The story behind Bruce's famous cookies - as told to Elder Weston

So here’s the story behind Dad’s famous cookies. You remember that we are a total geek family and enjoy watching documentaries, how-to shows, and get goose bumps when we find a particularly satisfying reference work?? Abbers checks out “How the Digestive System Works”, “Basic Carpentry”, and “Magic School Bus”. Thomas made a house for his pencil eraser named George, complete with a working safe – filled with miniature 100 dollar bills. So we’re pretty much gone, right? Well, Dad started watching How It’s Made, a show on how manufacturing works. I confess that I found it alluring eventually. Then he started on the cooking shows and here’s where we pick up the story. Alton Brown is a bespectacled chef with a totally weird cooking show. On one episode, he cooked these chocolate chip cookies with bread flour, kosher salt, unsalted butter, real vanilla, etc. and used parchment paper to cook them. Well, Dad was really excited and wanted to make those cookies. So I bought the stuff on my next shopping trip and he solemnly whipped up a batch. It was almost a holy experience. He carefully placed 6 cookies per batch on the parchment covered pan, measured in ½ cup increments (after the dough had chilled overnight). In his apron and with his brow creased, he expertly and anxiously (using only one oven since we don’t have two in this house) hovered over the process until he had 30 perfectly shaped chocolate chip masterpieces. They are very good and he uses only the finest ingredients. His Sunday school class was most gratified to be taste testers. I’ll tell you the rib story later…….