capacities, comparison, and chocolate chip cookies




For awhile now our boys have come to expect ice cream sundae's on Fridays and otherwise very few if no desserts during the rest of the week.  I'm not incredibly strict with sugar, it was more of a sanity decision that led to this schedule.  I was hearing "Can we have dessert" what felt like nightly, and so decided Friday's would be pizza and ice cream.  Easy and satisfying for everyone.


Come to think of it, a lot of our parenting life and schedules come down to sanity decisions, don't they? I think sometimes we can forget that we're the parents and this is our family.  We get to decide what all we commit to, especially when our kids are young and we're one hundred percent in control of what activities we sign up for- and let alone pay for!

Can you tell this is a hot topic for me these days?! I find capacities and comparison at the top of my mind, and many mother's minds these days. Two C's that apparently have led me to make chocolate chip cookies. ;). There are so many opinions out there and thanks to social media we see them now more than ever.  Many are staying up late or waking super early to get what you see of what they do in a day.  Some love it, others don't.  I'm making decisions towards doing what we love, what I love, and what works for us- without costing our family its sanity or peace.

As is true with most decision making for me, I have to tune out the other voices, pray, and tune to what I know is right for me and my family.  It may look like a lot or a little to others.  I may find myself thinking others are doing too much or dare I say too little.  The reality is, we all have capacities, so can we please stop comparing?! 

For us right now we're embracing this season of 7, 5 and 2, but also knowing that in the Fall we'll be taking a slower approach to the season with less commitments and this summer that'll be the case too. As we're finding ourselves in the little years but also at the cusp of much bigger times for our oldest, I'm finding myself wanting to slow down and enjoy the Friday family movie nights, Saturday game nights, and Sundays when we say yes to church and time for our family, but no to all other things.  It's a conviction I've personally felt tugging at my heart and one we're sticking to these days.

In these every changing seasons, we're coming out of the "Friday" only dessert situation a bit as well as I find the boys wanting a treat after school and not too keen on super healthy muffins I made the other week.  I agree, they weren't that tasty and too dense with whole wheat flour.  Having cookies on hand isn't only nice for them though, it's something I like to keep in the freezer as we've been hosting more and I find myself wanting to have treats on hand there.

I of course doubled this recipe and quickly stashed two freezer bags away so that for now we only have enough cookies out to enjoy through the weekend.  I of course had to do some research while writing this post to confirm for you that they do in fact still taste yummy on day two.  Why can't I stop at just one cookie?!

My favorite part about them is how they taste a minute after they come out of the oven.  If you like a cookie that's gooey in the middle but able to stick together, these will be your jam.  I had struggled in the past making cookies that were too thin and have found this recipe to be my favorite.  I'm attributing Joanna Gaines, brown sugar, and lots of chocolate chips to why I love them so much.

The recipe hails from Joanna's Magnolia Table (amazon affiliate link used here- no difference to you just a small amount kicks back to me if you chose to purchase through there!)

*Note- if you double these like I did plan to be in the kitchen awhile while you make them all.  I used a scoop like this and my trusty silpat mats which helps everything go much more smoothly.  I was tempted to take pictures last night while the boys were "helping" me mix the batter and snatch up some chocolate chips, but on weekends I try to unplug more and so one day after picture of the cookies is what you're getting today!


Recipe thanks to Magnolia Table.

Ingredients You'll Need

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  1. Set your oven to 350.  I use convection if I'm doing multiple racks while baking.  Line your baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper
  2. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt
  3. Using a hand mixer or with a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar for about 2-3 minutes then add in your eggs and vanilla. turn the mixer off and add in your flour, mix to incorporate then mix in your chocolate chips
  4. drop by rounded teaspoons or using your scoop and bake for 11 minutes.  Allow to cool on a rack waiting one minute before moving them as they're super gooey as soon as they come out!  
Enjoy with milk! 

*note: as the boys (mainly my oldest) have gotten more interested in cooking, math, and reading, I'm finding this space a fun "project" that we're able to do together. As I double things he's able to add them up, read the instructions, and find the ingredients throughout the kitchen.  He is just now realizing I have this site, and while he doesn't fully understand it, I'm loving this outlet as being something I'm able to share with him.



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