not childish at all…

Once a week since September I have had the pleasure and delight of adding another little boy to the mix. I pick him up from school and the three of us–Ben, John Ronan and I–head out to play somewhere.We’ve hiked up to Douglas Preserve, we’ve baked cookies, we’ve braved the wind at Butterfly Beach, and this week we drove to Haskells–a favorite wild beach of mine, north, at the edge of Goleta.

I promised Silly String–my sister had sent two cans as a birthday gift–so the boys went at it. It was a messy, but incredibly fun affair.

Then, I laid a blanket in the sand and we all plopped down to enjoy chocolate chip cookies that I had baked earlier in the day. Ben was anxious for these, so I was surprised when he asked if we could all only eat one.

Why, I asked.

Are there enough for my family? he asked back.

I counted. How many will you need? 

Six.

It’s sad to admit that at first I was disappointed that I’d only get one! What a lame-o I am. But it didn’t take long for me to get past my gluttony (thank you, Lord!) and really appreciate this opportunity to give. Not only for me to give, but for Ben to be able to be the giver of good things, too.

Sure, I said in between bites, let’s pack up these extra cookies and you can bring them home to share.

Okay, so I was childish, but five-year-old Ben was not. He was thinking of others when he decided that one would be plenty for me,

and more than enough for himself.

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Recipe–Jane’s Happy Mutt Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: This is my own mutation/creation, taken from the traditional chocolate chip recipe… I made these today to take to school in honor of Saint Patrick–thus the little green peanut m&m on the top of the cookies… (Very chic, I know…) Since it’s Lent, I abstained from eating one–but only because my mouth was numb from a trip to the dentist. God saved me!

Time Commitment: If you’re fast, then around thirty minutes

These cookies are tasty. And I trick the kids by hiding all sorts of good-for-you-things inside… Makes about 12-16 cookies. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled or quintupled

Tools you need:

• I use a Kitchen-Aid mixer–but could be mixed by hand in a bowl, with a wooden spoon
• Two cookie sheets
• an oven 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter–softened
• 1/3 cup each–brown sugar, granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup plus a pinch of unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• Optional: 1/3 cup almond meal, 1/2 cup oats, 1 teaspoon or more flax seeds, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1 tablespoon wheat germ, 1 teaspoon bran, etc…  I usually put most of this in. Always the oats and almond meal.

What to do:

Step One: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (If you have convection, use it!)

Step Two: Mix butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix some more.

Step Three: Add dry ingredients–I don’t think it really matters what order they go in.

Step Four: Onto the cookie sheet.

Step Five: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until golden on top. (If you have convection, bake for 8-10 minutes–this is my preferred mode of baking chocolate chip cookies. They come out almost too delicious…)

Step Six: Cool on rack.

Step Seven: Eat one, give one away, store one away to eat with your morning cup of green tea.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I found the free download of the cookie song at www.freekidsmusic.com . “Cookie Batch” is recorded by The Tomato Collection, and they have their own website–and must be pretty cool folks to write a song like that. www.tomatocollection.com I also know that eating raw cookie dough could get you sick–so eat it at your own risk… I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”