Brownie Mess Cookies

What computer?

I haven't spent much time online this week; I apologize to all the wonderful bloggers I have not visited! There are some computer issues here at That Old House; I am not blaming anyone; I'll just glance over at Howard and whistle.

But today, while the winds of a Nor'Easter send the leaves skittering across the conservatory roof, and rattle the old shutters something fierce, I thought I'd make a few quick and easy cookies.

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My poor husband. We hosted about 20 people for a casual dinner last Saturday night. Our daughter Alida was home from California for a a quick visit, and she invited some friends and family to the house.

We set up appetizers in the conservatory.

That's my brother-in-law Bill digging into the shrimp and the hot artichoke dip; past him, a study packed with 20-somethings, and in the foreground, my 89 year old Dad.

Now I ask you -- would you trust this man on the left
to choose and bring home dessert for the evening?

I did.
And he brought home the Mother Lode of great big bakery cookies.

I think my husband was hungry when he went shopping.

I sent the many leftover cookies home with the young people, and on Sunday night about nine o'clock, when Howard toddled off to the kitchen to scavenge for a snack, I heard him rustle thru the leftovers . . . and then I heard, "Dang!"

No cookies.
Cookies all gone with the young'uns.
But when he gets home tonight, there will be some nice freshly baked cookies for him.

I usually have brownie mix in the pantry, Duncan Hines being our house brand.

And you can make a respectable cookie with it.

You will need:

And the recipe, such as it is:

My printer isn't working. Can you tell?

Dump the mix, the oil, and the eggs into a bowl:

I tried to make a smiley face with the egg yolks as the eyes.
Hey, not everything works.

Mix it all up, by hand, as some lumps are okay. It is really stiff.
The whisk stood up all by itself in the dough.

Look! It's the Eiffel Tower!

When it is all mixed, toss in whatever you want.
Within reason. Probably not capers.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips, but I didn't have any. So I plunked in a handful of milk chocolate chips, some white chips, and some dried cranberries. I wanted to put in coconut, which is really good in these cookies, but Howard doesn't like coconut. I also wanted to put in some nuts, but nuts don't like Howard.

Do you have your cookie sheets stored like this?
It's my Moment of Awful Truth for today:

Someday they will tumble out and kill me.
And I will richly deserve my fate.

The cookie sheet gets a spritz of cooking spray, and it's time to make the cookies.

An ice cream scoop makes nice even plops of dough.

Dion takes up sentry duty across from the wall ovens.

Look at that concentration. He knows what is in those ovens.

Ten minutes -- voila!

Houston, we have cookies.

Sweet, huh?

Now, it would be a shame if these cookies just languished on the kitchen counter for hours until Howard gets home.

I think they need a test run, don't you? How about we go into the study,
where That Old House gets written, and bring some coffee and a couple of cookies?

The old cherry drop leaf table between the sofas is just right for holding snacks, and books.
I've been poring over kitchen books, and that's what I'll do now,
while I test drive the cookies. It is called multi-tasking.

Ummm. . . I really did eat one! And it was delicious --
a little crusty on the outside and the edges, and soft and chewy on the inside.

Remember there are many real recipes at Foodie Friday, at the Designs by Gollum blog. Go visit Michael! Now. Or no cookie for you, either!


Have a lovely weekend! We are tackling that big counter in the kitchen tomorrow, if by "we," I mean "Howard." I will be lunching and shopping with Annie in central Jersey, far from the sounds of drills and hammers. It's a good plan, don't you think? -- Cass