Cookie Kryptonite: My Favorite Cookies and the Trick that Keeps Them Simple

Photo Credit: Erol Ahmed

I have a secret that’s not so secret. Cookies are my kryptonite. If I am anywhere and I see a homemade cookie or a cookie that looks yummily creative, I must try it. It’s as simple as that. I’ve tasted some not-so good cookies in my days, and I’m not quick to reach for a grocery store cookie. Unless it’s from the Whole Foods cookie bar. I still revere the friend that introduced me to the Whole Foods cookie bar. 

When people ask me if I am a baker, I tell them that I am not, because I don’t love the chemistry of baking. In fact, if the recipe requires exactness, I refuse to make it. I am more of a cook - I prefer a pinch of this and a dash of that - and if the food isn’t exactly the same as last time, even better. I’m not interested in cooking to reproduce a taste or an experience - I simply enjoy the process of cooking. 

So I want to share my three favorite cookie recipes with you! But they come with my pro-one-bowl-tip. Because without my tip, you won’t have the same relaxed and enjoyable cookie cooking experience. Are you ready? Here goes: 

1. Grab your favorite mixer; it can be a big bowl + a fork, or your kitchen aid. 
2. Read the entire recipe.
3. Microwave the butter for 10-20 seconds to soften. (If it ends up runny, thats totally fine, just make sure you include the amount the recipe requires.)
4. Blend the butter and the sugar together in the mixing bowl.
5. Gradually add the rest of the wet ingredients.
6. When you’re ready to move on to the dry ingredients, don’t mix them separately! 
7. First, add your smallest dry ingredients, like your baking soda and salt, to the wet ingredients. 
8. Then, gradually add the rest of your dry ingredients, saving the chunkiest, like chocolate chips or raisins, for last. 
9. Disregard the measurement instructions and use a big spoon or an ice cream scoop to drop dough on your cookie sheets!
10. Bake as directed

Now I know that chemists and people who bake for the love of precision will absolutely abhor my one bowl process… but give it a try! This is the only way I make these cookies and it hasn’t failed me yet!

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

*I only use one package or two cups of chocolate chip cookies

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Banana Everything Cookies

Do you have a favorite baking shortcut? Do share!