Boiled Oatmeal Cookies for a Cold Day

December managed to FLY by and now here we are - it's 2014 and the height of New Year's Resolution season. I, like many, went to a tortuous exercise class and feel a little more determination to be healthy in the new year. While stocking up on new exercise clothes (you know, to motivate me), I bought a new digital scale. Well, let me tell you -- that thing is a big fat liar. Right when I was all determined to be better, the Polar Vortex hit. I will blame the storm for keeping me away from yesterday's torturous exercise class and forcing me to make cookies.

Like much of the country, Atlanta has been hit with crazy cold temperatures. My kids were even out of school yesterday because of the cold. We don't need snow down here to call off school. Temps of 8 degrees Fahrenheit will do just fine. When it's too cold, snowy or icy to leave the house, there's a certain cookie I crave: boiled chocolate oatmeal cookies. These cookies area really confections -- a super easy fudge meets peanut butter and oatmeal. There's not much to look at (in fact, my Granny used to call them cow piles), but they sure are tasty. They remind me of the cold and snowy days of my childhood when Mama would stir up a batch. I forgot that I had already shared the recipe here in one of my first posts about "Snowmageddon" back in 2011. Here it is again revamped and with prettier pictures. My photos were really pretty pitiful back then. They're still not pro quality but I'm getting there. I finally got a new camera and am excited to get back into food photography.

So, put those New Year's Resolutions on hold for just a moment and whip up some of these cookies. They are sure to keep you warm on cold winter day. When it warms up, I will get back to the gym and do my penance. Everything in moderation, my friends!

Boiled Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup milk
2 cups sugar
½ tsp. salt
4 heaping tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup peanut butter (Mama used crunchy, I use creamy because my kids like it)
3 cups oatmeal (quick cooking or traditional will work)

Heat the butter and milk in a heavy saucepan, over moderate heat, until the butter is melted. Whisk in the sugar, salt and cocoa until smooth. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 1 ½ minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and whisk in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the oatmeal and drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper or aluminum foil. You will need to work quickly as i will start to harden. Allow to cool and become firm. Enjoy!

M & M Cookies Made with Love

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Before the holidays are a distant memory, I wanted to share yet another cookie recipe with you. Christmas just isn't Christmas without Grandmama's M & M cookies. My Grandmama Ovice, for many years, starting sometime maybe when I was around 12 or 13, would make these cookies for all nine of her grandchildren. She would package them in ziplock bags - nothing fancy - and pull them out with apologies. "Well,  I don't have much for you this year," she'd say and she would pass out the bags of cookies and maybe a $10 bill. As all the grandchildren grew or continued into adulthood (I have some cousins 10 years older than me), she continued to give the cookies. The last few years she made them, she would again apologize, "I can't get to the store anymore and I don't have much for you - just my cookies." We, of course, declared that we didn't care and that we loved the cookies. And we weren't lying! I looked forward to the cookies each year. Some years they would be hard as rocks, but we didn't mind. They were always tasted good - no matter the texture.

Grandmama had a stroke around 2003, I think, when she was in her early 80s. That first Christmas when she was unable to bake as she was accustomed to, my mama went over to help her. The next year my mama was sick with cancer and Grandmama's condition gradually worsened. In a matter of years, she was confined to a hospital bed in her living room. There were no more cookies. She passed away in 2010 at the age of 90, just three months after my sweet Papa George, her husband of over 70 years.

However, the story of Grandmama's cookies does not have a sad ending. The tradition continues on. Thanks to the magic of Facebook, my cousins and I happened to share pictures of us making Grandmama's cookies this year. I discovered that one cousin's wife has the original recipe. She makes the cookies every year for her family and used to take them to my grandparents every year up until they died. I had made M & M cookies in the past, but did not have the bonafide "Grandmama approved" recipe. I made one batch according to the original recipe and it tasted much like hers. Of course, being unable to leave a recipe alone, I made a second batch subbing half the shortening for butter. It turned out even better, I think. The butter adds a richer flavor and a bit of crispness while the shortening retains some of the chewiness. You can try it either way (and it doesn't have to be Christmas)!

