Lucky Charms Sugar Cookies

• servings: 16 cookies

Ingredients

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (198 grams)

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (263 grams)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)

1 1/4 cup Lucky Charms cereal (marshmallows removed) crushed into very fine crumbs (54 grams)

1 cup Lucky Charms marshmallows

Sugar coating (optional)

1/4 cup Lucky Charms marshmallows

2 tablespoons Lucky Charms cereal

1/4 cup granulated sugar (55 grams)

1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Directions

1. Whisk together the sugar and butter, then whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.

2. Sprinkle the salt, baking powder and baking soda evenly over the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.

3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. When they’re about 90 percent combined, stop and add the marshmallows. Continue mixing until the last streaks of flour and crushed cereal disappear and the marshmallows are evenly distributed.

4. Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

5. Measure out about 2.5 tablespoons for each cookie, or use a 1.5-ounce cookie scoop, to form about 16 dough balls. Chill the dough balls, uncovered, in the refrigerator for another hour.

6. Make the sugar coating, if using. In a resealable bag, crush the marshmallows and cereal pieces with a rolling pin, just until the marshmallows are fine but not pulverized into a powder. Whisk the crushed bits with the sugar and salt in a small bowl.

7. When the cookies are almost done chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Line two half-sheet trays with parchment paper. Roll each dough ball in the sugar coating, and place 6 or 7 dough balls on each. At this point, I like to place one or two marshmallows on top of each dough ball.

8. Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, then take each tray and bang it on the racks or the top of the stove to deflate them (tapping them with a rubber spatula or even an oven mitt works, too). Switch their positions in the oven and continue baking for 4 more minutes, banging them two more times, once after two minutes, and once when you take them out of the oven. The cookies should be just barely golden on the edges, and their centers should be underdone.

9. Allow the cookies to set up on their trays for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

10. Repeat with the remaining dough balls or store them in a resealable bag in the fridge or freezer to bake off later.