Do you remember reading these lines from chapter three?
“Baking was Shelly’s comfort. If she ever felt that things were out of control, she could whip up a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or her favorite cinnamon sweet Snickerdoodles, and everything would be fine again.”
Have you ever felt that way?
I have. Especially on rainy days when the kids are about to come home from school and everything is in disarray around me. It doesn’t matter how many other things I should be doing. Sometimes I just need to whip up a batch of cookies.
When I do, everything seems to fall back in order. My home smells warm and welcoming, and there’s a plate of cookies waiting on the kitchen counter when that front door opens and two of my favorite voices say, “Mom! We’re home!”
Here are Shelly’s two favorite cookie recipes:
Oatmeal Chocolate Chippers
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 cups oats, quick-cooking or regular, uncooked
1 cup chocolate chips
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs; beat until light and fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients and mix well. Add oats, chocolate chips and vanilla extract.
Dough will be crumbly. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Makes 11 dozen cookies.
Shelly’s Snickerdoodles
1 cup butter
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
Cream butter and the 1½ cups sugar until smooth. Add eggs and beat thoroughly. Combine flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Gradually blend dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Chill dough at least one hour. Roll into walnut-size balls. Mix together the cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar in shallow bowl. Roll balls in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cookies will puff up at first, then flatten out with crinkled tops. Makes 5 dozen.
Breathe in deeply the fragrance as you take the cookies from the oven. Ahhhh! This is what home should smell like.