Cookies with smarties

Cookies with smarties

I admit that these cookies require some effort but it’s so worth it because of how delicious and beautiful they are. Just seeing the look of surprise and appreciation on my kids’ faces when they saw these cookies was worth the effort for me.
You can bake these together with the kids, it’s a nice joint activity. I wrote a detailed post and I recommend you read it patiently. I gave some tips so your cookies come out perfect.

Makes 40 cookies

Preparation:

This post is a bit long but I recommend reading until the end. If you don’t have the patience, read step 4.

1. Take the butter out of the fridge 15 minutes before you start,to let it soften. Place in the mixer along with the sugar. Cream together with the paddle attachment for around two minutes, add the egg and mix until well combined.

2. Add the baking soda, instant chocolate drink mix powder, cocoa and lastly, the flour.

3. Preheat an oven to 180°C.

4. Two options: I think this is the best option for making these cookies
One option is to make balls weighing 12 grams each, flatten slightly and press as many smarties as you can onto the cookies. Arrange spaced apart on a baking tray. The cookies flatten and spread out during baking. Bake for 7-8 minutes and remove from the oven. They will still be soft but harden as they cool.
Don’t touch the cookies when they come out of the oven, let them cool first.

A second option:
I make all the balls in advance and each time bake 7-8 balls. Bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookies are soft when they come out of the oven. Now, work quickly and press the Smarties into the cookies. You have to work quickly and best before they start settling because as soon as they flatten out it’s harder to press the Smarties into them. The cookies may break or crack. The bottom line is to work quickly!
Don’t touch the cookies after you’ve pressed the Smarties in. Let them cool first.

5. In the first option the cookies are larger. There are a few different Smarties-type candies. I like using the mini ones.
Try finding ones that don’t use a lot of artificial colorings. The colors bleed into the cookie and besides, they’re not that healthy.

6. With the second option, you work a little harder:
The cookies come out much prettier than with the first option, it takes time to prepare, you can’t place a large batch in the oven at once because you have to work quickly as soon as they come out of the oven. I explained everything above.
Another disadvantage is that some of the candies fall off the cookies, unlike with the first option where everything stays in place, so take that into account.

7. Children are the biggest critics, right? The cookies will get devoured no matter what, the kids don’t really care about aesthetics / size of candies. They’ll eat and enjoy.
I suggest that you read both options carefully and decide what works best for you. I’ve added a photo of the cookies in both options.

The bottom line:
Form balls and flatten slightly, densely pack with Smarties by pressing into the top of the cookies, bake for 7-8 minutes and remove from the oven.

Good to know…
For a non-dairy version you should use butter-flavored margarine, not oil. You can also make these without the candies. These can be kept in a closed container for 3-4 days. Don’t leave the baking soda out.