. Add the cheerios, if using, and flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips and candy-coated chocolates.

Drop dough 1 ½ teaspoons at a time onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. These cookies will spread slightly while baking. Bake for 9 minutes, or until the edges have started to firm and turn golden. Cool for 1 minute on pan before transfering to wire rack.

Yields: Approximately 48 cookies.
[1] If you do not have plain cheerios, you can use an additional quarter cup oatmeal