Teacher Appreciation Gifts

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week. When I saw this blog post online, I thought to myself, “What better way to show a teacher you appreciate them than to give them a cookie the size of their face?” I set out to make these gigantic goodies.

Here’s what you need:
1 c. unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 tbsp. Vanilla
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped semi-sweet chocolate bar(s)
1 1/4 c. M&M’s (original recipe calls for minis, but I couldn’t find any)
jumbo stand mixer (if yours is like mine and hasn’t seen the light of day since Christmas, don’t forget to dust it off)
a big cup of Crystal Light (I had to take a gulp whenever I was tempted to stick my finger in the cookie dough)
hand-scribbled recipe (My printer’s out of ink, okay?)
adorable apron (if you’re messy like me)

Now, you’re ready to start. Preheat that oven to 350*F. Stack two baking sheets, and line the top sheet with parchment paper (or waxed paper if, like me, your grocery store doesn’t carry parchment paper).

Cream butter with brown and white sugar. And remember, one cup of butter is two sticks. I’d tossed a third in there before I decided to double-check how much a stick of butter really is. Oops! I salvaged the wrapper.

Next, add the vanilla, eggs, and egg yolks to the butter and sugar mixture. Combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. I like to use a whisk. I think it’s more like sifting, but it may not actually be.

Fold the dry mixture into the butter mixture. The batter will be very thick. You’ll wish you did a few extra bicep curls at the gym last week. I did.

Fold all the chocolatey goodness into the cookie dough. I nearly went into a diabetic coma just looking at this. Sensory overload. Anyway, fold and fold and fold and fold until everything is really well mixed.

(I didn’t have to do this, but the recipe recommends adding two to four tablespoons of flour to your batter if it is too soft and greasy.)

Scoop one cup of dough onto your cookie sheet. Only two cookies will fit at a time. They’re going to be huge, so don’t crowd them.

Bake for 20 to 24 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure the center is done before removing them from the oven.

Once you’ve removed the cookies from the oven, let them cool on a baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes.

Voila! Stephie’s Monster Cookies! One recipe makes only six cookies! I don’t know Stephie, but I sure love her cookies. I hope she doesn’t mind my sharing them. And I hope Aidan’s Mom’s Day Out teachers like them. We enjoyed scarfing down the spares after dinner tonight. Although, I’m feeling a little woozy from the sugar letdown now.