Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

Catherine gave me a box of Girl Scout chocolate mint cookies, which started my mind going, usually a bad sign. The cookies reminded me of Mom's chocolate cookie log: black cookies from the store formed togthter into a log using whipped cream. WOuldn't some mint make this even better? Unfortunately, I couldn't use the Girl Scout cookies as-is---Mom reminded me that the log needs to sit in the refrigerator to allow the whipped cream to soak into and soften the cookies. I thought about scraping one side but eventually decided to make my own cookies. Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies is a famous recipe . Because I am clueless, I didn't know abuot it until the past week. It seemed to be the perfect cookie for this effort. I sifted together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda. I creamed together the brown sugar and butter. Eventually, all the ingredients---including a few drops of peppermint oil---went into the bowl. I divided the dough into two. ...

The end of the semester seemed like the perfect opportunity to try one of those newfangled cookie delivery outfits, using my students as taste testers. These cookies were delivered fresh and hot from Tiff's Treats. I ordered three varieties: classic chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and M&M cookies. I was a little disappointed that they couldn't guarantee that these were peanut-free. When I asked, they said they use the same equipment to make peanut- and non-peanut cookies. Given the vastly increased incidence of peanut allergies, I would hope that cookie companies and bakeries in general could figure out effective ways to provide peanut-free options for those who need them while also providing peanut items to peanut nuts like me. One of my students summed up the overall class reaction: "This isn't a two dollar cookie." The cookies were warm, soft, and sweet. But they didn't grab me. Cookie mavens know that chocolate chip cookies in particular are b...