“A cookie is so simple, but it can change a person’s day.”
This fundamental truth was revealed to Annee Martin years ago, when she began offering the treats at Ami Carmel, her boutique gift shop. Just the presence of cookies could visibly lift the spirits of a shopper.
Now she plans to spread the cookie gospel, with a cookbook devoted to the virtues of a single style. There’s Nothing a Chocolate Chip Cookie Can’t Fix: Spreading Love One Cookie at a Time will feature 118 recipes from more than 100 contributors. The recipes come from people like Debbie Basham, a retired school administrator, to Todd Trayer, Carmel’s chief of police. There are parents, health enthusiasts, chefs and even professional bakers.
Martin was surprised by the versatility of the chocolate chip cookie. There are chapters on the classic style, those with nuts, peanut butter, as well as vegan, gluten free and sugar free – all relatively common. But recipes include those made with fruits, red wine and other unexpected ingredients.
It was not the wealth of recipes that convinced her of the cookie’s powers. Rather, she found something remarkable in the stories contributors shared.
For Angie Arendt, reaching out through baking was her first thought after seeing news about the death of two police officers in Des Moines, Iowa. Despite living in Canada, the Iowa native was shaken by the incident, so she took a batch to her local station. Arendt also posted her feelings on social media. Some time later, she received an email from the parents of one of the Iowa officers, thanking her with the assurance, “It helps.”
“I thought I was writing a cookbook, but I realized the connections,” Martin observes. She adds that a cookie can bridge gaps between people or continue a legacy. “It’s way bigger than I imagined. It’s shared humanity.”
Testing 118 recipes demanded a lot of baking (more than 4,000 cookies, Martin estimates) and tasting. But the testament proved true. After sharing batches with crews staging in Marina to battle the Timber Fire, she learned that they had, in turn, brought them to firefighters on the front line.
The collection is scheduled for print publication at the beginning of December, but an electronic edition is ready for pre-order now.
Martin is convinced that the power of a cookie is strong. “So make cookies. Give them to everyone,” she says. “You will live on.”