1 cup (8 ounces) milk chocolate covered candies, such as M&M’s, OR chunks of white or dark chocolate or dark chocolate bars, roughly broken into 1/4 inch pieces

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

2. Beat together butter and sugars in large bowl of electric mixer until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth and creamy. Beat in almond butter, baking soda, vanilla and salt until smooth. Beat in flour until incorporated. Use a wooden spoon to stir in muesli, pretzels, dried fruit and chocolate candy pieces.

3. For giant cookies, divide dough into 16 equal portions (about 1/3 cup of the batter weighing 4 ounces). Roll into balls and place on prepared baking sheets, about 3 inches apart and flatten slightly with a spoon. Bake until set and bottoms are slightly golden, about 20 minutes. (For smaller cookies, shape into 40 balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; bake 12 to 15 minutes.)

4. Cool cookies on pan for 5 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool completely. (You can reuse the paper-lined baking sheets to bake the remaining cookies.)

5. Store cookies in a covered container up to several days or freeze up to two months.

(JeanMarie Brownson is a James Beard Award-winning author and the recipient of the IACP Cookbook Award for her latest cookbook, “Dinner at Home.” JeanMarie, a chef and authority on home cooking, Mexican cooking and specialty food, is one of the founding partners of Frontera Foods. She co-authored three cookbooks with chef Rick Bayless, including “Mexico: One Plate at a Time.” JeanMarie has enjoyed developing recipes and writing about food, travel and dining for more than four decades.)

©2022 JeanMarie Brownson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.