I gave my brothers and dad some of Grandmama's cookies and for a while it seemed like old times. I was carried back to Grandmama and Papa's living room with it's little flickering gas heater. On Christmas Eve, after our meal of oyster stew, we sat in the living room and exchanged gifts. Grandmama got out of rocker and went in the "cold room" off the carport in their little pieced together house they had built themselves. She came out and handed out our cookies placed in Christmas bags. Discounting the many hours she had spent in the kitchen, she would again apologize. "It's not much, just some cookies. Some of them aren't very good," she'd say. We would smile, say our thanks and dig in right away. This is Christmas.

Grandmama Ovice's M & M Cookies

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 cup shortening (or ½ cup shortening, ½ cup butter, softened)

2 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cup M & M candies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream sugar, shortening and butter (if you go that route). Add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, stir together salt, baking soda and unsifted flour. Add dry mixture to creamed mixture until just blended. Stir in candies. Drop by teaspoonfuls about one-inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly browned around the edges. Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies depending on size. I like mine big and hearty!

Cookies for Santa (and some to swap)

Have you been baking up a storm lately? I have. I think I have burned through five or six pounds of butter this month. Sadly, it's not that hard to do! This past weekend I was invited to my first holiday cookies swap. It was so much fun, I just had to share. It was neat sharing some of my favorite recipes and sampling what others brought. The best part: taking home a variety of tasty homemade cookies and treats. My friend Jessica, a bonafide food professional hosted, so I knew it was going to be good! We all had a lovely time sipping wine, eating cookies and other appetizers Jessica had prepared. I took a few pictures and gathered the recipes so that you can enjoy too!

The Recipes
Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies - Ina Garten's recipe, which explains their yumminess!
Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies - Straight from the "butter queen" herself
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies - With a cherry surprise in the middle
Cherry Chocolate Kisses - Another for the cherry lover in your life
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Salted Caramel Filling - I loved the salt/sweet combination with a touch of cardamom!
White Chocolate Peppermint Drops - Peppermint meets white chocolate
Peppermint Fudge - So creamy and decadent!
Banana Bread - Moist and delicious banana bread. Tie a bow on it and call it a gift!

My Contributions

I pondered for weeks over what to bring. I pinned wildly on Pinterest and contemplated it late at night. Turns out I wasn't alone in my cookie obsession! Several of the others at the swap were equally cookie-obsessed. I ended up bringing two old-standbys that I was frantically decorating up until the last minute.

Shortbread Cookies
I added a bit more salt that the recipe called for and topped with melted dark chocolate and Heath bar bits. You could also top with toasted nuts.

Georgia Gingerbread Cookies
I made these cookies I posted last year around this time. I still love this recipe!

Finally, I have to share Kelley Sparwasser's gingerbread cookie recipe with you. Well, technically it's a molasses cookie. They are pictured behind my gingerbread cut-out cookies. Oh my goodness, they were chewy, spicy and perfect! Kelley is also a food person. (She and Jessica have written a cookbook together in case you are looking for any last minute gifts!)

Kelley's recipe is adapted from a long-closed restaurant where she worked 15 years ago. It makes a TON of cookies, but chances are you won't mind. Half it if you want to start with a smaller batch.

Molasses Cookies

Makes approximately 8 dozen cookies

6 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups sugar, plus additional for coating

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 eggs, beaten

2 ¼ cups vegetable oil

1 cup molasses

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the flour through the cinnamon and whisk together. Add the beaten eggs, oil and molasses to the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on low until combined (about 45 seconds.) Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low until incorporated.

Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter and roll into balls. Roll the balls in sugar and place on the baking sheet, leaving about 4-inches between each. Do not flatten the balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops crack. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the cookie sheet.

If I don't get back here before Christmas, I hope you have a wonderful holiday! Tomorrow is my birthday and I am not cooking a thing. However, I highly recommend that you get in the kitchen and bake some of these cookies. Santa and your friends and family will thank you! Ho ho ho!

