October 1^st is National Homemade Cookie Day!

Now this is a day I can get behind! As I’ve said before, I hate cooking; but there’s something about butter, sugar, eggs and flour mixed up in a bowl that I find irresistible. Yes, I’ve eaten raw cookie dough, and I’m still alive… Cookies make everyone happy, whether you make them for your family or take them to work to share with your co-workers, they are sure to please, especially on National Cookie Day. Homemade cookies don’t last long in our house. The children will actually ration them, to ensure Dad doesn’t eat more than his share.

The word cookie is derived from the Dutch word “koekje”, meaning “little cake.” These little cakes were created by cooks who would use a small amount of cake batter to test the heat of their ovens. The little treats were easy to travel with and thus gained popularity. They have become much sweeter over time and have evolved into the gooey deliciousness that we all know and love today. Why shouldn’t cookies have their own day?

Some the earliest memories many of us have are of helping mom or grandma to bake – the best part was getting to lick the spoon afterwards! Cookies were the first things I made on my own, they are pretty much fool-proof. I also created similar memories with my own children – them with their chairs pulled up to the kitchen counter, a dusting of flour on their little faces and fingers full of dough – and me cleaning up the overflow as we went along. With the colder weather just around the corner, now is the perfect time of year to fill the house with the aroma of freshly baked cookies.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk
102 g instant vanilla pudding mix dry
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 c chocolate chips or your favourite substitution

Instructions

Blend butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Add milk and pudding mix until blended.
Separately mix flour, powder, soda and salt together, then, add to mixture.
When blended, add chocolate chips.
Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 12 minutes.
Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes then move to wire rack.

I could give you a recipe for healthy or gluten-free cookies, but that’s just not how I roll. Here is a favourite of my family. I made these last week and used half chocolate chips and half toffee bits. If Heaven had a taste, this would be it.

To quote the Cookie Monster, “C is for cookie, that’s good enough for me!” ENJOY!