Kip's Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookies

As promised, here is Kip's cookie recipe. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a good picture of them on Saturday and it's much too late now because Kip's cookies are not long for this world.

1 C butter
1 C brown sugar (packed)
1 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 bag chocolate chips
1/2 bag M&M's

Preheat to 375. Cream butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add and mix in eggs. Sift, then add flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips and M&M's. Bake 8-10 minutes until barely golden. DON'T OVERBAKE AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT USING MARGARINE.

A few notes:
-This recipe is adapted from my sister, Katie's, recipe. Katie's recipe kicks butt. However, in it she replaces half the butter with shortening, but we don't usually have shortening and also I just love that buttery taste especially when the edges are just browning and...yum. But the shortening does give the cookies just a bit more volume when cooked as well as a slightly nicer bite when you bite in (and this is from someone who hates shortening, so I hate to admit this, but it's true). I believe it also makes the cookies keep better. Kip's are amazing the first day, but lose life quickly thereafter. Fortunately, we eat them at a rate where they don't need to keep too much life for too long.
-Kip cooks these for about 8 minutes. They tend to be very blond--too blond, in fact, for me (not that I wouldn't eat them if there were a gun to my head or anything). It's just that if I'm going to eat mostly raw cookies, I'll just take the dough. I like mine cooked 1-1 1/2 minutes longer so the edges have a bit of brown--I think this really brings out the buttery flavor--you can practically feel all the buttery-ness bursting between your teeth. However, this is not an excuse for overbaking. This recipe overbaked just isn't that great--a bit of brown on the edges is all you need.
-Also, if you replace 1/2 C of the flour with 1/2 C oat flour (grind some oats in the blender if you don't have oat flour), it adds a really nice flavor/touch (do you see how I'm trying to edge in on Kip's recipe here--someone clearly has an ego problem).
-If you use margarine, you will have a flat lifeless cookie and might as well go eat a piece of whole wheat bread. Stick some chocolate chips in the bread if it makes you feel better, but don't waste your time or calories making cookies with margarine.
-You can freeze the dough in balls and then pop them in the oven when you want to make a few. It will take longer to cook--probably 4-6 minutes longer--just watch for those brown (or blond--whichever you prefer) edges.
-Kip would say don't skimp on the chocolate chips. However, I have to confess that if you use less or don't even use them at all (Heresay!Blasphemy!Divorce!), these cookies are still wicked good. (Please don't tell Kip I said so.)