i wasn’t always a baker. at one point i was just the edibles guy.

the year was 2009. i was working at quiktrip, and doing some random one-off box bakes for the homies. you know subbing the water out for sprite, fruit punch in the strawberry cupcake, and other things i had seen my grannie do when baking. not sure if she was using box mix, or not to be honest. i was young, but my memory helped to create some tasty treats for a simple palate.

at this point i wasn’t a proper baker, rather the dude that made the edibles for kickback because i knew how to make the budder. i was pretty proud of my basic bites because the results were proven. there wasn’t dispensaries all over town, so if you wanted edibles you had to make em. nothing i had done was special by any means. we’re talking box cake bandits. bag brownie boys. never had any issues, but one day we spoke about space cookies. as excited as i was for this new sweet stoney treat, my sane brain resurfaced with the question of “how do you infuse dough that’s already made?” spoiler alert, you don’t. i wish that i could tell you this was the moment i set out to make the most amazing cookies from scratch, however that moment happens much later. for now i just wanted edible edibles.

sidebar: for those who care to know the history of the chocolate chip cookie here you go. in 1937, ruth wakefield was making her famous chocolate snaps, but ran out of cocoa powder. she goes to her pantry, and only has a bar of nestle chocolate in which she decides to chop up in hopes it spreads throughout the dough. it didn’t, thus resulting in a crisp with chocolate chunks spread about while holding their structure for the most part. people loved em, i mean they were traveling for the toll house inn chocolate chip cookie. eventually, she barters a deal with nestle for a lifetime supply of bars in exchange for the recipe which is still printed on the package of nestle toll house chocolate chip bags today.

not super sure where i got the recipe for them, but can confirm they were good because my pops ate about a half-dozen or so when i went to work. he doesn’t do anything outside of cherry coke & sweet tea. not at the same time, of course. i told my moms about them, but honestly im not sure if he actually know or not.

now we got all that out the way, let’s talk about the cookie that set off this everlasting journey of baking an amazing chocolate chip cookie. the first time i had flaky salt ever so gracefully resting atop dark chocolate chunks. the cookie that made me want more.

the year is 2015, and i was running this juicery for a guy that had the vision without the experience to execute. there were days, weeks, even months where he was just randomly out of town calling me to tell me about something he had in portland, and if we could recreate it. one time he mentioned quinoa bowl, and because i had no idea what that was i googled it along with who around town serves it. only place i found was the vegan spot, and this bistro down in the west bottoms. the latter served quinoa pancakes. an idea i could get behind for sure.

knowing i had a restaurant depot trip in my future, i placed a call in order for quinoa pancakes, and this was before online ordering was as common, and most places took your order, then collected payment upon arrival. to be fair, most depot trips deserve a little treat which the pancakes initially were just that, but once i got to the bistro i walked back to the bar to a glass cake dish with a few cookies in it. everyone at the bar was eating a cookie, ranting over how good it was, and how special to have them fresh out the oven. i’m intrigued, so i ask the bartender what’s so special about these? her response was a simple as “she makes em when she wants to, and the bar patrons typically will get them before the lid goes back on the tray.” now i have to have one.

because i was a rookie i bought a single cookie for my post meal snack. what a mistake. i ate that cookie on the drive back, and was very tempted to turn around in hopes the last two were still safe under that glass enclosure.

i would find myself back at that bistro often hoping to catch these cookies, but often humbled. what a tumultuous, toxic relationship we had. will he, won’t he sitcom shit. i can remember one day grabbing my mid ass food, and being blessed to be the only one in the restaurant when it happened. she walked out the kitchen. tiny lady, who didn’t speak just smiled as if she knew why i was there, and this was my initiation. the tray hit the bar, and it was the equivalency to being at krispy kreme when the light comes on. there’s better donuts, and i’ve made much better than krispy kreme, but we are talking nostalgic moments & core memories. i bought the whole dozen, only lending one out to a gentleman what saw me packing them up, and like myself he seemed to be wondering are they really that good? we chatted, and i gave him one of my batch because you know pay it forward type shit.

i went back a couple more times, but eventually the couple that owned it went through a divorce causing the bistro to close down. i really was in it for the cookies, and once they were gone i had an itch that needed scratching.

these days i’m making my own cookies with a recipe i’ve adjusted, tweaked, and dialed in to my pleasure. are they her cookies? no, but they pay homage to the lady who let her cookies speak for her. for that i thank her. art inspires art, and bakers gonna bake.