But these are cookies with more cookies inside. Mind boggling, I know. A local bakery has these fabulous Cookies & Cream cookies, which are basically a buttery, chocolate chip-esque dough with crushed Oreos added instead of the chips. At first, I thought they sounded kind of weird…and then I tasted one. Genius. Pure genius. The crushed cookies add just a bit of texture and a sweet flavor that’s a nice change of pace from traditional chocolate chip.

I didn’t have a recipe to work from, so I decided to wing it and see what happened. I used this dough as the base (because really, it’s the best cookie dough ever) and added 1 cup of crushed mini Oreos in lieu of chocolate chips. To yield one cup, I crushed roughly 4 ounces of cookies. I chose the mini ones because they were on sale, but I next time around, I might use full-size Oreos (15 of them? 20?) and increase the amount to 1 1/2 cups, crushed. These were good – and many people told me they thought the sweetness level was just right – but I’d like a little more Oreo flavor in the next batch. I crumbled mine to a fairly fine consistency, but you could also leave some large chunks in the batter to mimic the texture of chocolate chips.

Some people fry their Oreos…I bake mine into bigger and badder cookies. It’s just how I roll.

My sweet husband hosted a brown bag lunch to glean baby advice and parenting tips from his more experienced coworkers. It was a wonderful idea, and just one small example of the type of father he’ll be. Corey is a researcher, a planner, someone who investigates all possible solutions before settling on the most practical course of action. We all know children do not always follow a predictable path, so it’s a good thing Corey also happens to be the most easy-going and flexible man on the planet.

He asked me to bake something as a thank you to those who attend his event. Chocolate chip cookies were the easiest and most transportable option, and as I stirred up the dough I got to thinking about my own potential as a parent. For most of my 20s, I questioned whether the whole parenting thing was even for me. I loved (most) kids, but I also loved the freedom to do what I want, spend what I want, act how I want with no real responsibility to anyone other than myself and my spouse. I had great younger siblings and a fabulous niece and nephew to dote on and spoil if I was so inclined. I also had a dog who put me through the canine version of the terrible twos for most of his terrier life. Life was pretty good, as is, and my fear of change made me wonder how I could handle an addition to my small family.

The answer lies in chocolate chip cookies.

Baking has always been a selfish process for me. I almost always share the goods with others, but I select recipes based on my own tastes and preferences and use the experience to relieve stress and escape into my own little (sugary) world. It’s hard to bake with friends or family and not try to take over the entire process and do things my way.

Having a child will change all of that. Instead of rushing through the process, I’ll show her how to measure the ingredients, to stir them together, to carefully scoop dough onto a prepared pan. I’ll care less about the look of the finished product, and more about the pride my daughter will feel as she presents a lopsided cookie made especially for her daddy. And instead of giving most of my baked goods away to friends and coworkers because I don’t want so many empty calories at my beck and call, I’ll save most of them for our little family and show my child that on certain days, it’s totally necessary to have cookies and milk for lunch.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies*

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

makes about 16 cookies

* Yes. They really are perfect. Even better than this recipe, I’d say.

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

14 tbsp unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)

1/2 c white sugar

3/4 c packed brown sugar (recipe suggests dark brown, but light brown is also acceptable)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 c chocolate chips

optional: 3/4 c chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 and line two large baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Sift or whisk together the flour and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Put 10 tbsp of the butter in a medium skillet set over medium high heat. Allow the butter to melt for 2 minutes and begin to swirl it around the pan, allowing it to brown. Keep the butter moving so it doesn’t burn. Browning should take about 3 minutes and you’ll know it’s done when it smells nutty and it has a dark golden brown color. Remove the pan from the heat and use a heatsafe spatula to transfer the butter to a large, heatsafe mixing bowl. Add the remaining 4 tbsp of cold butter to the melted butter, and stir gently until it is melted.

Add the white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt to the butter and whisk the ingredients together. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk again until mixture is smooth, 30 seconds. Allow the batter to rest for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds more. Do this two more times; the end result should be thick and shiny.

Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined, about 1 minute. Gently stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using. The batter will be soft.

Form each cookie with roughly 3 tbsp of dough (if using a cookie scoop, use a #24). Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake one tray at a time, 10 to 14 minutes, on the middle rack of your oven. Rotate baking sheet after 5 minutes and check the cookies at 10; you want them to be golden brown and set around the edges, but puffy in the middle. (My oven yielded perfect cookies at 12 minutes.)

