COOKIE MEMORIES ARE NICE, BUT... // Guest Post by Alice Loweecey

I love when my mystery and chocolate worlds collide. Today's post is by mystery author Alice Loweecey. Buy her latest book, mix up a batch of these fab cookies, and enjoy! Thanks, Alice.

ALICE LOWEECEY:

Cookie Memories are Nice, but… 

 

A cookie in the hand is better.

 

Back in the day, Archway made great childhood memories. The raspberry oatmeal ones were one of my favorites. They had a weird fold which sandwiched almost enough raspberry jam. Their frosted lemon ones—oh my. A little on the dry side for me, but the thin layer of icing made the perfect combination.

 

I’ve talked about non-chocolate cookies enough. Let’s get to the point here: Archway big, soft, fluffy chocolate chip cookies. They stopped using that recipe at some point. Like the raspberry and the lemon, the recipe changed somewhere along the line. The modern versions are average. Not special. I stopped looking with hopeful eyes at the cookie aisle in the grocery store and rolled up my sleeves. 

 

In the early 1980s a fellow nun gave me a recipe for chocolate chip cookies she said were different than the rest. The first time I baked them my mouth said “Archway!” I wrote the recipe to her dictation and kept that piece of notepaper for about 30 years, until it threatened to fall apart. Then I scanned it. 

 

Don’t worry. I won’t force anyone to read that! Here’s the recipe:

 

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oven 375^o 

Makes 4-6 dozen, depending on desired size

 

In a large bowl, combine and mix well:

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup evaporated milk

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

In a separate bowl, sift:

2-1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

 

Combine both mixtures. Batter should be slightly stiff. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto parchment- or silicone-lined cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are browned. Let cool a few minutes before removing from cookie sheets.

 

Original Archway chocolate chip cookies were a good three inches across. These aren’t. I use a small cookie scoop to make them. They are light and fluffy and almost as good as a childhood memory. I’ll take it.

***

Lover of Fascinators and tormenter of characters, Alice Loweecey always celebrates the day she jumped the wall (code for kicking the habit of a nun). As herself, she has 9 mysteries with Midnight Ink and Henery Press. As Kate Morgan, she has 3 stand-alone horror novels with Dark Recesses Press and Omnium Gatherum. She also has several anthologized short stories.