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My mother does not bake. She has an aversion to measuring cups and spoons. She hates them. She thinks they’re fussy. For years growing up I didn’t even know what they were called because we just didn’t have them in the house, or if we did, I never saw them. They were most likely hidden in the back of a drawer collecting dust bunnies. She is a phenomenal cook, though. One of those cooks who likes the words “pinch”, “smidgen” and “splash”. I don’t think I have ever seen her follow a recipe verbatim and I have certainly never seen anything good come of her use of measuring tools. I am in charge of the baking in the house. I make the pies and cakes and soufflés in this house. Apparently things have changed…

To say I was in shock when I came home to find her baking chocolate chip cookies is an understatement. What I actually did was stand in the doorway of our kitchen looking on at her, mouth agape, for about five minutes before I tentatively walked into the kitchen, around the island and asked,

What are you doing? 

Oh I’m baking cookies, sweetie. 

Come again. 

I’m baking. I got this new recipe that is so easy and I love it!!

With measuring cups?

Well that’s how you bake, dear. 

Huh. 

What’s more, these cookies are good, like really really good. They are the perfect size and shape, thick and chewy but quite petite really. In the four weeks I have been here Cindy has made this recipe six times. That is almost an absurd amount of baking for her. I am quite certain I can count the number of times she has baked anything on two hands, and that number is pretty close to six.

To quote Bob Dylan, these times, they are a changin’…

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Karin’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Active time: 15 minutes, Inactive time: 42 minutes; Makes 12 cookies.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 1/8 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 bag chocolate chips (preferably Guittard dark chocolate)

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped roughly