My childhood, contained in a single cookie.

Actually there were other cookies. My mother made Lunch Box cookies that were pretty darn tasty, too.

…but these! These chocolate chip cookies rule. They are just the right amount of chewy and substantive, with enough oatmeal to make you *think* you’re eating something that isn’t terrible for you. The 4 cups of sugar (but only 2 cups of white sugar. Brown for the other 2 cups) in the recipe and the 4 cups of chocolate chips don’t do anything to help the healthy street-cred of these treats.

I think it was my grandmother’s recipe, on my mother’s side. Which is noteworthy, because my mom never really talks about her mother and her mother’s cooking. I get the impression that things in mom’s childhood home weren’t really that great kitchen-wise (and, quite possibly in other ways) which is why my mom had to cook from an early age and (possibly) why she never really cared for it. Being forced to cook is a different beast than choosing to cook.

At any rate, my maternal grandmother’s recipe. If it’s not the case then it really doesn’t matter. Honestly, I don’t have it in front of me but I’ll try to post it when I track it down.

Regardless, they are a challenge to make, as the recipe makes enough batter for like 5 dozen cookies. Thankfully, having that many tidbits means the sugar and chocolate chips are spread out among a great number of final cookies.

My mom made these continuiously when I was growing up. My brother and I ate them faster than she could make them. We lived on them. Before school, after school. In later years it was with a cup of coffee (heck, it was my pre-breakfast snack this morning, but I limited myself to just one rather than the half-dozen I would have when I was 12)

it wasn’t long before I was making them, myself. I would churn out a batch on a regular basis. Once I made them a few times it got to the point where they were always the same. Same process, same ingredients (which were always stockpiled – thanks mom!) and 9 minutes in the oven at 375. My wife made the most recent batch – she was achieving superstar status yesterday with both a batch of cookies and a huge pot of hamburger soup. (another post will be forthcoming regarding that recipe)

The cookie I had this morning – It brought me directly back to my parents’ kitchen 4 decades ago. Tasted exactly the same way, and I had exactly the same response.

“Damn, I love these things.”