Election Day Eats

Tomorrow is the big day. It’s the day that political junkies look forward to every four years. And this year, it’s the last day that swing state voters hope their phones stop ringing off the hooks. This year’s campaign has not been pretty. But, is politics ever? I have been writing some middle school history curriculum over the past few months – and let me tell you, the United States has had its share of ugly elections. But, the beautiful part is that we are still here. We still believe in democracy at the end of the day. No matter who you vote for, it’s important to vote. Regardless of who wins, I know I will wake up on Wednesday hoping that we can put aside the bitter partisan rhetoric and force our politicians to actually work together for a change.

In honor of the election, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the role food plays in presidential politics. We’ve all seen the photos of the candidates on the campaign trail – dropping into a mom and pop cafes, delivering pizza to their weary campaigners, digging into an ice cream cone or eating a corn dog at the county fair. And the campaign wives get in on it too. Ann Romney recently handed out her homemade Welsh cakes to the press. Each election year, Family Circle runs a contest featuring the candidates' wives’cookie recipes. This year Michelle Obama’s white and dark chocolate chip cookies won over Ann Romney’s M&M's cookies. Let’s face it – politicians eat as strategically as they shake hands and kiss babies.  

I love election night! I love watching the returns come in and hearing the talking heads speculate about who will carry what state. I’ll be home biting my nails and glued to the TV. I was thinking it would be fun, however, to cook a themed meal in celebration of the occasion. So, I have developed menus based what I could glean on the likes, dislikes and food traditions of each major candidate.  These are meant to be tongue and cheek – so please do not take this too seriously!

So, depending on whom your favorite is – here are some ideas to get you started thinking about an election night meal. 

Menu Approved by Barack Obama (Democrat, Incumbent)

The President is said to have a fondness for Mexican food and enjoys whipping up his own chili. We know he likes beer, burgers, Hawaiian pizza and of course, arugula. Remember that Iowa campaign moment in 2008?

The president eating at an Italian restaurant in Davenport, Iowa.

To eat:

Guacamole and Chips (the president is said to be a fan of guacamole and Rick Bayless's Chicago restaurants)

Turkey Chili (the Obama family recipe)

Fresh Cucumber and Pineapple Salad (in honor of Hawaii)

Michelle’s cookies (they are award-winning after all)

To drink:

Local brew of your choice (the White House brews its own craft beer!)

Menu Approved by Mitt Romney (Republican)

We don’t know a lot about his food preferences, but we do know that his campaign has a fondness for Jimmy John’s subs. He also seems to enjoy ice cream. 

Governor Romney enjoying some ice cream with the Ohio governor.

New England Clam Dip (in honor of his home state) 

Mitt's Meat Loaf Cakes (Ann's recipe shared by the campaign) 

Funeral Potatoes (a Mormon staple and ultimate comfort food dish) 

Fall Green Salad (just cause you need a salad)

Ann’s Welsh Cakes with Vanilla Ice Cream (gotta have ice cream)

To drink:

Water or lemonade. No alcohol, caffeine or hot drinks allowed.

If you are hosting a non-partisan watching party, you can mix both the menus. And if you are voting third-party, just make whatever you want! :)

Whatever your political affliation, I think we can all agree that food is good. Happy Election Day!

Chocolate Salted Caramel Brownie Bars

What happens when you take your favorite chocolate cookie recipe, insert caramel and bake it as a bar? Magic! One of these days I will write about something that doesn't have sugar in it, but for now, I have to tell you about these Chocolate Salted Caramel Brownie Bars. I made them for a Labor Day cookout and am still swooning over them. They are rich, decadent, gooey and with two sticks of butter - Paula Deen approved. :)

Chocolate Salted Caramel Brownie Bars
Inspired by Mama Dip's Kitchen Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar (this is important - much better with dark brown sugar)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups plain, 1 cup whole wheat)
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
20 Kraft caramel candies
2 tablespoons half and half
Sea Salt and Sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your favorite baking dish or pan. I used a 9 x 12 aluminum pan like this one. You can also use a 9 x 13 standard pan or glass baking dish, just note that the bars will be a bit thinner than these pictured.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until just mixed. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.

