Sandy Supposes....

Cookies!

PROMPT: Come up with a Top 10 List-- any topic or subject you'd like-- and explain briefly your reasoning behind each pick.

         Let's see... what things do I think about, crave, like enough so that they number at least ten, consider combining in a list, keep nearby for any time indulgence, wish to wax eloquent with, consider worthy of this blogging therapy... ? There were no surprises. There was no "eureka", or "really, you could find ten?" Okay, here is my admission/submission/obsession... Writing about the Christmas calories kinda prompted some salivatin'. Let the crumbs do their thing; crumble, collect, scatter... MY TOP 10 MOSTEST FAVOURITE HOME-BAKED COOKIES

         Huh, listing only ten cookie flavours was a piece of cake. Truth be told, I haven't yet met a biscuit I do not like. Sure, there are "store-boughten" ones that tempt me, but Mrs. Fields, The Keebler elves, Mr. Christie, and the other big names cannot compete with home-made and fresh-baked. So, here is my list of personal favourites, the cookies that made the cut...

          Oh wait, should I count down like the radio billboard Top 40? Least favourite to "favouritest"?Yes...

         NUMBER TEN: Chocolate Chip... Don't get me wrong, this is a great cookie. It's a people pleaser, but I have baked so many of these over the years without any added nuts, say walnuts, or pecans which is how I'd prefer them. Certain family members are purists who do not appreciate mint chocolate chips, or raspberry chocolate chips, or any type of nuts. Bah, cookie critics! I'm not saying I would turn down a chocolate chip cookie, just that it's not my top pick. Oh, my tri-coloured Sheltie was named Chocolate Chip Cookie. The Canadian Kennel Club requested three different names from me, and this third choice was not intended to be taken seriously. We referred to her as Tasha, and she loved her namesake cookie.

         NUMBER NINE: Snickerdoodles... Fun name, huh? Sometimes, I need a break from the charms of chocolate, and this cinnamon cookie is it. There's something tantalizing about the aroma of warm cinnamon.....mmm...

         NUMBER EIGHT: TRIPLE CHOCOLATE, or DEATH BY CHOCOLATE.... What a way to go! This cookie is a triple threat: cocoa, milk-chocolate chunks, and white chocolate. Calories and cavities be damned! Decadence at its sweetest.

         NUMBER SEVEN: Gingerbread, not snaps 'cause I bake my cookies to be soft, or as a daughter's love interest raved "squishy cookies." The spice blend teases the taste buds, and the nose. I'm not a dipper, yuck. I don't like soggy biscuits, or cups of tea that require chewing. Gingerbread likes to be shaped by cookie cutters, too. One Christmas, my youngest daughter attempted to mix a batch of gingerbread. Huh, it was super sticky, and the colour of s**t. Apparently, she misread the directions, and a tablespoon translated to an entire carton of molasses. Not all baking disasters are edible.

         NUMBER SIX: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Yummy! Whoever first paired these two together was a culinary genius.

         NUMBER FIVE: Peanut Butter Aaahh, these melt in my mouth, and are far finer than a p.b. sammy. P.B. on bread may stick to the roof of your mouth, but not its cookie counter part.

         NUMBER FOUR: Molasses Spice...This surpasses gingerbread. I believe I have a stash on ice in the freezer.

         NUMBER THREE: Oatmeal Cocoanut Chocolate Chip I think I may be drooling... I have an attraction to cocoanut, I confess. The oatmeal is healthy, right? This tastes better than a bowl of it, you know, porridge, gruel. A handful of oatmeal in the form of a cookie bypasses the dirtying of a bowl, and it fits easily into pockets, purses, whatever.

         NUMBER TWO: Santa's Whiskers Yes, really, this is a cookie, and a darn scrumptious one at that! It melds three of my favourite flavours: shortbread, cocoanut, and pecans. Alas, I punished myself this past Christmas, and I did not bake any of these. I knew their power. They are my Kryptonite. I had knee surgery booked for the new year, and I realized I wouldn't be very mobile... translation: I didn't need any extra weight to limp with...

         NUMBER ONE: Shortbread... This is my absolute" favouritest" cookie. They never seem to taste too sweet, but I am well aware of their butter, and sugar content. No chewing is necessary. They dissolve in my mouth. There are savoury versions, and lemony ones, too. Mom ruined them when she insisted upon adding cheerful red or green cherries as a garnish. They had the texture of leather. Blech!

          Funny, family members don't agree with my list, but they are not protesting too much. They know only too well where their cookies come from, and they do not want to risk withdrawal...