cookie monster

As you know, I shamelessly consider myself excellent in the kitchen. I enjoy making all kinds of foods and eating them. I'm good at it. All except for one thing.

I cannot, for the life of me, make chocolate chip cookies.

I've tried a million recipes. They all turn out the same: Forgettable and mediocre at best. Zach has come to the conclusion that my cookies are only ever half as good as the cookie dough. I've considered not baking them anymore and just having "summer cookies" as we called it growing up. Forget about Salmonella. Not like it ever killed anyone.

However, Quinn requested cookies today so I thought I'd try again (I'll never give up on this). I saw a light at the end of the tunnel since my mom had baked cookies while she was here and they were perfect! So I can't blame it on my kitchen anymore (do you ever do that? "This didn't turn out right 'cause some genius twenty years ago decided grey carpet in the kitchen would be a good idea..." or "The light from the greenhouse is making me a bad cook." Just me? k.) After I ate one of her cookies I was amazed that, not only did it look good, it tasted good too. Dangit. So I figured she must have used some perfected secret recipe that I didn't know about. She said, "I just used the one on the back of the bag." Now why hadn't I thought of that??? (reminded me of this classic. Love it.)

So today I made the recipe on the back of the bag KNOWING they'd be perfect this time.

BEHOLD:

I give you the most disgusting looking and disgusting tasting cookies I've made to date:

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH ME?!?!

I really felt like a crazy person when I pulled the first batch out of the oven. Is someone playing a trick on me or something? It really must be the carpet in the kitchen. It's killing my soul. Rendering me chocolate chip cookie illiterate.

Still, Quinn liked them.

And it certainly didn't stop me from eating cookie after cookie after cookie (in fact, it's almost 4:00 and all I've eaten today is two pieces of toast and lots of cookies. Beach body, here I come!). Afterall, I did have to find the solution. With a little extra flour and some baking powder I got a much more attractive and tasty batch:

But really, what is the matter with me?

Do any of you have any killer recipes I can try slaughtering? What's the secret ingredient that makes a chocolate chip cookie memorable? I need to know. My ego is having a hard time getting over this.

On a completely different note, here's my baby boy Thursday afternoon:

way yummier than any cookie

And here's my (not so baby) boy Thursday night:

We decided after a handful of "She's so cute" remarks that we'd go ahead and give him the buzz. Thankfully, I still smother him with kisses (perhaps even more) from morning till night. After we cut Quinn's hair the first time he almost immeadiately started behaving like a naughty little monster, so I totally associated it with the short hair and didn't see him as my little baby for about a week. It was a tough week. I'm glad that wasn't the case with Max.

Well, the cookies are starting to make my brain feel fuzzy. I need to go plan a vegetable packed dinner so that my entire day isn't a loss.

Peace, love and babies.

-K

p.s. Here's a cookie recipe that NEVER fails me. Make them tonight:

Patient Cookies :)

1 devils food cake mix

2 eggs

1/4 cup of water

2 TBS butter

3/4 cup (or something around there) of white chips.

Mix 'em up. Slap them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 9 minutes. Try not to eat them all.