13 June, 2010

Cookies, Cookies, and More Cookies



You might not consider it a downfall, but one of the downfalls of freelance food writing is developing stories totally out of season. Today I made a spider cake for Halloween, sugar cookies, meringue cookies, and hot cocoa with marshmallows. On at +25C day. Good times.

In truth, dinner was a plain old cheese quesadilla and a handful for cherry tomatoes to soak up the sugar. Despite all those cookies though, I reserved a few of these for a post-the-girls-finally-fell-asleep-and-I'm-exhausted-after-two-weeks-of-single-parenting chocolate chip cookie snack.

These are the first things I ever learned how to make. I may have been about 9. My mom worked fulltime and we three kids were competitive swimmers. Food was about fuel - how much could we get in at any one point, how much could mom buy and cook to hopefully get us through the week. Fed up with purchased cookies I asked if I could make cookies myself. No clue who found the recipe or where it came from. But I was left alone in the kitchen.

I found the entire experience both comforting and empowering. Woohoo, I was in the kitchen and left to my devices! There was butter and chocolate involved. It was the start of something great.

From that point on these were my go-to cookies. My go-to sleepover cookies. My go-to watch TV in the rumpus room cookies. My go-to console a friend whose boyfriend dumped her cookies. My go-to chick-flick cookies. My go-to rainy day and single parenting cookies.

At 35 I have to find people to share these with - I do not need a cup of butter to myself. Thank goodness my kids are happy to help me with that. Now they've become my go-to get in the kitchen and bake with the girls cookies.


Chocolate Chip Slab Cookies
Makes 1 9 x 13 pan

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Stir in flour and chocolate chips. Press dough in pan.
3. Bake 2-25 minutes until lightly browned. Cool slightly, but cut when still a bit warm. Cool some more before you dig in.

(This post is also a part of Gluten Free Girl's round-up on the first foods we learned how to make.)

4 comments:

Lauren said...

Love love love it. Go-to cookie recipes are always wonderful :). Make them without gluten, and I'll be your go-to cookie sharer :)

Miss Pre said...

THOSE ARE OUR COOKIES!!!

I saw the photo and immediately exclaimed it out loud with only the dog to hear me...

Thank you for teaching me about these crumbly little morsels of goodness in the Haunted House.

I will come split a pan of these with you - a pan and a bottle. I'm sure we can find one to pair nicely!

Lia Huber said...

Ooh those look good. Love the idea of the Chai spiced granola too!

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