Monster Cookies, Camping, and Michael Jackson
Back when Thriller came out, versions of these cookies were everywhere–at school bake sales and church potlucks, in the lunch your Mom packed when your fourth grade class went on a field trip to the planetarium. Peanut butter, oats, M&M’s, no flour–they taste a little like no-bake cookies, but are much better. I had them at least twice at Bethany’s house last summer–in her kitchen waiting for Emmet to be born, and later in the summer when he was nursing the $%! out of her. I made them Sunday night for our camping trip with Bethany and Chris and there are no leftovers. Camping is that way. It’s alright to eat monster cookies when you first pull up to the campsite (unloading is hard work!), while you’re cooking dinner (”The kids are hungry”), after dinner, and the next morning for breakfast while the bacon is cooking. Almost every picture taken this weekend features the kids with chocolate smears around their lips. Please, please forget that my previous post was about exercise and healthy eating.
Bethany, very familiar with my weakness for “news,” brought a copy of US Weekly for everyone’s edification. I let the others set up tents while I sat down with a cookie and read excerpts aloud from the Michael Jackson memorial feature. Everyone was surprised with how much I talked about MJ during our time together–I downloaded some songs for the drive up, and found myself referencing him and his death enough times to surprise even myself.
It’s not like he was a vital part of my formative years. While everyone else was spending their babysitting money on Thriller and watching MTV, our family was listening to Keith Green and having picnics at the park. (If you don’t know who Keith Green is, don’t worry. If you do, let’s have coffee sometime.) So I was profoundly uncool where music literacy was concerned, but I’ve since caught up and can sing along to Billie Jean as well as the next person. Still, I’ve hardly paid attention to him at all until now. Certainly, he had an incalculable influence on music, but not on me. And it’s very arguable whether he was a praiseworthy man in lots of other respects.
So here’s my diagnosis of this fascination–celebrity deaths are cathartic, and they trot out the reality of death that many of us manage to avoid otherwise. I’m not sad about Michael Jackson dying, but I’m sad about death and suffering in general. It’s just that my regular laundry-folding, grocery-shopping life doesn’t afford much chance to sit down and get serious about it. I’ve always thought the great mystery of human life is that we, individually and as a species, go on with such gusto and grand goals even though we are all going to die and we know it. Knowingly or not, we delude ourselves much of the time.
A few years ago, I started having lots of dreams about death. I ended up really contemplating death (as much as I could without having a terminal illness or near-death experience) and stopped being scared of it. So when something like MJ’s death comes along, it’s another chance for me to revisit these ruminations, be thankful for my (very trauma-free) life and the two strong legs that get me out of bed in the morning, and to remember that it’s all going to end one day. Driving up I-5 listening to MJ’s greatest hits is the short route to these profundities.
You are so dear to have stayed with me this long when all you really want is the Monster Cookie recipe. These will take you back–you should turn up the stereo while you bake them.
Monster Cookies
Makes 36 large cookies. I got this recipe online somewhere last summer, but my new Baked cookbook also has a recipe. This is a combination of the two. It’s very important that you refrigerate the dough for 4-5 hours. Because there’s no flour, they will spread out too much in the oven otherwise. And I use the bad-for-you peanut butter (Jif, Skippy, etc) because it’s my little form of rebellion against my Adam’s Natural Peanut Butter past (and I think the cookies turn out better). You can also experiment with all sorts of other add-ins here (nuts, coconut, etc.) though I like them just like this. These cookies aren’t very photogenic. I think the photos make them look dry. They are extremely moist and chewy. Right, Bethany?
1/2 c. (1 cube) softened butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. + 2 Tb. packed brown sugar
3 eggs
2 c. peanut butter (I used Jif extra crunchy)
1/4 ts. vanilla
3/4 ts. light corn syrup (can’t leave this out)
4 1/2 c. oats
2 ts. baking soda
1/4 ts. salt
1 c. M&M’s
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
Cream butter. Gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, and corn syrup; beat well. Add oats, soda and salt, stirring well. Stir in remaining ingredients. REFRIGERATE DOUGH FOR 4-5 HOURS.
Preheat oven to 350 and butter a cookie sheet or line one with parchment.. Shape dough into balls (I do them on the large side) and put them on sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, making sure to take them out while they look a tad undone still.
I totally LOVED Keith Green!
We camp at the end of August; I will have to bring these along. Thanks Sarah.
Ginger
…and when I’m doing well
help me not to seek a crown
for my reward
is giving glory to you…
When my younger son was a newborn, my then neighbor brought over some cookies just like these. I INHALED them and later she brought me more. Whenever I see them I always think of the sleep-deprived and constantly hungry days - but in a good way. I know my boys would love them. Well said on the MJ front. I was actually horrified by all the pomp and circumstance. Yes, he was an extremely important figure in music and culture. But he was also a pedophile and I am personally not sorry to see another of those gone from our community.