In a small bowl, place caramels and half and half. Microwave in short intervals until melted. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Spread half the cookie dough in your prepared pan. Use a piece of wax paper or greased aluminum foil to help spread the dough evenly. Pour melted caramel over the cookie layer. Spread remaining batter on top of caramel. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt and course sugar.

Place in oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are puffed and the sides begin to slightly pull away from the pan. Do not overbake (it's better gooey than dry)!

Cool on a wire rack and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cookies and More

Here we are in the biggest food frenzy of the year, and I can’t seem to finish a post. There is so much to do, so much to cook, so much to eat, and of course general life to live. And then the kids are out of school which now totally inhibits getting anything productive done. Don’t get me wrong, I love my boys, but we do best when we get out of the house and stay busy.

Try as I may, I’m just not a multi-tasking mom with the patience of Job. They love to help me in the kitchen and when it is one on one, I often enjoy it. However, when it is both of them hovering over me, grabbing at things, wedging themselves on the step stool right in front of me, spilling flour, making messes and fighting over who gets to lick the spoon, it’s hard not to take over and kick everyone out of the kitchen. However, I know it is good for them to help and to take ownership of food projects intended for others. Because we all know, food is love.  I have to remind myself that it's about more than the look and taste of the finished product, the mess, the frustrations – it’s about the fond memories we’ll one day share.

We made cookies for their teachers and I did my best to be a saintly mother. Of course, whenever I’m baking specially for others, something goes awry. My goal was to make adorably festive Chocolate Candy Cane Kiss Cookies. You know the ones with the Hershey kiss neatly wedged on top. Yeah right, is all I can say! No matter what I tried, the candy kept melting on top. I even tried freezing them immediately. Did I still give the cookies away as gifts anyway? Heck, yes!

Cookie Fail. But they did taste really good!

Then we made some thumbprint jam cookies. They turned out pretty well – though a little flatter and less perfect-looking than I would have liked. The recipe came off the back of a new sheet pan I bought. I love recipes on packages because they work well for those who are indecisive and last-minute in the kitchen!

Strawberry and Apricot Jam Thumbprint Cookies

However, the recipe I’m going to share with you is the one that turned out best. Of course, it was the one we made just for fun because my oldest was intent on making gingerbread men cookies. I don’t think I had ever made homemade gingerbread before. I've never been a “spice flavored” person. I like spice cookies, but if given a choice, I’d go for the more chocolatety, buttery and decadent option. Clearly, I have been missing out. There is something so satisfying about these cookies because they aren't too sweet. Actually, I’m getting kind of tired of sugary decadence (I say that, but I just ate a piece of my birthday cheesecake)!

I call these “Georgia Gingerbread Cookies” because I used local sorghum syrup instead of molasses. Sorghum is similar to molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process, but I think the taste is a little milder and sweeter. I don’t keep molasses around, but I do have sorghum because it’s a Southern staple for sopping biscuits. (I’ll have to post about sopping soon.) I also used fresh grated ginger in addition to powdered ginger for some extra punch. Yum!

Georgia Gingerbread Cookies

Adapted from this Food.com recipe 

3 cups all-purpose flour (I mixed half white whole wheat, half plain)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½  teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg

A dash of fresh ground black pepper (sounds crazy, but trust me)

6 tablespoons butter

¾ cup brown sugar

1 large egg

½ cup sorghum syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and dry spices until well blended. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and egg until fluffy. Add syrup, vanilla, orange zest and grated ginger and continue to mix until well blended. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth.

Divide dough in half and wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and let it chill for at least two hours. When you’re ready to roll, let the dough stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Generously flour the working surface and mix in more flour if the dough feels sticky. Roll dough to desired consistency and cut into shapes. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet about an inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Bake for 7-10 minutes until slightly puffy and firm. For soft cookies, bake around 7-8 minutes. For crispy cookies, bake a little longer. Remove from oven and let them sit on the pan for five minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Decorate with chocolate chips, candy piece, melted chocolate or royal icing if you’d like. I experimented a little with candy, melted chocolate and sprinkles.

