I've got cookies on the brain. So simple. So good. So versatile. Endless combinations of ingredients - though I must say the basic chocolate chip cookie is still my favorite. It's like wrapping your favorite blanket around yourself - a moment where all is right in the world and nothing can change the pure simplistic goodness that envelopes my being. I'm walking down the street - chocolate chip cookie in hand - and with every bite I take all my temporary problems of perceived confusion melt away. I get more pep in my step and whatever I was thinking about before this cookie is magically solved and transformed. At least for the moment. Yes, the power of the cookie. I see it in my son too. The two year old temper tantrum? Tell him you have a cookie. He may just change his mind about kicking and screaming for no apparent reason. I know, it's bribery starting at a young age. But hey, sometimes we just need some positive motivation.

And here's the other thing about the basic chocolate chip cookie recipe - you can come at it like a chef and depending on your mood throw in different ingredients. My friend asked me to whip up a batch of cookies for him the other day and I threw in cocoa powder, cinnamon, walnuts and cayenne pepper. Bliss. I know that takes them to the level of a chocolate-chocolate chip cookie. But my point is to experiment and take the plunge. If it goes terribly wrong you can always grind them up and use it as a crust for something else. Add more butter and layer it in a cheesecake. The possibilities are endless. It mirrors life in that way. It's all in your hands. Create your own perfection.

I grabbed an oatmeal raisin cookie the other day. Perfect balance of crisp butter crunch and soft chewy raisins. It was definitely an oatmeal raisin kind of day. Chocolate chip would have been too intense. It was morning. The first thing I ate. There's a cookie for every mood. Figure out your mood through a cookie. Stir the batter, scoop it out, bake it in the oven and ENJOY. That's what life is about, no?

Cookies.