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Melts in your mouth: M&Ms, World War II and brownies


Do you like M&Ms? These bright-colored candies are a great snack, especially when you’re in the mood for something sweet! But have you ever wondered who makes all of those M&Ms? Mars Inc., the company that makes M&Ms, has a very interesting history.

Not much is known about where the idea of M&Ms came from. There is a legend that Forrest Mars Sr., founder of Mars Inc., met some soldiers in the Spanish Civil War eating little chocolate pieces covered with a sugary coating to prevent the chocolate from melting. Mars loved the idea, and invented a recipe for candies like this.

In 1941, the first bag of M&Ms was sold. Since they were small enough to fit in a pocket, they became a favorite of World War II soldiers. By the late 1940s, M&Ms were widely available to the public, and they had an excellent reputation.

In 1954, M&Ms made their first TV advertisements with the famous slogan: "The milk chocolate melts in your mouth; not in your hand!" In 1960, red, green and yellow candies were added to the original brown color. In 1972, the famous M&M characters appeared on packages. The year 1976 introduced orange-colored candies to the mix.

Now, M&Ms are one of the tastiest and most colorful candies out there! Here is a very tasty recipe involving M&Ms.


Mini Brownie Buttons

Recipe adapted from

"Kids in the Kitchen"


1/2 cup of butter

2 ounces of chocolate

3/4 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cup of flour

1/2 cup of M&Ms

Muffin cups

 

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place muffin cups in a muffin tin.

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour and 1/4 cup of M&Ms.

Fill cups with batter. Sprinkle remaining M&Ms over batter.

Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Remove brownie buttons and cool for five minutes.

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