Survival Cookies. (“it’s all about the process – the product will come naturally,” he said.

1. Prepare your mind, ingredients and the oven by preheating it to 350 degrees F. I have found that a good time for preheating to occur (if there is no indicator in the oven) is in the amount of time it takes to create the dough.

2. Bear in mind that a fine cookie is not too soft, not crisp but malleable and bends, rather than breaks, apart into two halves for dipping into milk. This is achieved (and this is the secret) that the dough must not be overbeaten.

3. Oil is not preferred, margarine second best, salted Land O’ Lakes Sweet Cream butter creates beautiful results. Do not melt the butter – the intention is to soften it – I have found the best consistency occurs at the time the butter is just about to become liquid (in my microwave this is 45 seconds on 70% power if one full pound is being used) – this way it is easily mixed by hand and adds that great consistency and volume of the cookie. Standard recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter – ½ lb or 225 g.

4. Combining softened butter with ¾ cup white granulated sugar and ¾ cup brown sugar, mixing only until combined. Do not overmix. Bits of butter may still be evident.

5. Add two grade a large eggs, preferably one at a time, but allow the second to go to 90% mixed …

6. … as you will then add 1 tsp (or visual approximate) of vanilla extract and complete “wet” ingredients.

7. In a large measuring cup ( 2 c preferable ) add an approximation of 8 – ¼ cups of flour or thereabouts … nine may be required. As part of step seven, add 1 tsp of baking soda and a shake of salt to the 2 ¼ cups of flour you now have. Sift (sometimes) until the baking soda disappears – no longer as the volume of flour will be reduced.

Add the flour to the wet ingredients – step seven here is where the art/science comes in. The dough must be precise – not too sticky, not too crumbly, but tactile only to the point where it does not stick to the fingers … an additional 1/8 cup of flour may be needed to obtain this consistency (it’s all about the consistency).

8. Add 12 oz of chocolate chips, stir only until mixed and no chips remain on the bottom of the bowl. If dough becomes too sticky, add a “smidge” of flour and mix it into the batter.

9. Drop! onto the cookie sheet in a 3x4 pattern. Use the spoon as an approximate guide to size. (whatever fills the mixing spoons’ indentation plus a bit of dough on the back is the ball).

10. Not time, smell will indicate as well when done. The edges of the cookies shall be golden brown – remove immediately – as the dough / cookie continues to bake even outside of the oven. (Look for this around 11-13 minutes until one gets the idea).

I believe the perfect cookie comes with a cracked texture on top, is approximately 2 ¼ inches in diameter and 7/16th of an inch thick. Cookies will last in gooey goodness for a while – the best is approximately 25 minutes after they are out of the oven – still warm, the chocolate chips have that taste about them, and they do not fall apart when you pick them up. I usually can make 2 perfect 12 cookie batches with this recipe with some slight sampling.

Don’t burn the cookies!!!