Bad Day Cookies

My husband had a bad day at work yesterday. Since he works from home, I can immediately tell by the stomping that things are not going well. I gave him a hug and listened to him complain, but there wasn't anything I could do to solve the problem at work. So, I baked cookies--really good chocolate chip cookies. When the first batch came out of the oven, I took two gooey cookies and a glass of cold milk upstairs to his office. It took a lot more than two cookies, but eventually he felt better.

We took some more to my son's teacher when we met with her for Parent Teacher Conferences yesterday afternoon. A bribe can never really hurt, right.

Today while I was visiting with the other moms while we waited for our kindergartners, I told them about the cookies (mostly to explain the chocolate stains all over my one-year-old daughter's shirt). My friend related her own story:

Yesterday she helped in her daughter's class. When she was getting ready to leave, her daughter asked if her to stay for lunch. My friend explained that she had to go pick up her kindergartner. Then, her daughter suggested that they meet at the Book Fair later. After picking up her son, my friend met her daughter in the library.

"Are you OK?" she asked her daughter who immediately burst into tears and begged to go home from school early. My friend insisted that her daughter stay at school but suggested that they make cookies when she got home. So, that afternoon they baked their famous, delicious and favorite frosted sugar cookies. The day was saved.

Well, when I discovered that she had a good recipe for sugar cookies, I was delighted. I've been searching for a good one for years and have been thus far disappointed. Would she mind sharing her recipe?

This afternoon, the door bell woke me up from my nap (yes, I got one today!) and there on the front porch was my friend and her daughter with a tin full of cookies AND the recipe! I would have given her some of our chocolate chip cookies but, um, we already ate them all. Anyway, the cookies were as delicious as she said but I can't share her recipe because she swore me to secrecy.

However, I will share our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and hopefully they can help you out of a bad day.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll cookies into balls and place them on a cookie sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Store cookies in an air-tight container to keep soft and fresh.