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season filled with cookies – and lots of love. Enjoy!

Tea Cakes, Take Two

Just a quick post to share with you my guest post on Frosting for the Cause, a wonderful project that brings together food bloggers and bakers from across the United States and Canada (and beyond) with the goal of raising funds and awareness for women's cancer. Click here to read what I wrote about my mom's battle with ovarian cancer and my "fancied up" tea cake recipe. I decided to write about tea cakes again, because they remind me of my mom and home. 

As I baked five dozen cookies to give away, I was reminded of my mom doing the same to promote a youth mentoring project was heading up several years ago. She baked tea cakes, bagged them up and handed them out with a little story about how she used to bake tea cakes with her great aunt, Aunt Rene, who was a mentor to her. Aunt Rene lived alone, just down the road in the "Granny House" as everyone called it since it was the old homestead. Mama used to go over and visit with her after school and they would cook together. They once made a "tater dinner" with different variations of sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes (as I grew up calling them). Aunt Rene later died of cancer, likely colon but they weren't really so good at diagnosing cancer back then, so no one is really sure. Remembering my mom and stories I heard about Aunt Rene, it just seemed fitting to make tea cakes again.

Read my previous post, Time for Tea Cakes, if you are interested in their history and my variation on the classic. This time around I followed a more traditional recipe using butter, shortening and White Lily self-rising flour. It is what my mama and Granny used to make their tea cakes, and it is kind of nice because you can adjust the amount of flour to get the dough stiffness you want, without worrying about the leavening getting off balance. I also iced them, which we rarely did, but I thought it would fun to dress them up a little.

Finally, I wanted to post links to the two charitable organizations I donated to for this cause: the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home, a hospice for terminal cancer patients who cannot afford adequate nursing care elsewhere. I donated my cookies to the hospice, which I had never really noticed before despite being located close to my home. It is such a peaceful and beautiful place -- in the shadow of Turner Field. When we drove away, I noticed the receptionist digging into a bag of cookies and it made me happy. That's what it's all about -- sharing love through food.

Cookies and Community

   

One of my mom’s treasured keepsakes that she gave to my aunt as a Christmas gift one year was their grandmother, Granny Heard’s, casserole dish. It was nothing fancy, but on the bottom was a faded label with her name on it – written in her own handwriting. I love to think about how this dish traveled from church potluck to family get-togethers and at some point, was no doubt filled with something delicious and left with someone in their time of need. I love the tradition of carrying food to people when they are sick, hospitalized, dealing the death of a family member, have a new baby or are just having a tough time. Food truly is an expression of love.

I know people around the world prepare and share food with others in difficult times, but I’d like to think that Southerners are especially good at the practice. I remember as a child the minute my mama would get bad news about someone or some situation, she would hit the kitchen. The smell of pound cake would fill the house as we’d excitedly run into the kitchen asking for a taste only to be turned away. “This isn’t for us. It’s for (insert name) whose (insert family member) is (insert calamity),” she would say. Oh, how torturous it was to watch a warm golden pound cake get wrapped in aluminum foil and shuttled away without even having a tiny sliver. However, she did often make two cakes so we weren’t completely deprived. And it wasn’t just cakes – there was vegetable soup, cornbread, casseroles, cookies – comfort foods that travel well and warm the soul. There is no doubt she learned this practice from her mother, grandmothers and neighbors in Coal Mountain. It’s just what people did, and thankfully still do. Although we may drop off a store-bought cake these days, it’s the thought that counts.

When her time of need came years later, the love that she had once cooked for others was returned in spades. My dad was fed and cared for by family and friends well after her passing. Every time we turned around, a HoneyBaked ham would show up on the doorstep. People were so kind and generous. It’s kind of funny how the death of a loved one brings about a feast – a time of gathering and eating food that others have lovingly prepared and donated. Really, I guess it is fitting. Food brings people together and provides sustenance when you need it most.

