FIND SOMETHING YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT, AND KEEP TREMENDOUSLY INTERESTED IN IT -JULIA CHILD
and into the oven
Yes, I agree, 2020 is a dumpster fire. I even have a candle saying so! However, this year has also had wonderful moments that have been overshadowed by an overwhelming negativity in the news and outside our windows. So, for the next month I …
Autumn in Seattle was long and beautiful, and apparently I did not spend it in the kitchen. Very belatedly (but still delicious all winter long), I present these gooey apple cider cookies filled with caramels. Kevin had friends visiting for a long weekend, and I …
Almost exactly 3 years ago, my family came to visit at the end of Ohio’s apple season and we went to a U-pick farm. They were having a sale and we made the most of it – I left that farm with 2 enormous pumpkins …
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Yes, I agree, 2020 is a dumpster fire. I even have a candle saying so! However, this year has also had wonderful moments that have been overshadowed by an overwhelming negativity in the news and outside our windows. So, for the next month I aim to practice gratitude and optimism (it’s a start…).
Among the many challenges of this year, I have become an aunt, had a wonderful small family wedding that all our grandparents were able to witness, none of our family contracted COVID at said wedding, I have many close friends with healthy and uneventful pregnancies, and my new Husband and I spent the summer maximizing outdoor adventures in the PNW. I have much to be grateful for, and counting my blessings helps temper the anxieties of everyday life.
As the weather turns and I’m not spending every possible moment outdoors, I hope to share a moment of zen in the kitchen. I began baking during my Master’s program and medical school as a form of anxiety relief (and procrastination). I am returning to my kitchen in 2020, where recipes make sense and outcomes are generally predictable.
I wrote the recipe for these cookies three and a half years ago, the week before my residency match. I was riddled with anxiety and needed an optimistic cookie. At the time, I called them a monster three-ring circus cookie. I made them this week for a friend’s birthday, at a time we can all benefit from a little optimism. I think instead of Birthday Cookies, I should call these Optimism Cookies. Whatever the name, these are the perfect texture and sure to brighten anyone’s day! They’re a one-bowl wonder and SO easy to throw together. The only time consuming part is letting them chill before baking!
While you’re making these cookies, watch Shakespeare in Love for the quote of the year:
Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Fennyman: So what do we do?
Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Fennyman: How?
Henslowe: I don’t know. It’s a mystery.
It will be ok. How? I don’t know. Cookies?
