smart cookies

At the beginning of each month, I will be giving a little love by sharing a cookie recipe with the readers of Home Everyday. The recipe will also be shared with the organization Smart Cookies.

This organization is a group of volunteer bakers that bake cookies and send them in care packages to college students. To read more about Smart Cookies, check out my post from last month. To volunteer or learn more about Smart Cookies, check out this link.

My sister-in-law, Lucy, is an amazing baker. When it comes time for Sunday dinner, I usually ask her to bring dessert as there has never been a dessert that Lucy made that I didn’t like. I’m telling you, this woman has a gift. A few years ago, she shared a cookie recipe with us from her Betty Crocker cookbook. The cookies in our family have come to be known as Lucy Cookies, and they are a staple at family gatherings and holidays. They are almost like a brownie and cookie at the same time.

The recipe is listed below, but for Halloween, instead of rolling the cookies in granulated sugar, I thought it might be fun to roll them in orange granulated sugar. FAIL. The sugar was was orange after adding the food coloring.

However, once the cookies were baked, you cannot even tell the sugar is orange. No matter, they still taste delicious, and look pretty. (If want to make the sugar orange, I used 2 drops of red food coloring and 1 drop of yellow. Maybe it will work better in your kitchen than in mine).

Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Crinkles (LUCY COOKIES)

1 box Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (regular or mini)
1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and chocolate chips until a dough is formed. Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Shape dough into one inch balls, and roll the balls in the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar until coated. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cool.

They are amazing warm with milk.

Linking up at Serenity Now.

Do you remember receiving your first care package?

I do.

I was a freshman at John Carroll University. I was homesick,
overwhelmed, and sad. Midterms were coming very soon. I went to my mailbox
after lunch and saw the magic card that said there was a box waiting for me in
the mailroom. When I got back to my room, I immediately opened the box to find
fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, a new hoodie, and a card signed by everyone
back home. I felt this overwhelming sense of relief. I knew people were thinking
of me. Proud of me. Loved me.

I know it seems silly that all those emotions came from a
box of cookies, but honestly, nothing says love like someone taking the time to
make something especially for you. Whether it be your favorite meal, a birthday
cake, or a batch of cookies, you cannot deny that a smile immediately spreads across your face.

A few months ago, I met a woman named Mary Beth who also understands the power of a box of cookies. She is the
Director of Communications of Christ the King College Prep in Chicago. This is
a school that serves students who come from some of the most crime ridden areas of Chicago. Many of the students will be the first to graduate high school and
attend college.

When I met Mary Beth she had just tried an oatmeal, dried
cherry and dark chocolate cookie I had made. She must have liked it because she then asked if I
would be willing to share a cookie recipe once a month with an organization she had recently started for the alumni of Christ the King called
Smart Cookies. After hearing what Smart Cookies was about, I, of course, agreed to help in any way I could. So, once a month I will be sharing a cookie recipe with you, and with with the bakers of Smart Cookies.

After dropping off her own daughter at college, Mary Beth couldn’t help but think of the recent graduates of Christ the King who would be leaving for college soon. She knew these new students wouldn’t be having as easy of a time outfitting their new dorm rooms, let alone receive any care packages. Then, she had the most amazing idea. Mary Beth decided to get together a group of Moms to start baking cookies and sending them off to all the kids who have graduated from Christ the King. She is organizing Moms (dads, grandmas, grandpas or anyone who loves to bake) to literally send off some home made love in a box to give these kids a little bit of encouragement. A little taste of home. A little way to say, WE ARE PROUD OF YOU.

Next time you are baking cookies, you might want to consider doubling up that recipe and sending them off to some kids that need a little extra love. Isn’t that why we bake?

For more information on how you can help with the SMART COOKIES organization, contact Mary Beth at: marybethsammons@aol.com or go to www.smart-cookies.org

Tag

Smart Cookies: “Lucy” Cookies

Baking for a Cause: More Cookies