Aristotle’s Sweet Tooth

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” 
-Aristotle

Aside from the fact that Aristotle and most things Philosophy are completely not my speed (swooning over Philosophy professors on the other hand, different issue), this quote has plenty of truth to it. We’ve seen this theory in practice before:

• Bruce Springsteen (wonderful); Lorde (likable). Bruce covering Lorde = Unstoppable.
• Men who play hockey (necessary); The Muppets (also necessary). A hockey player communicating with a Muppet = All of the emotions.
• Kyle MacLachlan (basically babe status); detective dramedies (satisfying enough). Special Agent Dale Cooper = Oof.

I’m not saying we all need to go throw on some elbow-patched blazers or dig up our “gently used” college copies of Meditations on First Philosophy. I’m modestly proposing, however, we examine the merits of Aristotle’s brilliant mind within the context of cookies.

Chocolate chip cookies are the undisputed champions of lunch boxes, couch snacks and party swag bags everywhere. On occasion, oatmeal raisin does have its merits: the nutty texture, the just-sweet-enough balance, its habit of staying soft and chewy no matter how off your oven skills are.

I’m not saying every cookie is meant to be spliced. Mint Milanos and vegan lemon poppyseed cooks, while both delightful, would obliterate Aristotle’s findings completely if a combination was pursued. Sometimes you should let nature win.

Other times you should simply do you. And if you’re not OK with the war between chocolate chip & oatmeal raisin cookies, if you’re into the idea of fully-baked bipartisanship, then it’s time to put your dessert diplomacy skills to work.

This recipe is an ideal entry into peace talks.

Oatmeal Cherry Dark Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 2.5 dozen cookies; Adapted from [Queen] Joy the Baker.

1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1.5 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 c old fashioned oats

1 c dried cherries (or “Cherry-infused Craisins”…which definitely do not exist in nature.)

1 c dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven (The Cookie UN) to 350ºF.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and both sugars until frosting-level creamy. Add in the eggs and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture until everything starts to resemble the familiar tone of chocolate chip cookie batter. Finally, stir in the oats and cherries until evenly distributed.

Using a spoon or (if you want to get the perfect sized batter ball every damn time) an ice cream scoop, arrange the dough on as many cookie trays that can fit in your oven at once.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden. Let them rest for a minute or two once they’re out of the oven, before stacking or plating or doling out to skeptics.