Cookie Break

I had one or more sick kids home all last week. (One went to school today, but my weak-lunged kid has a free pass for another couple of days. The doctor reckons he's not contagious but his horrible-sounding cough would get him sent home anyway.) I cheerfully and patiently made lemon-honey "tea," fetched juice, fluffed pillows, disposed of tissues, set up art projects, read aloud, buttered toast, and warmed soup. I leapt up several times a night to attend to a coughing child, then began my day by 5:30 am when the one healthy child woke up full of sparkle and gab. I rocked as a nursemaid, I tell you.

But Sunday afternoon, when I decided to try a new peanut butter cookie recipe, it was on the condition that nobody "helped" me. In fact, I didn't even want anyone in the kitchen. If the room had doors, I'd have closed them. You get it, right? And since they all wanted cookies, they agreed to my terms.

These are Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies, from the December issue of Real Simple magazine. (I can't find the exact recipe on their website--this is close, but the recipe I used called for a cup of each sugar and no vanilla. Pity. I like vanilla.) Because I have celiac and we keep a mainly gluten-free kitchen, usually the baking recipes in mainstream magazines are Not For Us. But this recipe is gluten free as written; no substitutions or special ingredients needed. And we all liked them.

This afternoon after we picked up the one child who went to school today, I melted some chocolate chips and we drizzled chocolate on top. My teeth ached, but it's been that sort of day: peanut butter alone wasn't quite enough. Chocolate was required.

(My daily posting goal may yet be derailed by the sick child/lack of sleep combo, but I'm trying to hang on!)