By Bella Butler EBS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Roughly 100 years ago, my great grandmother stepped off of a
boat on Ellis Island as an eight-year-old Italian immigrant. Despite leaving
most everything behind, she brought with her one thing—the distinguishable
culinary culture of her home country.
Growing up with her, I recall every meal as an extravagant
production. Each ingredient was sourced from a particular and unique location;
shopping alone was a few days’ work.
In the face of her impenetrable gastronomic ethics, one
recipe broke tradition: A popular treat of the mid-twentieth century, chocolate
chip peanut butter cookies baked with cake mix were not Italian and not
traditional, but their spongey texture and rich flavor assuaged Nana’s discriminating
palette.
This holiday season scrap the trendy, yet laborious,
Pinterest recipes that tend to work tears of unmet expectations into the dough.
Instead, opt for a simple recipe that is sure to please even the most critical
of tongues.
Recipe:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 (insert # ounces) box yellow cake mix
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and grease baking
sheet with a layer of butter
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, water, butter,
peanut butter and half of the cake mix until smooth
- Add in vanilla
- Incrementally add the remainder of the cake mix
and chocolate chips until all ingredients are completely combined, avoiding mix
too thoroughly
- Portion into two-inch dough mounds and spread evenly
onto sheet
- Bake for 10-12 minutes
- Remove, allowing to cool
- Enjoy
Chef’s Tip: Don’t roll
or overwork the dough—an uneven texture is the mark of a homemade cookie. Leave
out for Santa on Dec. 24.
