Some Thoughts On The Noble Cookie

I love cookies.  I always have.  There are many talented bakers in my family, and they all have specialties and lessons to impart over the years:

• My father is the king of the Toll House chocolate chip, especially in double batches.  While chocolate chip was his go-to recipe, his Snickerdoodles are absolutely incredible.  Dad taught me a ton about baking, including: stop the mixer before adding eggs, always scrape the bowl between ingredients, and leave the cookies on the pan for a minute or two before moving to the cooling rack.
• My mother used to make the most decadent Whoopie Pies.  If you're not familiar with the Whoopie Pie, first of all, I pity you, and secondly, here's a link.  With the advent of healthy eating, you can see why these fell out of the common way.  Mom taught me, in cooking and in all the countless things I've learned from her, to read the directions!
• My stepmother is a cookie artiste.  A devoted student of Martha Stewart, Carol used to make a gross of cookies every Christmas.  I've seen her do sugar cookies with water color paintings in the frosting.  Carol taught me to try new recipes (she's got hundreds), and how to freeze half the dough for baking later.

Now my own baking journey started in my teen years.  I made the requisite Toll House in droves, but didn't really branch out too far until I was living on my own.  My husband is a devoted fan of the chocolate chip cookie.  This week he said, "Well, if you only had one cookie to eat for the rest of your life, wouldn't it be chocolate chip?"  Definitely not!  And I realized that in the many years of our friendship and marriage, I had never made my favorite cookie for him.  (Not even the year I made 15 dozen cookies as holiday presents and then hosted his whole family for Christmas!)

I present to you the noble Pinwheel Cookie:

(picture cribbed from the Hershey's website, because I have no photography skills or beautiful plates)

I love these cookies.  They're simple and buttery, flavorful and beautiful all at once.  If I only had one cookie to eat forever, these are the cookies for me!  I hope you try the recipe linked above.  They're great with coffee or a giant glass of milk!