I had a big family to-do on Saturday and ended up baking about 20 dozen cookies to take with me. This was for a cookie basket for the assembled multitudes as well as a bag of assorted cookies for one cousin who wasn't here at Christmas to receive his (every Christmas I do cookie baskets or bags instead of gifts - just for grins this past year I also added a jar of Mother Connie's chile sauce as an added gimme). I didn't go as hog wild as I usually do because I had to hit the office two days during the week and that cut very seriously into my baking time. I was mightily annoyed, let me tell you.Anyway, I made oatmeal chocolate chip, cream cheese chocolate chip with dried cranberries, and the incredible Chocolate 6-Os, made originally for cousin K's 60th birthday. The thing that makes the oatmeal chocolate chip ones different is that I grind the oatmeal up before adding it to the dough. This way the kids don't realize they are eating oatmeal plus it makes the cookies thicker and chewier. Personally, I don't like crispy chocolate chip cookies so the oatmeal makes all the difference. The cream cheese based cookies are a new recipe I made for the first time this past Christmas. They are soft and delicious and I use mini chips along with the dried cranberries. Yum! Chocolate 6-Os are just a force of nature. Six kinds of chocolate as well as a ton of espresso make these babies high test. I can't let my kids eat them after 6:00 in the evening or they will be up all night.
Happily, when we left the family event, there was barely a crumb left. What can I say? Being the cookie lady makes me happy.
