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
