Welcome to the match-up you've been waiting for. The most exciting cookie battle since last Christmas. In the left corner, weighing in at a svelte 2.5oz and loved by grandchildren everywhere, Grandma's Grand Finale Cookies. They are the only good thing every inspired by a Bush. In the right corner, weighing in at a muscular 3.5oz and trained by the best at Momofuko Milk Bar, the upstart, the challenger, Hertzberg's Anything Goes Cookies. Who will win? Whose cookie will reign supreme?

Grandma's Grand Finale

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups quick cooking or rolled oats
• 1-1/4 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup dried flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 3/4 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Combine the butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl and beat them with an electric mixer set at medium speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy and well blended. Add the egg, orange juice, and vanilla extract and beat them in thoroughly. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, almonds, and raisins. Scoop blobs of dough about 2 inches in diameter and place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 15–18 minutes or until browned. Makes 3 dozen

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Hertzberg's Anything Goes

• 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
•  cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup large 60% cocoa Ghirardelli chocolate chips, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped Fairway chocolate covered sea salt caramels
• 2 whole Graham crackers, broken into large pieces
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3 teaspoons ground coffee (not instant)
• 2 cups Cape Cod potato chips, whole
• 1 cup mini-pretzels
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup corn flakes (or Rice Krispies)

Combine the butter, sugars and corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer (use paddle attachment or regular beaters if you don’t have one) and beat the ingredients on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat for 7-8 minutes at medium speed. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat at low speed just until a dough forms. Add the chocolate chips, caramels, graham crackers, oats and coffee and mix on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated. Add the potato chips, pretzels, coconut and corn flakes and mix at low speed until just incorporated. Place mounds of dough (about 1/3 cup) onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving plenty of room for the cookies to spread. Pat the tops of the mounds slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to 1 week). Be sure to bake the cookies when they are cold, not room temperature. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the cookies for about 18 minutes, or until browned at the edges and beige-yellow in the center. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet. Makes about 20-24 cookies. (HT Momofuko and Oprah)

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I learned something today. 1AU =  149,598,000 kilometers.​

My mother-in-law has two great traditions for Mother's Day. We always eat soft shell crabs for dinner. It's the beginning of the season and I love how she prepares them: lightly dredged in flour, salt, garlic, pepper, and paprika.​ More importantly, we spend the afternoon have our annual cook-off. Previous years have the crowning of the spinach pie champion, the burrito champion, the pie champion, and others. This year, I was crowned chocolate cookie champion.

My cookies (which I just dropped off in the Squarespace kitchen) are a variation on the Momofuko Compost Cookie. The cookie is fairly light, but crunchy, and the flexibility of the recipe let's you make whatever you want. ​​I have a big sweet/salt tooth so I used pretzels, sea salted caramel and more. 

Recipe to come.​

​

My wife is a baller.​ She got to #6.

​Everyone eats lunch, right? 

My wife is the greatest. A few months ago she had an idea for an iPhone app. She worked hard at it and today it's a reality.​ 

With LaLa Lunchbox your kids personalize and design their lunchboxes with fun monsters and colors, and quickly plan their lunches for a whole week at a time. The app then magically transforms those lunch choices into a super easy-to-use grocery list for mom or dad. Kids are empowered to make their own choices and learn about making balanced meal choices.​

Please check it out and tell a friend.​