Allow to cool on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cook’s Illustrated has become my favorite source for innovative, no-fail, delicious recipes. I subscribe to their web site, which allows me access to virtually every recipe they’ve ever published. It’s a bit pricey, but worth it for the searchable recipe database and unlimited access to recent issues of the magazine. (Many of the online articles also include videos.)  If you’re not one to pay for web site access, you can get an occasional sneak preview by following Christopher Kimball, founder of America’s Test Kitchen, on Twitter . He frequently tweets about his favorite CI recipes, providing links that may be opened by the general public regardless of whether they subscribe to the site. Twitter is responsible for bringing this recipe for Salty Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies into my life. You’ll notice that this recipe looks a bit different compared to traditional oatmeal cookies – there’s no cinnamon or nutmeg, and no raisins. But there’s lots of butter and a delightful sprinkle of salt to enhance the nutty caramel flavor. These were some of the most outstanding cookies I have ever made…I couldn’t stop at just one. Or two. Or, um, three.

You know it’s a good cookie when even the bottom is beautiful and appetizing. Yum! Print this recipe immediately and bake these for someone you love.

Yesterday, I sat innocently on my couch, sipping coffee and reading blogs. It was your basic Tuesday morning until I read this post from Joy the Baker, who featured a rundown of her all time favorite cookie recipes. I was particularly intrigued by her preferred recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Bread flour? In a cookie? Really?

Yes. Really.

Now, we all have our preferences when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. I like mine to be slightly crisp on the outside, nice and chewy on the inside. No crunchy cookies. Absolutely no cake-like cookies. And as the name of the recipe implies, these cookies are indeed nice and chewy. Bread flour, melted butter and brown sugar come to together to create the perfect storm of chewy deliciousness. The dough is really quite interesting – substantially thinner than most recipes, and therefore requiring at least an hour of chill time in the fridge. Eventually, it comes together quite nicely, and this:

Becomes these:

(Needless to say, these cookies and the season premiere of Lost made for a pretty fantastic Tuesday night.)

I know many of us like to play around with recipes – substitute this, omit that – but believe me when I say that this recipe is perfect as-is. Use real butter. Use bread flour (even if you have to buy it – you can store it in the freezer and keep it for a long time). And invest in a spring-loaded scoop like this one, which really is an essential tool for scooping perfect rounds of dough that melt down into perfect rounds of cookie goodness. (I also strongly recommend a Sil Pat for this and any other cookie baking project, but parchment paper will do in a pinch.) Go on…get baking!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Alton Brown; makes about 2 dozen

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 c bread flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c sugar
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Melt the butter in a saucepan set over low heat. Sift or whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the bowl of your stand mixer (or other large bowl if using a hand mixer). Add both the sugar and brown sugar and cream together on medium speed, until the mixture is smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla; mix until combined. Add the flour a bit at a time, mixing until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least one hour.

Heat the oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment or a Sil Pat. Use an ice cream scoop to shape and place balls of dough on to the prepared baking sheets. (The scoop I use holds approximately two tablespoons worth of dough, if you prefer to do things the old fashioned way.) The cookies will spread slightly; do not place more than 6 cookies on each sheet. Bake for 13 – 14 minutes or until golden brown, turning the sheet after 6 or 7 minutes to ensure the cookies brown evenly. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for one minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

A recent trip to one of my favorite specialty food shops yielded a tasty new find: Mariposa plum jam from a local company called, quite simply, welovejam. I adore fresh plums, and thought this flavor would be spectacular if incorporated into a cookie – particularly, a jam thumbprint cookie.

After perusing several recipes, I realized that what I REALLY wanted was something that paired this delectable jam with peanut butter. I’ve made these several times, but they’re a bit labor intensive; seeing as this was a Thursday night, I wanted something quick and easy. Surprisingly, Martha Stewart offered the exact recipe I craved! A chewy, buttery, peanut butter cookie with a tangy, jammy center. Perfect for celebrating Cookie Friday, a “holiday” invented by one of my favorite bloggers!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints (or, in my case – Plumbprints?)

adapted from marthastewart.com

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c smooth peanut butter (my suggestion: Trader Joe’s Creamy)

4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/3 c packed light-brown sugar

1/3 c granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c jam of choice…I used plum

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl with a whisk. Mix peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer set to medium speed, until smooth. Add sugars, and continue mixing until pale and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until fully incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Use a tablespoon to scoop balls of dough, shaping them with your hands. Roll in granulated sugar. Space cookies 2″ apart on baking sheets lined with a Sil Pat or parchment paper. Bake until the cookies are puffy, approximately 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven, and press indentations in their centers with the handle end of a wooden spoon or similar object. Return to oven, and bake until edges are golden, roughly 6 to 7 minutes more. Remove cookies from oven and let them cool on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, heat the jam in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds on high. Stir to ensure the jam “loosens up,” heating more if necessary.   Spoon  1/2 teaspoon of jam into each cookie indentation. Store, covered, in a single layer for up to 1 week.