Good morning to you too

      Coffee was the very first order of business this morning. Thoughts of a iced coffee with vanilla and cream. With venti in hand, once again, everything is right in the world. After jump starting my engine with my coveted caffeine (and a veggie-packed breakfast, of course, for breakfast is the most important meal of the day), I was ready to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I turned the oven on to pre-heat at 350 degrees F and grabbed the half-stick of Parkay margarine that I set out to soften before leaving for my coffee, which was comfortably room temperature. Ideal for the cookies. I have in the past on occasion zapped my Parkay in the microwave, but the absolute best cookies result when it’s been set out.

      To Mr. Softie Parkay, I added the Chocolate Chip Cookie mix, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 large egg and ½ a teaspoon of vanilla extract, mmm, the sweet smell of real vanilla extract (none of this “imitation flavor” junk). A couple minutes of stirring it all together and my mouth began to water. I could see the dough mixing into a lovely almond-tan color. Irresistible. I took a snitch. Just a small taste, to sample the dough, you know... to make sure it tasted delicious. It did. (Naturally). Those semi-sweet chocolate chips partied in my mouth with the sugar and buttery, vanilla flavors - they are fast friends you see. But back to the business of baking them: I grabbed my non-stick baking sheet and began to spoon out the cookies, being sure to leave room in between them so each could spread out (kinda territorial, aren’t they?). Timer set, I knew I only had to wait 12 short minutes for the desired results.  As I sipped my coffee, I watched the clumps of dough slowly flatten and plump. A minute before the timer went off, I poured myself half a glass of cold milk. BEEEEEP! 

 

      Perfection. I smiled as I gently lifted the golden beauties from the oven. Saving them from over-cooking on the hot baking sheet, I scooped them up and placed them on the cooling rack. But the last one (yes, the one that looked like it had the most chocolate chips) I rescued to a small plate. My plate. My cookie plate. How my tummy grumbled at their deliriously sweet scent. While another pan of cookies started the 12 minute journey to perfection, I sat, happily nibbling away, each and every bite of heaven. “This is bliss,” I thought to myself.  “What an ideal way to start off any day!”
-Nonnie