I sure think Geith Green had a lot more to say to this world than MJ did. I struggle constantly with the values of our culture, and the people we esteem .At the same time you can’t get away from hearing every little juicy bit of gossip on the news about his life, Obama is touring the slave camps with his family and children, teaching them about what it means to honor and respect people, and gets just a 2 min flash. Our culture is enthralled with gossip, it is what sells cars and keeps us consuming, and frankly I think we need better things to think about than ourselves and what it would be like to be rich and famous. Yes he had talent, and was a good musician, but not a hero that should be idolized.
manna burgers?
Hello,
I just came upon your blog via a Michael Pollan twitter post. I’m really enjoying your musings about life and food. Thank you for putting into words my feelings about MJ. I’ve wondered why I’ve been so interested in his passing. He certainly didn’t change my life in any substantial way. It’s the thoughts about death, loneliness, the importance of family and our legacies, that are staying with me.
Oh, and I’m really impressed with your beautiful photography.
Have a great week.
Hi Theresa! Welcome. I went online to see if it was a mistake that Michael Pollan (or his staff) posted about me. Indeed, it’s true! What a compliment–and an even bigger one that you checked out the conversation here.
Do tell me why the corn syrup is a must! I’ve seen that in other monster cookie recipes and it mystifies me.
hmmmm Sarah, I find it kinda funny, kinda interesting that your food blog is taking on the subject of whether Michael jackson is worthy of being idolized or not. Yes, the media is taking it way too far…like everything else, but he was awesome…and I am sad he is gone…such a musical genious, and he did do MANY things for those in need, that is one definition of a hero to me. I think I heard where he gave the most out of ANY celebrity to charities and the like. Anyhoo…just a different spin on it:) now–back to the food…can’t wait to try these cookies. I normally don’t like a lot of “stuff” in my cookies, just a basic chocolate chip girl as far as cookies go, but these look good. I actually got a recipe for them awhile back from a different source and never got around to making them. Hopefully i will now.
sarah, where to start. first of all, there is nothing moister or chewier than these cookies…really. they were heavenly and i ate more than i will admit to. i just chuckle to think of how we were justifying them as emmett’s only breakfast. you know, peanut butter, oats…they are practically oatmeal! since my sister comes up next week, i can only imagine how many times these will be baked in the next month.
also, thanks for being the reminder for the REAL sadness behind mj’s death…that it’s good and healthy to exercise our sadness and grief. i enjoyed watching yancey and chris wash dishes to ‘human nature’ as well as listen to both your and yancey’s rendition of mj’s achey scream. i could listen to it over and over and still think it’s hilarious. true, we’re not 20 anymore and camping is achey business (sleeping on the ground ain’t what it used to be), but with friends like you guys to do it with, i would put my back out any night. here’s to many more camping trips and (maybe?) a backpacking trip again in our future. imagine! i’ll eat a monster cookie to that!
ps…i love the secret captions to the pics.
I love monster cookies and yours look fabulous! The M&Ms on top always make me smile
Mmmm…looks good. Going to make these for our camping trip tomorrow!
Well, it looks like if I had you all over for iced tea and monster cookies today (wouldn’t that be fun?) we could get the conversation going by bringing up Michael Jackson. Lots of opinions out there, which I very much welcome (I happen to be a little opinionated myself). I guess my take has been this–rather than moan about all the media coverage this is getting (you’re right,Jessica–what did we expect?!) I approach things like this as an opportunity to examine my own life and values. As Emily says, “It must be hard work to be you.”
CJ and Momosis, love the Keith Green lyrics. I know every line to every single song.
Sarah…Michael Pollan is twittering about you!?!?!?! I tried to find what he said…would you be willing to post here what he said…wonderful. You ARE the woman Sarah.
He just twitters links to interesting blogs, articles and websites. It read:
“In Praise of Leftovers | Working up an Appetite” http://tinyurl.com/ku7dq9 #michaelpollan
great summary sarah! there ARE things we should be able to learn from everyone I so like that it is ok to have an opinion, and we don”t have to be afraid to dissagree on this blogspot. thanks for making it a place where all are welcome, and we can hear what each other has to say. As always great “food for thought”.
Oooh, AND I could make these gluten-free for my dad. I’m always looking for GF recipes that aren’t full of obscure ingredients. Thanks!
Made these for our camping trip (along with your granola + hummus) this weekend and they were a big hit!
Omg.. i just love Michael Jackson.. I’m still sad he died..