She splays the papers on the dining room table, but then remembers her teacher's lecture on orderliness. One pile for coveted and glossy items, one pile for trash, one pile for necessary yet unpleasant correspondence. Her mother will be proud.
And is this not what Della strives for as she works through the addition problems in her third row desk? Writing, erasing, writing, erasing, until she timidly raises her hand to have her teacher check for correctness. "She's an exemplary student, Mrs. Robinson," her teacher will someday say. And then, her mother will blush with pride.
Walking into the kitchen, she sees the sun reflecting off the tall green vase that remains empty for most days of the year. She wishes she could bundle the flowers on the hillside into a bouquet. She must have done this once, as a little girl.
On the counter, adjacent to the fridge, sits a plate of cookies and a tall tumbler--empty now but designated for milk. A note from her mother reminds her to take the laundry out of the dryer, to pull the casserole out of the freezer, to finish her homework before she watches TV.
As Della sits down at the table to take her first bite of cookie, he traces her finger over the heart that her mom left on the bottom corner of the page. As the crumb of the cookie melts on her tongue, she imagines her mother bending over this note, scribbling quickly with her pen, checking that the toaster is unplugged one last time. She imagines her mother tracing over that blue heart, twice, because she needs her daughter to know she loves her, no matter where or how far she goes.
Each bite of chewy and spicy cookie is complimented by a rich apple buttercream. You may think you can only eat one...but I promise, you'll want more.
Cookies are fairly ubiquitous; they're easy to make, transport, and store. But when you add frosting...cookies take on a special tone. A tone of decadence and celebration. A hint of something special.
When I made a second batch of my cinnamon cookies on Monday, I decided that a rich, apple buttercream would take these already delicious treats to new heights of enjoyment. I couldn't have been more right.
So the next time you make a batch of cookies, think about whipping up some frosting and spreading a thick layer between two of those buttery discs. You won't regret your decision. I promise!
On a less delicious note:
After today, I'll be cutting back to two posts a week. I'm thinking of Monday and Thursday (but this is subject to change).
On top of going to graduate school and TAing, I'm also taking a writing position with the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Needless to say, I will be busy!
So in order to keep my sanity, I'm cutting back (but just a bit!). I will likely serve up one bread recipe and one dessert recipe each week. As always, if you have any ideas or requests, please let me know.
*Yields 12 cookie sandwiches
2 dozen of your favorite homemade cookie (Cinnamon Cookie Recipe)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP cream
1 TBSP butter
1/2 cup peeled and diced apple
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 TBSP brown sugar
1. In a skillet over medium high heat, saute your apple, sugar and cinnamon in 1 TBSP of butter. Cook for 5 minutes or until apple pieces are tender.
2. Cream together you 1/2 cup butter, powdered sugar and cream until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). With the mixer on low, add in your apples and stir until just combined.
3. Place a dollop of frosting on one cookie, spread with knife and place another cookie on top to form a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores
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PS. This recipe was completely inspired by my amazingly beautiful and talented blogger friend, Lauren. She needs to start blogging again because I MISS HER!