Anyone who knows me knows I love Chocolate Candy as long as its Milk Chocolate no, Dark Chocolate for Charlie and I.Nuts would be nice to. But I wanted to share something about me with you. I have a rule about M&Ms, I don’t care who agrees with me. If it’s blue, you can keep it!
Today is National M&M Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a little trip down memory lane, some fun facts about one of America’s favorite candies, and a batch of homemade M&M cookies? And if you know Charlie, you already know why we need to include those cookies. M&M cookies are his all-time favorite, and around here, when we have a reason to make something sweet for the family, I’m always happy to find one!
When I was growing up, I remember M&Ms looking a little different from the bags we find today. I remember the lighter tan candies and the darker brown ones. We had red, orange, yellow, green, and brown shades, and I remember when red disappeared from the packages for a while.
Back then, we had plain chocolate M&Ms and peanut M&Ms. That was exciting enough for us! Today, you can find all sorts of varieties, including peanut butter, caramel, crispy, and other specialty flavors. There are so many choices that I sometimes wonder how a little candy that started out so simply became such a big deal.
But I still have one question. Who in the world decided blue belonged in a bag of M&Ms? I mean, we were doing just fine before blue showed up. We had our colors, we had our candy, and nobody asked me whether I wanted a blue one. And if you think I’m going to eat one, you’re crazy!
David will eat every color in the package and ask for more. Charlie will do the same thing. They aren’t going to stand around sorting candies by color or worrying about whether one is blue. Me? I’ll take the colors I like and leave the blue ones for them.
Now, I thought this would be a fun opportunity to learn a little something, too. After all, a bag of candy can turn into a homeschool lesson when we start asking questions about history, science, and why things change. Then we can have a fun snack afterwards.
Did you know M&Ms were introduced in the United States in 1941? According to Charlie that is before the Dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The candy was developed by Forrest Mars Sr. and Bruce Murrie, and the name M&M comes from their surnames. The candy-coated chocolate was designed to be easier to carry in warm conditions without melting as readily as uncoated chocolate. Source: M&M’S official history Remember, the saying “they melt in your mouth not your hands? Do you think that’s true?
In 1976, red M&Ms disappeared from packages because of concerns about Red Dye No. 2, a food coloring that the FDA banned that year. Here’s the surprising part: M&Ms did not actually contain Red Dye No. 2. The company removed the red candies because it wanted to avoid confusing or worrying customers.
Red M&Ms returned in 1987 after an absence of about 11 years. That’s a long time for a candy lover to wait for a favorite color! Source: HISTORY — Six Times M&Ms Made History Trust me on that because I waited and waited and waited and I’m sure the green M&M was lonely without the red one. What do you think?
Here’s where my childhood memory gets interesting. The lighter shade was called tan, and the darker shade was brown. It was the tan M&M that was discontinued in 1995, not the darker brown one. And what replaced tan? You guessed it. Blue!
In 1995, M&M’s held a public vote asking people to choose which color should replace tan. The choices were blue, pink, and purple. Blue won with 54% of the votes cast in a nationwide poll involving more than 10 million votes. Apparently, plenty of people wanted blue in their candy bags. I just wasn’t one of them! Source: The Washington Post, September 10, 1995. I think we should have left they they was they were. What do you think?
Of course, whenever I talk about family memories, I think about Suzzane, too. If she had been here when blue M&Ms arrived, I can just imagine her asking why they couldn’t make pink ones instead.LOL I can’t say for certain what she would have picked, but I can picture us having that conversation. Those little moments are the ones you wish you could keep collecting forever.
And that’s one of the things I love about a day like this. It gives us a reason to remember the little things, laugh about our differences, and share stories about the people we love. If you have children or grandchildren learning at home, M&M history gives you an easy way to mix a little education into a fun day.
You can talk about the history of the candy, investigate the difference between tan and brown, and learn why red disappeared for a while. You can even work on a little math. If blue received 54% of 10 million votes, that would be 5.4 million votes. Since the reported total was more than 10 million, the actual number of votes for blue would have been higher than that simple estimate.
