I remember when I used to visit Boston. This was long before I ever decided to move there because even before I lived there Boston held a special place in my heart. Probably because there were so many things to see and do, from its history to its aquarium to its food options and its shopping, especially its bookstores. Of course, no trip to Boston was ever complete if I didn’t make my way to Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Located on Boston’s Freedom Trail, there is plenty of history to explore, but, even more, there is incredible food galore in the popular Quincy Market.
Two of my favorite spots in this famous food hall were a place that sold hand-cut French fries and the Boston Chip Yard, a place that sold fresh baked cookies, my favorite being their chocolate chip cookies. No trip was complete without a medium cup of French fries followed by a small bag of a dozen mini chocolate chip cookies, which had the perfect mix of crispy sweetness and were just the right size so that even if you ate the entire dozen, you didn’t feel too full (or, if you did, exploring the shops around Faneuil Hall helped with that).
I can’t say it was the Boston Chip Yard that influenced my preference for mini chocolate chip cookies, but for as long as I can remember, I have favored smaller cookies to the oversized ones or even the standard size cookie. My dad was always partial to the oversized ones and there was a bakery where we got birthday cakes that sold his favorites—more crunchy than soft and definitely the size of at least 4-5 of the Chip Yard’s mini cookies. He loved those cookies and I believe cookies are definitely a love language.
I was reminded of my trips to the Boston Chip Yard the other day when I decided to pick up some Nestle Tollhouse ready-to-bake mini chocolate chip cookies. While I tend to like to bake cookies from scratch, I was craving cookies without so much of the effort, especially given the busier schedule the girls and I had been keeping in recent weeks. One of the nice things about the package I picked up is that I could divide them up and bake them in small batches, and that was perfect. Whenever the desire struck, I could bake up a few of these small treats. Like I said, cookies are a love language.
When I brought them home, I didn’t tell my girls about them because I like to be able to surprise my people with small things like this. So, after finishing school and the girls disappearing into their rooms, I decided it was a good day for some cookies. Especially given they only take about 15 minutes to make from start to finish. After pulling the small batch of 9 cookies from the oven, I let them cool for about 2-3 minutes and then headed upstairs with the plate, knocking on each of my teens’ doors.
Truly, there isn’t anything more fun than seeing their realization that I’m offering them fresh, still-warm cookies—the smile, the delight, the enjoyment. It’s a simple pleasure, a simple gesture and, for me, the sort of thing I love to enjoy with my girls. These kinds of moments are sweet interruptions when the days feel busier than I would like. For me, this was a warm and wonderful shared experience and required nothing more than 15 minutes from me. It may not have been a trip to the Boston Chip Yard, but for me, it was better. The cookies were the perfect size and, as my youngest and I agreed, cookies are so much better when they are still warm when you take that first bite. And that is easily one of our love languages here!
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