A cookie recipe to simplify your life

Uh oh. It’s bedtime and your kid just remembered that he has to bring cookies for the school bake sale the next morning. Or, perhaps you’re invited to a last minute potluck. What to do?

On Tuesday night, Talia was heading out to a potluck dinner party for youths with autism. While Tal wanted to bring chocolate chip cookies, we had no time to bake — but we did have a magic log of homemade dough stashed in our freezer. So we just sliced the frozen dough, threw it in the oven for a few minutes and hopped in the car with fresh-baked cookies. Yum.

For a spring treat, I’ve decided to share my top-secret cookie recipe. It just might change your life. Or at least simplify it. (If your kids are gluten- and casein-free, this cookie is not your cup of tea.) Best of all, this dough mixes up in a single bowl. So, it’s an easy one to make — and clean up — with the kids. Here goes:

Chocolate Chip Icebox Cookies (adapted from One Smart Cookie by Julie Van Rosendaal)

•     In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter or margarine with 1/3 cup of packed brown sugar and 1/3 cup white sugar
•     Add 1 large egg (or 1 large egg white) and 2 tsp vanilla and beat until smooth
•     Add 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda and a dash of salt
•     Add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (only if nuts are allowed at the bake sale or potluck!)
•     Stir by hand until it’s a soft dough
•     Gather the dough into a ball
•     Shape it into a 6 to 8 inch log
•     Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper
•     Freeze at least 3 hours (or up to 3 months)

When you want cookies:

• Preheat the oven to 350
• Dig up the frozen cookie dough log from the freezer
• Slice the frozen log into 1/4 inch slices
• Place an inch apart on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with parchment paper
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes until barely golden. Cool on a wire rack

Five minutes later, you can dash out the door with a plateful of cookies!

Photo by guy schmidt via Flickr