I care for you.

You, the readers of TickingTimeMom. You, the friends who laugh at my silly stories and give me an ‘atta girl’ when I make it through the week. You, dear friends who tell me you get misty eyed when you read my sappy stuff.

My appreciation for you and the guilt that would remain on my conscience if I didn’t share what follows led me to write tonight.

First, stop what you are doing. Second, check your cabinet for chocolate chips. Third, start your oven.

Let me rewind a bit and share that we have new neighbors. Tonight is their first night in the new home.

I’m going to look past the mere coincidence that their home, the house directly to the right of ours, the house where we have the most exposure due to parallel driveways, has been occupied by three different families.

In three years. 

The first family moved out a matter of months after we moved in.

Coincidence. Yep. Sure.

In an effort to keep the new neighbors a bit longer this go-around, we baked cookies tonight. Like ‘legit, from scratch, dust off your sifter’ cookies.

What began as a mom/kid endeavor quickly turned into a ‘mom only’ project when I realized our new neighbors probably wouldn’t want glitter, Squinkies or hair in their cookies.

Some people are so picky.

We threw together a batch, sans glitter, and waited the obligatory 18 minutes for the cookies to bake. It was fun because kids are super patient. And mine are great at not opening the oven 30 times.

Lie, lie, lie.

The cookies finally baked despite the constant door-opening interruptions. As I bit into a warm, oozing chocolate cookie, I had a moment of Divinity that pastors pray for their congregations.  I was reminded that God loves me. Cause of chocolate.

Then I drank some ice cold whole milk.

Oh yes….deep theology aside, this is my proof that He loves me. So very much.

I digress. The point of the baking was to bridge relations with the new neighbors. So when they hear me hollering at a four year old who is chasing her sister with a baseball bat, they won’t call the cops.

Or when they see a stark naked two year old flash across the backyard, they won’t be shocked.

At least after it happens once or twice.

Or ten times.

Without further ado, here is what I firmly believe is the best chocolate cookie recipe on the planet. Seriously, it is a cocoa based cookie with added melted chocolate, topped off in chocolately goodness with two more cups of chips.

Nigella Lawson’s Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 egg (cold from fridge)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate chips in the microwave. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Cream sugar and butter in a mixer. Add melted chocolate and mix. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in remaining chocolate chips. Use ice cream scoop to drop 1/4 cup sized mounds (mine are smaller ) onto a greased baking sheet. Do not flatten the scoops. Bake 18 minutes. I normally check around 16 and leave them a bit gooey. Transfer to cooling rack. Eat all in one sitting with a glass of cold milk. (Optional.)

If you make these, consider doubling the recipe. Nigella also recommends freezing the scoops and baking later. But why would anyone wait?!?!

I firmly believe in bribery. Fingers crossed these work on our neighbors.

E

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