WHITE PEPPERMINT CRISPERS

Friend Fran has three adorable grandchildren locally - Jude, Harrison, and Stella Blue. Don't you just love their names?! She decided each Friday that she was going to have one of them come over and bake something with them. Jude, 9, did fairly well but would get distracted with "things" in her kitchen. Harrison, 6, she discovered, preferred cleaning up the flour on the counter and floor. He also had fun smashing the peanut butter balls with the fork. Fran said he would say, "Oh, I'm so sorry - smash." over and over as he flattened the balls. Stella Blue,4, was the most involved. She had fun measuring and stirring even though the stirring was a little difficult because the mixture was thick. (I would have loved being a "fly on the wall". What memories she was making with her grandchildren!)

I had shared a couple of easy recipes with her that might work well with them but then one Friday when Friend Janice and I were out going to estate sales, we ran across two cookbooks for cooking with children. Yes, you know what I did....I bought them and gave them to Fran. Last week she returned them to me along with some other things I had "given" her to see if she could use, but didn't realize the cookbooks were there until a day or two ago. (I had told her I was interested in checking them out but never intended for her not to keep them.)

Since the cookie jar was empty again, (When you only bake about 2 dozen cookies at a time and you have a husband like I do who enjoys cookies, they don't last long.) I thought I would see what cookie recipes were in the cookbooks. The one I chose to make from the Kids Cook Fabulous Food for the Whole Family by Sarah and Zachary Williamson was actually called Chocolate Chip Crispers. I changed the title because I had some White Peppermint M&Ms I had bought after Christmas I needed to use. They would be good with peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips....you name it. Make them your own. I did make a little over 3-1/2 dozen cookies though so that means they will last a little longer in the cookie jar. Well, maybe. Will see what my husband says. He loves peppermint.

WHITE PEPPERMINT CRISPERS

1/2        cup butter, softened
3/4       cup sugar
1            egg
1            teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4     cups flour
1/2        teaspoon baking soda
1/2        teaspoon salt
2           cups Rice Crispies
1            cup White Peppermint M&Ms (or chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips...)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and sugar in bowl til nice and smooth. (Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl.)

Add egg and vanilla and beat well.





Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix well with mixer.

Stir in Rice Crispies and candy.

Using a cookie scoop, drop dough about 2 - 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (I never put more than 12 cookies on a cookie sheet.)

Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly brown.

Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.