We all have our priorities

So we've been in our new house for a little over a week now and our kitchen still looks like this.

I had gotten it cleaned up and put together at one point, and then my husband came home last night with yet another truck load of all the random bits and pieces of things that we still hadn't packed up from the apartment. Boxes half unpacked, paint samples on the walls, counters completely covered in clutter...

So how do I choose to spend Phoebe's naptime?  Making cookies, of course!

I can't describe how much I love these cookies.  They are a soft, chewy gingerbread with butterscotch chips.  Even my husband - who hates gingerbread - loves these. 

I use the recipe from here, and my only changes are that I add a whole lot more of the amount of spice that it calls for, add some nutmeg, and use about a half a cup of dark molasses - because I just love molasses.  I probably go through at least five jars during the holiday season with all of the gingerbread I make. 

So I have two tips for making awesome cookies....

First of all, use a baking stone.  They cook evenly all around, the bottoms brown perfectly, and I have seriously never burned anything while them.

My next tip is to invest in a cookie scoop.  People thought I was incredibly silly when put one on my wedding registry, but it makes the nicest, most uniform cookies that look fantastic every time and you never have to get your hands all goopy.  Not to mention that I use it all the time in addition to cookie baking - meatballs, fruit, ice cream, candy making...  I promise you won't be sorry!

This was also my first time using my new oven, and I think it made them all that more delicious.