Every morning, I watch the playground before school. When the whistle blows, all the children come running to shoulder their backpacks and line up to wait to be called into their classrooms, and on my way past his line, I always stop by for a quick hug and kiss before he goes inside. But one morning last week I was delayed at the far end of the playground and couldn’t get to him with my usual promptness, and from a distance I could see him searching for me. Eventually, his head dropped and he started to shuffle sadly toward the back of his line. When I saw his shoulders shake, I ran to get to him before he could start to cry. When he saw me running towards him, he opened his arms wide and ran for his hug. He pushed back his tears while I covered his face with kisses, and he smiled all the way inside. My little boy might not be a baby anymore, but I love that he still needs me.
My baby is turning 6 this week, and he truly is a big kid now. He’s kind and empathetic and charming and is well-liked among peers and teachers. He’s reading and doing rudimentary algebra and sings on pitch more often than not. He’s athletic and confident and capable, and he is my greatest joy.
I give him a sweet treat every day after school. On the week of his birthday, I decided to make some heart-shaped oreo cookies for him to enjoy with a glass of milk. When he was younger, he never finished his milk, but my smart kid now understands that his milk has protein and vitamins that his body needs, so he drinks it down when his cookie is gone and delivers the empty glass to me smiling with milk on his upper lip.
These cookies are not difficult, but the multiple steps, rolling and cutting make the process time-consuming. These cookies are slightly bitter from the cocoa powder, but the healthy layer of frosting makes them perfectly sweet and satisfying. Fair warning — these ones are just as crumbly as the store-bought version, and if enjoyed in a car seat, will make a mighty mess.
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
½ cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the frosting:
½ cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Make the cookie dough by creaming the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter all at once and mix to combine. It will look like it is too dry at first but keep mixing — it’ll come together. I found that my hand was the most efficient tool for this.
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness and use a small cookie cutter to cut out the cookies before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet. They won’t expand much in the oven, so you don’t need much space in between each cookie.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. The tops should be just starting to crack when they are done.
Remove and cool completely before frosting.
While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting by beating all the ingredients together until it is stiff and well combined.
Make the little sandwiches using as much frosting as you please, scraping the edges to remove any excess. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
