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With Melissa Smith Dean
Thought for Food
Sunday was Mother’s Day, y’all. And I want you all to know, I have one of the best on
the planet. Selfless, loving, giving, caring, kind, compassionate…. Just a few
words that describe her. And while there are so many more, I just had to toss a few out
there for you all. I am guessing if you know her, Kay Smith, you know she was a teacher
for a number of years in Corsicana and mentored several teachers in their careers. And
now, she serves our community as a CASA volunteer, an appointment
that is crucial to the placement of children into their forever homes. I am proud to
call her my mother; there is no doubt about it. Because, and here is possibly the best
part of her….. She and my sweet Daddy chose me to be their daughter.
Yes, that is right. I am adopted.
And I say that with a great amount of pride, always have. Over the years, I have
learned any number of things from my Mom. How to sew a button on a shirt.
How to wash my clothes. How to keep a clean house. How to be a good wife.
And I know what you are waiting for me to say… How to be a good
home cook? Yes, she did that. My favorite meal that she makes is Roast with
potatoes, carrots and onions, her pea salad, and those cheap and easy brown and
serve rolls. She can grill a mean steak. She makes amazing baked beans in the microwave, of all things. And an out of this world, corn chowder, that I so love to eat on a chilly, Fall evening. But, my favorite thing that she makes in the whole entire world….Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!
The best way to describe them is if a brownie and cookie had a baby that was
doused in powdered sugar.
Wait.
That didn’t come out like I planned.
Anyway, it’s like this delicious, amazing beyond chocolatey cookie with
powdered sugar. And let’s leave it at that.
To be honest, it’s probably the best cookie I have ever eaten in my whole life,
and I make Hot Mess Cookies!
Sometimes a cookie is just a cookie, and sometimes a cookie is love.
Cheesy?
Yes, but that statement is 100% correct in this case.
When she would make them when I was a kid, it was like Christmas had come and
Santa had brought me that Barbie Dream House!
I am not kidding. Not even a little bit.
But, I guess, you will have to try them for yourself.
So, here it goes.
Look out y’all. She’s coming in hot.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
1 cup of cocoa 2 cups of sugar
½ cup of butter (that’s one stick, friends)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of good vanilla
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of bak- ing powder
½ teaspoon salt And don’t forget the powdered sugar!
First and fore- most, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and
line your baking sheet with parchment paper. My Mom’s recipe says to lightly
grease your cookie sheet, but if you use the parchment paper instead, there won’t be
any need for that step. Cream together the cocoa, sugar, and butter. And
here’s a little secret I learned along the way. When creaming the
ingredients together, I let them mix for a good 7 to 10 minutes on low. It
just makes every- thing get really good and all lovey dovey with one another. Next, I
add in the eggs and vanilla. I always crack my eggs in a separate bowl, just in case
there is bad one. I mean, no one likes a bad egg. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and then add
it slowly to the wet ingredients. And here comes the fun part. You will
want to roll the dough into 2 inch balls and then drop them in the powdered sugar.
B a m ! Roll them around and make sure they are completely covered in
the sugar and place them on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake
for 10 to 12 minutes. Let them cool for at least a few minutes before attempting to
devour one! And make sure you have a nice, cold glass of milk to ac- company this
treat. You will want something to dunk them in, I promise.
I can’t wait for you all to try these! It’s crazy, I know to be this excited about a
dang cookie, but it’s the little things. It’s not the stuff you keep in stor- age,
it’s the cook- ies, the recipes, and memories made at the dinner table. Because
when I think of what I love most about my Mom, and trust me there is a list a mile
long, I think of things like this – handwritten recipes that evoke a vivid memory of powdered sugar all over my face and sprinkled down the front of my shirt and on her clean kitchen floor. Or emailing her and asking her for that recipe and her not hesitating one second to get up out of her chair and retrieve that recipe during her “chair time”, as she calls it.
That’s what I want to remember.
Not things.
I want to remember the food.
The warm, gooey center of one helluva an amazing cookie.
While I well know that this article is coming to you after Mother’s Day, in my book,
every day is Mother’s Day and I try to tell my Mom every single day how truly wonderful
she is.
A cookie is never just a cookie.
So, Happy Mother’s Day to all of you!
I hope this offering finds you happy, healthy and full of joy!
And as always, I wish you love,
peace, and all of the amazing food – also, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!
Love,
Sweet M.
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