Have
you all read or listened to the news lately. It’s all so sad and sickening that
I just have to keep it off. I never thought that I would find joy in hearing
that someone had the winning ticket in the lottery and it wasn’t me. One day, I
had a friend’s 9 year old daughter with me and we were talking about how her
older brother and sister pick on her all of the time. They even went so far as
to tell her that she was adopted. Teenagers, what can you do? (Well… I did do
that to my sister too when I was that age). But then she brought up the Sandy Hook story,
which she had seen on TV, and remarked as to why some people are so mean. What
came out of her mouth next, kind of surprised me, with her being at that young
and naïve age. “People would be much nicer if they had faith in their life and someone
that showed them love”, she declared. I was stunned. ‘Yes, Mel, you could be right’.
I
started to think about that conversation because it seems so simple. These 2 principles
of life that we may ignore or forget to share with one another are the biggest
part of our core and the best teachers of life. Why aren’t we nicer to each
other? Why is it that when someone cuts us off while driving we feel the need
to curse and stick up our middle finger? Granted, I understand that there are
individuals that can be ill and may not be able to distinguish right from
wrong, so please don’t mistake this post. But in the eyes of a child, who
doesn’t know or understand that people like that exist, Faith & Love are a
medicine that can only make someone a nicer person.
S’Mores Cookies
Makes
42 cookies
Slightly
adapted From Midwest Living
Dry
Ingredients:
4
C. Rolled Oats
½
C. Flour
1
C. Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 15 crackers)
1
tsp. Baking Soda
1
tsp. Baking Powder
2
tsp. Cinnamon
½
tsp. Salt
Wet
Ingredients:
1
C. Butter, softened
½
C. Sugar
2
Eggs
¼
C. Milk
1
Tbl. Vanilla Extract
1-7
oz. Jar of Marshmallow Cream
42
Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped
Closeable
plastic sandwich bag or frosting bag with large tip.
In
a medium bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk. Set aside.
In
a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on high speed, until fluffy. Add both of
the sugars and turn speed to medium. Next, and the eggs, milk and vanilla and
mix until smooth.
In
batches, add in the flour/oat mixture. You may need to turn off the mixer and
stir with a wooden spoon.
Leave
the batter in the bowl and cover the batter directly with plastic wrap and then
cover the top of the bowl with additional wrap or a lid. Chill in the
refrigerator for 1 hour but no longer than 4 hours.
Preheat
oven to 375 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Fill the plastic bag
with marshmallow cream, pushing to the corner of the bag. And have a clean
measuring teaspoon ready.
Drop
the dough onto the sheets in rounded tablespoons, 2-inches apart and bake for 8
minutes.
Remove
cookies from the oven, snip the corner of the plastic bag enough to squeeze out
the cream. Using the back of your teaspoon, make a slight impression in the
center of the cookies and then pipe in about 1 tsp. of the marshmallow.
Push
the Hershey’s Kiss into the center of the cream with the pointed side, down.
Return
to the oven and bake 2-3 more minutes or until the edges get slightly brown. Allow
to cool completely and store in an airtight container. You will not be disappointed.
A little faith
in your baking ability will put love in their tummies.
