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These buttery square biscuits are speckled with M&M's® Red, White, & Blue Peanuts for a sweet and nutty treat that is perfect for Memorial Day picnics and gatherings.
In one of humanity’s ironies, days meant to commemorate great sacrifice are often spent in great excess or merriment. Recall the Homeric feats of Classical Greece where the battles and bloodletting of the Achaeans, or their besieged Trojan counterparts, were passed with games, the reciting of poetry, and copious amounts of food.
Flash forward countless millennia, and our modern Memorial Day is one spent over grills at the start of the summer season, a sort of “Pre-Fourth of July” feast.
However, this all may not be as ironic as it may seem. Recall the English classicalist John Maxwell Edmonds, who in rephrasing Simonides’ commemoration of the Spartans at Thermopylae, devised the commemorative epitaph for our modern soldiers, “When you go home, tell them of us and say; For your tomorrows these gave their today.”
In other words, perhaps enjoying our “tomorrows” to the fullest is precisely how we are supposed to be commemorating such sacrifice.
To that point, I’ve been talking a lot recently about some of the ways I’ll be celebrating this summer, especially Memorial Day, and about some of my favorite grilling items, as well as ways to capture the flavors of the seasons indoors without the need for open flames. However, what about desserts? After all, nothing is ever enjoyed to its fullest without a dash of sweet…no matter how delicious the barbeque.
True, there are the perennial frozen treats that are often the first thing that spring to mind as the weather warms, or baked pies of varying fruit, or even a handful of seasonal cakes that everyone knows and loves. While each of those items will likely find a place in my dessert menu this season, for this Memorial Day, I wanted to do something a little unexpected, and decided on making M&M’s® Shortbreads.
I just had to include M&M’s® in the recipe after seeing M&M's® Red, White, & Blue at my local Walmart, which are meant to commemorate the troops – and since for each bag of M&M’s® purchased MARS is donating a bag to the troops. I couldn’t help but consider this to be particularly apropos, since M&M’s® were originally made with soldiers in mind. During the Spanish Civil War, Forrest Mars, Sr. observed soldiers eating British made chocolate pellets encased in a sugar coating as part of their rations, and decided he could provide a better product. After receiving a patent in 1941, production of M&M’s® began in New Jersey, and after the United States entered World War II, the candies were sold exclusively to the military.
With that in mind, I picked up a bag of the M&M's® Red, White, & Blue Peanut 42 OZ, Skittles® Red, White, & Blue, and M&M's® Red, White, & Blue Milk Chocolate at my local Walmart. I decided to use the M&M's® Red, White, & Blue Peanut in my recipe as this would give the shortbread that great M&M’s® crunch and flavor, while also adding a touch of holiday color to the dessert. We start out with a basic shortbread recipe of flour, salt, brown sugar, and butter, and to that we add M&M’s® Peanut.
Once the shortbread has been prepared as shown below, bake it for twenty to twenty-five minutes, and then slice while it’s still warm, and you’ve got a dessert the entire family will simply love.
M&M’s Shortbread Squares
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 squares 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup chilled unsalted butter - 2 sticks
- 1/2 cup whole or chopped M&M's® Red, White, & Blue Peanut
Instructions
- Preheat Oven 350 degrees F.
- Sift the flour with the salt.
- Add the brown sugar and the butter to the bowl and mix together well.
- Chop the butter into small chunks and add to the bowl.
- Using a pastry cutter mix the butter into small pieces.
- Work the mixture until smooth.
- Toss the shortbread batter with whole or crushed M&M's® and press evenly into a square baking dish.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until it turns a light golden color.
- Cut the shortbread while it is still warm in the pan and let it cool completely before removing from the pan.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
What are some of your favorite Memorial Day desserts? We would love to hear from you. Also, don't forget to check if you local Walmart is participating in hosting events for the MARS "1 For You, 1 For the Troops" campaign.
For more Memorial Day inspiration check out the MARS social hub!
Enjoy with Love!
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Chiara says
a little slice for me ! Have a nice weekend my dear, hugs, xo
Hannah says
These are so cute with the mini m&ms.What adorable little cookies!
Sonia says
They look amazing! And the M&M's colors are perfect for July the 4th as well.
Big Daddy Dave says
Catherine, Love short bread and M&M's individually. I'd have to give this recipe a try for sure... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Jordan Anderson says
Such a fun, easy dessert. It looks perfect for picnics!
Dottie Sauchelli-Balin says
Dear Catherine,
These shortbread squares with the M&M's are a perfect goody for anytime, but especially for Memorial Day. The colors are very patriotic and they look so yummy. My favorite cookie beside anything with chocolate is the shortbread. Looks very delicious and a must try. Thanks for sharing and have a blessed weekend!
Hugs 🙂 Dottie
Cakelaw says
These shortbreads look delightful, and with the red white and blue M&Ms, are perfect for national holidays.
Ruxana says
Awesome squares...Perfect for kids
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
Huge M & M fans over here! How can those not be amazing??
Samantha K says
The 1 For The Troops campaign is amazing! Your shortbread squares look delicious! (client)
Diane @ An Extraordinary Day says
Thank your for that little history lesson! I had no idea and will enjoy my indulgences even more. 🙂
Now if I could just reach across the screen for a little taste. Oh my! Your shortbreads looks so yummy!
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us at Project Inspire{d}. Hope you have an extraordinary week!
Terry says
What size pan? 9x13?
Living the Gourmet says
Hi Terry, Thanks for stopping by! I used an 8-inch square baking dish for this recipe.
Hope you try them soon and enjoy. Have a terrific day!
April J Harris says
I like what you wrote about Memorial Day, Catherine. It is ironic how we 'celebrate' some days of remembrance. Our Remembrance Day in the UK is much more solemn and there's not public holiday. However, I agree that those who gave their lives would probably like to see us enjoying our todays. I even remember a reading something written by a young man who died in WW1 saying that if something did happen to him he wouldn't want people to be sad, but rather to enjoy the things he would not be able to. Anyway, I really like this recipe as well. It's delicious, easy to make and the perfect patriotic dessert to enjoy on Memorial Day. Thank you for sharing your M&Ms Shortbread Squares with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop.