“Everything” Cookies

Today I’m talking about a cookie that holds a lot of meaning and a fun little analogy: I call it an “Everything Cookie.” But before I get to the delicious recipe, let’s talk about speech and language therapy and explore a typical day in my speech room.  You may (or may not) be surprised to know that speech therapists do a LOT more than just fix speech sounds.   Let’s compare speech/language therapy to my favorite “Everything Cookie:” 

Take your traditional cookie dough batter and add:

• 1 ½ cups of oats (vocabulary building),
• one cup of chocolate chips (auditory processing),
• ½ cup of shredded coconut (social & pragmatic skills),
• one cup of dried cherries (organization & executive functioning skills),
• ½ cup of toffee pieces (syntax skills),
• one ½ cup of pecans (problem-solving and inferencing skills),
• one teaspoon of cinnamon (growth mindset). 

To this mixture add a secret ingredient.  Do you want to know what that ingredient is?  Strategies!  Without strategies, the cookies will never bake properly.  These strategies consist of:

• a cup of visual supports and other multisensory approaches and
• two tablespoons of technology.

Bake at 350 degrees in a nurturing environment. 

I think you get the idea! Most of my day is spent working on a wide variety of communication areas, resulting in a “cookie” that is bursting with flavor!    

Now let’s get back to the delicious cookie and the real recipe you are waiting for. I call these “Everything Cookies” because there are so many delicious extras thrown in—a little bit of EVERYTHING! The combination of the chocolate, toffee, and chewy cherries make this otherwise good oatmeal cookie into an out-of-this-world everything cookie! This is the one that my son waits for as they come out of the oven. I usually have to hide these from him or there won’t be any left to share with anyone else!

DIRECTIONS:

Cream together:

• 1 cup butter (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

Add:

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Sift and add:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix in:

• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee bits
• 1 1/2 cups oats

Divide batter into three rolled logs. Chill for one hour. Slice into 3/4 inch slices. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Everything cookies make a great after-school treat, as well as a must-have on your holiday cookie list! Can you think of ways you can compare this everything cookie to something in your life? I know my SLP friends can definitely relate!!

Photo credit: Rose Kesting