AUNTIE ALICE'S SLAB COOKIES

Deliciously crunchy and buttery, boasting butterscotch chips, milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Ever remember the first time you tasted something?  I do.

....It was a beautiful Okanagan summer morning.  I was contentedly basking in the warmth of the sun, and the warmth of being at my favorite aunt and uncle's house.  I was ever-so-comfortably perched, there on the balcony, overlooking the lush greens of the nearby, hillside vineyards and the remarkable shades of blue of the lake.

There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, or an incident that urged remembering, about this morning.  Just one of those easy peasy moments in time, that so gently defines fleeting blessings, and sticks with you forever more.  

This pleasure-in-lingering-moment was about to encounter a brush with deliciousness.

We could always count on Auntie Alice to pamper us, like only she could, with home style goodies.  You might say, within our family, that she almost had her own brand.

So when the plate of still-warm-from-the-oven cookies appeared, it was not a surprise, just a yummy reminder of pure childlike pleasure. 

Comfort.  And tea.  And Auntie Alice and me, sitting, munching cookies and shootin' the breeze.  I seem to remember that resistance was futile, for both of us, that day.  So we had another one.  Or two, and lingered longer.

Here's Auntie Alice's recipe.  No outspoken ingredients or preparations, just a tasty, crunchy, almost shortbread-ish cookie fix, with a triple whammy of butterscotch, milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

May you have an auntie, almost as special as mine, to share these with.

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From Auntie Alice's recipe box,
(and maybe adapted from Best of Bridge)
to The Last Wonton

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AUNTIE ALICE'S SLAB COOKIES - Makes about 2 dozen, 2-inch square-ish cookies.

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter a 10 x 15-inch baking sheet.

In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar, until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add flour.  Mix well.  Stir in chips and mix with wooden spoon, or your hands, to distribute evenly.

Pat mixture evenly onto cookie sheet.  Bake at 350F for about 22-25 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool a bit, then cut into squares or diamonds while still warm.  Serve with tea, or milk, or coffee, or all by themselves.  But whatever you do, share them.