stress cookies I

last week i made oatmeal-caramel-chocolate chip cookies but tonight i really just needed to stress-bake. this recipe is provided for therapeutic purposes only. other recipes might actually be better. i won't argue. but this is one of the easiest / easiest-to-remember i know.

stress cookies mark i, or, the first real stress-cookie of the semester
or, goodbye september, please let real fall weather be here soon cookies
yields about 24 + 2 'test' cookies, if you know what i mean

+ preheat oven to 350 degrees f.

cream together:
+ 1 stick (8oz) butter
+ 1 cup sugar (note: i like doing a 3:1 brown:granulated sugar ratio, but use what you've got)

add, mixing well after each addition:
+ 1 large egg
+ 1 tbsp vanilla extract*
+ 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

in separate bowl, mix together, then add to wet mixture**:
+ 1 cup flour (note: probably increase this to 1 1/2 cups)
+ 1/2 tsp baking soda
+ 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt

gently fold in:
+ 1/2 bag (6 to 8 oz) chocolate chips
OR
+ 1 cup raisins
OR
+ 1 cup toffee, or caramel candies chopped into chunks
OR
+ about the same volume equivalent of whatever you want to put in your cookies. nuts if you like. coconut. i don't care. go crazy!!!!

now for the baking part
+ line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. you could butter them too i guess.
+ using the 'two-spoon' method or however you prefer, transfer dough to prepared sheets in generous spoonfuls
+ leave room between the cookies. these babies will spread.
+ place sheets in the oven & time for about 5 minutes
+ after about 5 minutes, rotate sheets & switch racks, leaving them in for about 5 more minutes
+ when they are golden-brown, they are done.
+ take them out of the oven & transfer to cooling racks (or let them sit on the top of the oven after you've turned it off) & don't eat them until they have cooled at least 5 minutes
+ try not to eat all of them at once



* homemade is best! a month or so ago we got a bottle of light rum into which we put maybe 8 vanilla beans because we are impatient. you could use fewer if you are not. we refill the bottle as we deplete the extract. it is awesome & easy & you should totally do this.

** yeah right like you need to dirty up two bowls with this. feel free to dump everything into the same bowl at this point. this is stress baking, after all.