Nothing gets me in the mood for the holidays more than listening to some god-awful Christmas music and baking. This year, I wanted to make lots of cookies to hand out to people I rarely have the opportunity to show my appreciation for: the doormen who greet me everyday (or at least some days) in my work building, the guys who clean all three steep stories in our apartment building, our lovely neighbor who never complains about our music or the many obstructions we put in our shared hallway. I'd like to think that a little homemade pouch of assorted cookies can go a long way, as far as making people feel special or loved.
So I (perhaps unknowingly) embarked on a baking expedition of Herculean effort yesterday, churning out three different kinds of cookies: oatmeal cookies with cranberry and chocolate, chocolate crinkles, and of course, the classic chocolate chip. (I intended to maintain a semblance of variety, but it seems as though chocolate made its way into all three recipes.) And speaking of choosing, I got the first two recipes from a Serious Eats annual cookie swap (because I love the idea); and the last one from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion - a comprehensive cookie cookbook with helpful tips, pointers, variations, and lovely hand renderings of instructions.