Then ask the kids to imagine that they get to vote on a new M&M color. Would they bring back tan, choose pink, pick purple, or invent an entirely new color? And, of course, they can count the candies, sort them by color, and use them to decorate cookies. Just remember to save a few for the recipe!
If your family enjoys celebrating food holidays, there are a few ways to make National M&M Day last longer than one afternoon. You can look for The Official M&M’S Brand History of Chocolate, a children’s book about chocolate and the candy’s history. It could be a fun addition to a homeschool reading list. The book can be used in our 10 Minute Reading Challenge and you would earn a ticket in our challenge and if you make the Cookies you would earn 2 tickets.
There is also an older baking booklet titled Brighter Baking with M&M’s Brand Chocolate Mini Baking Bits. If you enjoy collecting vintage cookbooks and recipe booklets, it is worth searching for a copy. And what about a fun M&M T-shirt? Personally, I think wearing a blue M&M shirt while refusing to eat blue M&Ms would make a pretty funny picture!
Now, let’s get to the important part of today’s celebration. If I were making something with M&Ms today, I would choose cookies over brownies. Don’t get me wrong, M&M brownies sound delicious, but Charlie’s all-time favorite cookies are M&M cookies. And when you have a family favorite, why not make it part of the celebration?
These cookies have soft centers, lightly golden edges, and plenty of colorful candy pieces. You can use traditional M&Ms, peanut M&Ms, or your family’s favorite variety. I would stick with the classic candies for this recipe, though, because that’s what makes them the cookies Charlie loves.
If you have little helpers in the kitchen, let them measure the ingredients, count out the candies, and press a few extra M&Ms into the tops of the cookies before baking. Just keep the raw cookie dough away from little mouths because it contains raw egg and untreated flour.
And please, don’t share the chocolate candies or cookies with the dogs. I joke about giving Penny my blue M&Ms, but chocolate can be dangerous for dogs, so keep the treats safely out of their reach. Now, let’s get baking!
Charlie’s Favorite M&M Cookies
Prep time: 15 minutes
Chill time: 30 minutes, optional but helpful
Bake time: 10–12 minutes per batch
Yield: About 24 cookies
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups M&Ms, plus a few extra for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy.
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the M&Ms.
- If the dough feels very soft, cover and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes. This helps the cookies hold their shape.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Press a few extra M&Ms into the tops if you want them to look extra colorful.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look a little soft. Baking time may vary by oven and cookie size.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Pour yourself a cup of coffee, grab a cookie, and enjoy!
A little family tip: If your children are helping, let them decorate a few cookies with his favorite colors. If I’m helping, I reserve the right to pick out the blue ones. Laughing out loud!
From the old tan and brown candies to the return of red and the arrival of blue, these little chocolates have given us plenty to talk about. I learned something new while checking the history, and I hope you did, too. The next time you open a bag, maybe you’ll remember that there is a little history hiding in those colorful candy shells.
As for me, I’ll be making Charlie’s favorite M&M cookies, thinking about family memories, and letting David and Charlie handle the blue ones. Because here at Greatful Moments, we’re grateful for the little things, thankful for the memories, and blessed to have family stories that still make us laugh.
Now it’s your turn! What is your favorite M&M color? Do you remember when red disappeared or when blue first showed up? And would you choose cookies or brownies to celebrate National M&M Day? Let me know in the comments!
Charlie’s Favorite M&M Cookies
National M&M Day
GreatfulMoments.com
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups M&M candies, plus extra for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy.
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the M&M candies.
- If the dough is very soft, cover and chill for about 30 minutes.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Add extra candies on top if desired.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look soft.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Family Baking Tip
Let everyone press a few extra candies into the tops before baking. Choose your favorite colors — but if you’re Glenda, you can leave the blue ones for David and Charlie!
What would you make using M&Ms?
GratefulMoments.com
Greatful. Thankful. Blessed.
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Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
