I have been thinking a lot lately about what I put in my mouth....get your mind out of the gutter. What I mean is that there is often a fascinating history, a reason we eat what we eat, a tradition, or a story behind things that we just take for granted and consume. My previous blog about curry being a perfect example, I had no idea the history of curry powder until I started to research it. Or think about oysters, of which I am a huge fan, but who saw an oyster and thought to put that in their mouth?

Or, let's talk M&M's! I have been eating M&M's since I was a kid and honestly never thought twice about them until I stumbled on an article about their history. This is what I learned:

• M&M's have been around since 1941 and they were created for the soldiers fighting in WWII. The hope being that the candy coating on the outside of the chocolate would keep them from melting.

• The brown paper wrapper packaging, which is their trademark, came about in 1948. Before that they were sold in cardboard tubes.
• 1950 was the year the "M" started to be stamped on the candy. Originally, it had black writing, but in 1954 the "M" became white as we know it today.
• 1954 was a good year for M&M's because that was also the year that peanut M&M's became a reality.
• April 12, 1981 was a monumental date for M&M's because they became the first candy to travel into space. They actually have been on board all of NASA's 135 missions. 
• The blue M&M came about in 1995 after the company decided to get rid of the tan M&M. They actually let Americans vote on the color and blue won, beating out pink and purple. 

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, see note
• 1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it's fresh and soft1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it's fresh and soft
• 1 large egg1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups M&M's or a mixture of M&M's and chocolate chips, divided1 1/2 cups M&M's or a mixture of M&M's and chocolate chips, divided

2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.