Classic Smartie Cookies: Soft, Sweet, and Totally Canadian
Delicious Smartie Cookie Recipe
Can’t beat soft chewy Smartie cookies!
I baked these cookies for one of the in-person gardening classes I teach. If you enjoy a good old-fashioned chewy Smartie cookie that’s loaded with Smarties, give this recipe a try.
I got this recipe from Mom’s recipe box. It’s typed on onion-skin paper. In Mom’s handwriting, in the corner, is a note dated 1974, saying the recipe came from her friend Sherrill. Funny thing happened: The day I baked these, Sherrill called me to check in. Normally we email back and forth once or twice a year. Go figure.
The recipe below is Sherrill’s, save for the addition of lemon zest. Mom used lemon zest to brighten up everything from baking to savoury dishes, something I picked up from her.
Canuck Cookie Trivia
Here’s some cookie Canadiana:
Smarties in Canada differ from those in the US (see below).
On the bottom of the onion-skinned original from Sherrill, she notes that Smarties often go on sale for “$1.49 Days” at Woodwards and Eaton’s—two iconic former Canadian retailers. I shopped at both stores, but the $1.49 Days were before my time.
Why Canadian Smarties Work (and American Smarties Don’t)
Canadian Smarties and American Smarties are completely different candies, despite sharing the same name.
Canadian Smarties
Chocolate-based
Similar to M&M’s
Coated in a thin candy shell
Hold their shape when baked, making them suited for cookies
Commonly used in Canadian baking and desserts
U.S. Smarties
Sugar candy
No chocolate
Soft Canadian Smartie cookies with chocolate Smarties baked into the dough
Soft Chewy Smarties Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Don’t cheap out on the Smarties. There’s nothing more disappointing than biting into a cookie but finding no Smarties inside…like a chocolate chip cookie with a single chip atop it but nothing inside. You feel cheated.
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cup Smarties
1 tbsp lemon zest
Directions
Cream together the shortening, sugars, vanilla, and eggs
Stir in flour and most of the smarties, reserving enough Smarties to garnish each cookie with a Smartie on top
Roll dough into small balls using a couple of tablespoons
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet
Garnish each dough ball with a Smartie pressed gently into the top
Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes
Don’t overbake…don’t want the smarties to melt!
Once they’ve cooled, set one aside for yourself before the kids gobble them all up
FAQ - Chocolate Smarties Cookies
Can I make Smarties cookies in the U.S.?
If you get Canadian Smarties, sure you can.
Are Canadian Smarties the same as M&M’s?
No, they’re different brands; the taste and appearance are different. Smarties are flatter.
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More Ideas
Here are more cooking ideas, and more information on growing your own lemon tree—so you can have homegrown lemon zest.