National Cookie Day and Mikuláš

What to do on a sick day?

Well, when it coincides with National Cookie Day (yesterday) and our Czech holiday, Mikuláš (today), I decided to bake.

I often use my gluten free flour from Marks and Spencer, but today got out the 'good stuff', Pamela's Artisan blend from the States, and pulled together the other ingredients for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Family Fresh Cooking. If you want a regular recipe for these, you can find it HERE.

Creaming butter and sugar just makes you feel better, doesn't it?!

This is a thick, dryer-sort of cookie dough. If you're making these, just know it takes a bit to blend it all together.

Whenever I need a bowl to work in, I try to use this big blue one with the pretty flowers on it.

The day I found out my dear grandma had gone to be with the Lord, I was on my way to Bolesławiec to buy Polish Pottery with some friends. I bought that bowl in honor of my grandma seven and a half years ago, and literally think of her every time I pull it out. An incredible baker, she'd be proud of me for all the times I've used it!

As my daughter will attest to, I'm not a precise baker! But I think I turn out some pretty good things anyway! You're supposed to roll little balls of the chocolate dough and dip them in powdered sugar. Looks like I missed a spot!

But in the end, they turned out exactly as I'd hoped! It's like having a little brownie bite!

My dear friend, and mother of Haley (my daughter-in-law) gave me some fun loose tea when we were together over Thanksgiving, so I pulled that out today and steeped a cup just as these came out of the oven.

What a nice little afternoon treat! The citrusy black tea was perfect with the sweetness of the cookie.

"Thank you for the tea Amy!"

This little girl would've been a willing taste-tester if she'd had her way! But since that wasn't an option she was content to hang out in her little bed in the kitchen where she can keep an eye on me!

Even though I'm really not feeling well, it was therapeutic to bake.

But mostly it was a nice excuse to pray, think on things I'm grateful for, and be glad this is just a passing illness.