So, cooking and “rallying” (as my family would say) in the kitchen is just in my blood. On Friday, I found myself making my go-to chocolate chip cookies to take to a friend who just had a baby and a friend whose little boy just underwent a kidney transplant. I suppose I could have taken flowers, a balloon or some other non-edible gift, but being food-obsessed (and Southern), food is just the first thing that comes to mind. I am sharing this not to brag on myself, but rather just to point out how much of it is almost instinctual. I’m just following the traditions I’ve seen demonstrated in the past, that I have been the beneficiary of, and so greatly appreciate. I’ve seen amazing examples of generosity not only in the community I grew up in, but also in my present community. I live amongst good people, and for that I am so thankful.

And now, I want to share a little bit about Hyde – the little boy I visited. (I promise I’ll get to the recipe!) Hyde’s mom, Phyllis, is a childhood friend and distant cousin of mine like most people from Coal Mountain, Oak Grove or Silver City – communities within the northern part of Forsyth County. I remember going over to her house, making cookies and eating so much dough that we got sick. Her four-year-old son, Hyde, suffers from a very rare genetic blood disorder called atypical hemolytic–uremic syndrome (aHUS). The disease is a genetic blood disorder that causes the immune system to attack red blood cells. It eventually destroys the kidneys, renal system, and immune system. For the past two years, Hyde has endured numerous hospital stays and 10 hours of dialysis every night to do the work kidneys would normally do.

Because of the generosity of others and the hard work and dedication of doctors, researchers and other aHUS families, Hyde is the youngest and only the third patient in the U.S. to undergo a kidney transplant combined with drug therapy with an experimental new drug, Soliris. This treatment wouldn’t have possible a year ago – perhaps even six months ago. The research is that new. So far, Hyde is doing well and the hope is that his new kidney (graciously provided by his uncle) and drug therapy will stop the disease and allow him to live a long and "normal" life.

When we arrived at the hospital on Friday, Hyde was happily slurping milk out of a spiral straw. In the picture above, he is enjoying a popsicle and banana just three days after surgery! When he saw us bringing in cookies and muffins (the muffins were store-bought, I confess), he asked with great interest, “Ooh, what’s that?” He inspected them and seemed very pleased to have some goodies to munch on later. Cookies make everything better, right?

These cookies always draw rave reviews. The recipe comes from Mildred Council's Mama Dip's Kitchen cookbook that my friend who used to live in North Carolina gave to me. If you aren’t familiar with Mama Dip, she is a local legend in the Chapel Hill/Durham area for her soulful Southern cooking. Her cookies are super easy and always turn out divine (provided you don’t overbake them).

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 stick butter (softened)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I think the dark sugar is the key in making these so delicious so don't sub with light if you can help it)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. cocoa (I usually add a little extra)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used white chocolate chips in this recipe because I was out of semi-sweet)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, beat together the butter and both kinds of sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Sift the flour cocao, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Using a spoon or scoop, drop batter onto a greased cookie sheet, forming cookies of whatever size you prefer, leaving the cookies about 2 inches apart. bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until firm. Makes 4 dozen 2-inch cookies. (Note: I often double for a bigger batch.)

Finally, I want to put in a plug for an upcoming fundraiser that will help raise funds to support the Foundation for Children with Atypical HUS and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The third annual Hike4Hyde will take place on April 16 at the Sawnee Mountain Nature Preserve in Cumming. For more information and to register, visit the website. Also, if you can’t attend the hike or just want to make a donation, there is a link to do so through Paypal. Only about 300-600 people in the United States (mostly children) suffer from aHUS. Your dollars can have a big impact.

Thanks for reading and thanks for being a part of my community (real or virtual). The next time someone you know is having a hard time or dealing with a major life event – whether sad, scary or joyful – take them something to eat. We’ve got to keep this tradition going – it’s definitely one worth keeping.