Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

Note: There are no recipes in this post.

Of course, any day can be Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. You don’t need to wait for National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (August 4th this year) to honor America’s favorite cookie. Instead, celebrate any day you want just by enjoying one or more of these wonderful baked delights. To really get into things, make your own. Yesterday I did both.

So what prompted this extra effort in the kitchen by a person who normally gets by with as little cooking as possible? For one thing it was a cold rainy day in January with not much to do. More important the dessert cupboard was bare—except for a package of Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. That’s all it took.

The instructions on the package are bonehead simple. There’s just one catch: You need to follow them. I’m a slow learner and took three tries to do it right.

The first time, a couple of weeks ago, the cookies were too large and didn’t cool properly so they were too soft. I like them smaller and crispier. The second time I improvised and added several tablespoons of milk to the mix. This batch ran together on the cookie sheet while baking, and although the cookies were carefully removed and cooled, they congealed back into a sticky mess in my plastic storage container that behaved curiously like the dough before it went into the oven. Maybe it was the cow’s fault?

This time, on my third date with Betty, I did everything right. The cookies are crispy and delicious. They are about as big as Mud Bay sand dollars, a guilt-free in-between size where one (or even two) clearly isn’t enough at snack or dessert time.

My sister served as my cookie consultant, offering tips over the phone and forwarding useful articles she found on the Internet for creating crispy cookies every time. Among the most important pointers: adding extra liquid is a no-no; flattening the balls of dough on the baking sheet is OK, even encouraged; and storing the completely cooled cookies in a glass (not a plastic) container keeps them from getting soft.

I don’t have an airtight glass container, but a Corning casserole dish seems to be almost as good.

My sister also forwarded links to several recipes for homemade chocolate chip cookies. There are thousands more out there. I have no idea which ones are best. That’s what I have Betty for.