Whatever Gets You To The Cookie

Let's talk a little bit about acceptance.  I have an uncontrolled, guilt-free weakness for cookie mix.  I don't just accept it.  I embrace it.  Every now and then (whether I am short on time or just want to change things up a bit), I find myself reaching into my cupboard for a little help from my best girl, Betty:

Ain't she sweet?

Betty has a recipe for a terrific little oatmeal chocolate chip cookie*, if you don't mind preservatives now and then (I don't):

(Look at that--a BoxTop, too! A whole .10 for your child's school.  Hope they don't spend it all in one place.)

*Caveat: The next step in acceptance is to acknowledge that although Betty makes a good mix, you have to help her out a little.  You can make it exceptional.  Let's start with the instructions on the back of the mix: 

First of all, I don't care what the back of the package says;  don't you dare use margarine or spread or (Heaven forbid!) vegetable oil.  Stay with unsalted butter.  Accept that butter is the best way to the cookie.

Following the the instructions on the back of the package, add the butter and eggs.  I use two medium or large eggs, not one. 

Today I've got large, so that's what's going in.  However, if you use extra large or jumbo eggs, you might only want to use one.  Two of those super-sized eggs will add too much liquid to the mix.

The batter will look like this:

A bit gooey for now, but we'll fix that soon.

This is where I get a little crazy, but stay with me.  Embrace it.  Add one teaspoon of vanilla.  Vanilla is the key to the baking universe--it just makes everything better.  (Okay, vanilla and butter.  And chocolate.)  But for the love of God, only use pure vanilla extract.  If I catch you using imitation vanilla, I'll take your spatula away for good.

Once you've added the vanilla and mixed everything together, you will want to add 1 to 2 cups of quick oats.  You can use regular oatmeal, but if you do, I suggest you chop it up in a food processor first.  Otherwise the texture of the cookie is too chunky.  It's like chewing chunks of newspaper.  When the mix starts to look like dough instead of a bowl of oatmeal, you've added enough oatmeal.

Dough! I added 2 cups of oatmeal to this batch.

Finally, the most important part:  chocolate chips.  

Meet the Larry, Mo, and Curly of my kitchen.  The wiseguys making everything better.

The chips included with the mix are small and few.  (Sorry, Betty, but it's true.  Acceptance.)  I usually add at least 2 cups of chocolate chips when using this mix.  Let's review:

Upper left: milk chocolate; Upper right: semisweet chocolate;Lower left: chips included with mix; Lower left: dark chocolate

The chips included in the mix are semisweet.  You may use any combination of chips that you like, but I added:  1 cup dark chocolate, 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, and 1/2 cup milk chocolate.

You can also add 1/2 to 1 cup of unsalted pecans to give it a nice nutty balance.  (Generally speaking, if you're nutty, I do think it's best to be balanced.)  When adding chips, my philosophy is simple:  the dough is just the glue to hold the chips together.  It's all about the chips.  When done adding the chips, it should look something like this:

No nuts added today...just wasn't in the mood.

Follow the remaining steps on the back of package and soon enough, you'll have a delicious cookie waiting for you:

No guilt about not starting from scratch.  No hipster philosophical discussions about "authenticity."  Whatever gets you to the cookie.  Have a seat.  Pat yourself on the back.  Acceptance is a delicious thing--especially with a glass of milk.