With the kitchen temperature hovering around 90 degrees and a humidity level that curled my eye lashes, I did what any self-respecting food blogger would do to celebrate the first day of school, I baked cookies.
Before my life sped up and my metabolism slowed down, I used to bake cookies all the time. I decorated cakes, invented gooey bars and made a peanut butter fudge brownie with frosting so thick you could not possibly eat it without a cold glass of milk.
Molly, the youngest child, claims to remember none of this and she’s probably right.
Gradually, several years ago, I gave up baking completely, which worked out splendidly as all four children picked up the kitchen hot pads and began baking themselves.
Throughout her high school years, Katherine worked at Simple Simon Bakery and Vinnie just found work in a college bakery.
To celebrate Molly’s first day of high school, I dusted off the cookie sheets and went to work on my formerly famous chocolate chip toffee cookies. In a concession to the heat and the fact that I essentially was baking for one person, I baked exactly 12 cookies, which meant my oven stayed hot for exactly 11 minutes.
I froze the rest of the cookie dough so Molly can pop them in the oven at her leisure.
Because, if you give a Molly a cookie, she may just remember that at one time long ago you baked up a lot of love.
Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies
1 1/2 sticks salted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 bag real chocolate chips
1/2 bag toffee chips
Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and egg and stir until blended. Stir in flour and baking powder until dough is combined and pulls away from the sides. Add chips, stir and drop by rounded teaspoons on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until golden, around 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on baking rack.
