{The Chewiest!} Red Velvet M&M’s Cookies

Sooooo I just got back from Disneyland, and I am having some serious issues to adjusting back to the real world.

Instead of waking in the morning feeling like P.Diddy in my luxurious hotel room, I wake up looking like a hobo in my twin-sized bed with ripped plaid sheets.  There isn’t anyone to restock miniature toiletries in my bathroom when I leave for a small period of time.  And when I walk outside, I don’t see gigantic furry animal costumes, hear sounds of laughter and sparkles, or smell freshly fried beignets and irresistible churros.  I just see my dead front yard and hear cars drive by, which is hardly glamorous.  And there’s definitely no churro aroma, either.

I’m just trying to figure out whyyyyy I can’t live in the castle, ride Space Mountain all day or stuff my face with Monte Cristos.  It seems kinda cruel that I must transition back to this cold, cutthroat real world when I was just riding roller coasters and my biggest issue of the day was deciding exactly which keychain to buy.

Oh, the cruelty of this world!  There is a serious lack of magic in my neighborhood.  And any rodents I see are not dressed in polka dotted dresses.  I’m also pretty sure they’re rabid and don’t come from a land of smiles and giant mouse-shaped waffles.

Anyways, it’s been kinda rough as I struggle to navigate back into the real world, where calories count and happy music isn’t constantly humming around you.  Especially since the day after I came home, I was greeted with a huge pile of bills waiting for me and my mom informing me that her work is dropping my vision and dental insurance.  I mean, it would have been tooootally different if she handed me a stack of bills and mentioned that little diddy while I had mouse-ears on and was posing with Goofy, but noooooooo.  Welcome back from paradise, Hayley — adulthood didn’t bother to take a vacation from being sucky!

Dammit, reality.  I hate you.

While at Disneyland, I had the pleasure of attending a Disneyland Lunch which was sponsored by the TechMunch conference I was there for.  At the lunch they had a Whoopie Pie Bar where you could choose your pies and fillings and the pastry chefs from Disneyland would happily fill and decorate them to order for you.  It was such a neat idea, and for someone who usually resists red velvet, there was something super enticing about these freshly baked whoopies.  So I ordered a red velvet one with classic cream cheese frosting and oh mah god, it was phenomenal!  The pie was perfectly plush and chewy, the cream cheese filling delightfully luscious.  In fact, it had me hankering for some more red velvet deliciousness, so when I got home I whipped these cookies up.

They’ll definitely be that security blanket when reality bites.

These are easily some of the softest, chewiest cookies I’ve ever eaten or made!  A lot of people knock cake mix, but it produces some seriously moist, light & chewy cookies that are absolutely to-die for!  Plus, it makes creating red velvet cookies a cinch — just open a box of red velvet cake mix, add a few simple ingredients and bake.  I love the addition of the red velvet M&M’s and the white chips for added color and a little pop of crunchy texture.  The red velvet M&M’s have a hint of red velvet flavor but aren’t too strong — just like red velvet, they kinda just tasted like chocolate.  But I liked the idea of having that crunch and texture in the soft cookie.  I know you will, too!

Have a fantastical day!!

xo, Hayley