Lucky Charms Cookies

New Year's Day, 2018. Black-eyed peas for luck, collard greens for money, cornbread for gold, pork for progress. The tradition that is not negotiable, the meal that begins every year the way a foundation begins every building: underneath everything, supporting everything, seen by no one and essential to all.

This year the peas were particularly good — I added a smoked turkey wing to the pot instead of the ham hock, a compromise that Rosetta accepted with the magnanimity she reserves for January 1st, and the turkey wing gave the broth a lighter smokiness that complemented the earthiness of the peas in a way that surprised me. Sometimes compromise produces something better than stubbornness, and that applies to cooking and to marriage and to most things worth doing.

Walter Jr. and the family came. Marcus and Angela — planning, always planning, the wedding four months away and the details multiplying like rabbits. Charlie was back in Nashville, working. Tyrone came alone, no girlfriend this time, which is Tyrone's default state, and we played dominoes after dinner, and he won, and I accused him of cheating, and he denied it, and Rosetta confirmed it, and the year began the way the last year ended: with family, with food, with the comfortable combativeness of people who love each other enough to argue about dominoes.

Resolutions. Rosetta's list is on the refrigerator again: Earl will eat more vegetables (annually renewed, annually unfulfilled), Earl will see Dr. Barker about the knee (I will), Earl will seriously consider retirement (I am), and Rosetta will run another half-marathon (she will). My resolutions are simpler: smoke better meat, love harder, show up every day. These are the same resolutions I've had for fifty-nine years. They haven't changed because they don't need to. The fire doesn't need a new year. It just needs more wood.

After the black-eyed peas were cleared and Tyrone had won his last suspicious hand of dominoes, Rosetta produced these Lucky Charms Cookies from the back of the counter — her quiet nod to the theme of the day, since apparently one form of luck at the table wasn’t enough. The marshmallows are festive, the cookies are simple, and when Marcus and Angela took the last two home in a napkin “for the road,” I figured that was as good a wedding omen as any. If the peas lay the foundation, the cookies are the celebration on top — and this year, we needed both.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Lucky Charms marshmallow pieces (picked out or from a marshmallow-only bag)
1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
Combine wet and dry. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
Fold in mix-ins. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the white chocolate chips. Add the Lucky Charms marshmallow pieces last and fold in carefully — they’re delicate and you want them to stay whole.
Scoop and space. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Gently press a few extra marshmallow pieces onto the tops of each dough ball for color.
Bake. Bake for 10—12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly underdone. They will firm up as they cool.
Cool on pan. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Lucky Charms Cookies — Because the Peas Bring the Luck, but the Cookies Keep the Peace