We have a rule at our house.

One which I am often tempted to break, but invariably regret doing so.

The rule is simple. No dessert for kids after dinner.  No cookies.  No ice cream.  No cake.  Nothing of the sweetened variety.

More than any other time in the day, eating sugar after the sun has set gives our kids superpowers. They instantaneously acquire the incredible ability to bounce off the walls, fly through the air, and project their voices loud enough to speak to the masses. (That last one was Spurgeon’s superpower if you didn’t know).

Being the sucker that I am, I second guess the importance of this rule just about anytime there is a dessert to offer. I am a gift giver and the impulse to give good things to my kids is strong. Thankfully, my husband has the gift of shooting me down and he reminds me in no uncertain terms of our predetermined rule.

See, it’s not just because we want to save ourselves the trouble of a  l o o n n g g and drawn out bedtime (which we certainly do). We also know that it’s really just not in their best interest to eat something that is going to cripple any self-control they have developed for staying in bed and going to sleep.

I tell you this to explain why it is perfectly ordinary in our home to thus hear one of us parentals to tell our children that, no, you may not eat a cookie now, but yes, you may have one with your eggs for breakfast. (I always feel better giving my kids sugar for breakfast when I pair it with eggs or a smoothie. Protein + sugar = good to go).

This morning, we had these white chocolate & cranberry cookies for breakfast.

There are cookies that are equal parts delicious and laborious. Frosted tea cakes, homemade oreos, and any others requiring more than a scoop to shape out come to mind. These cookies have their time and place. They can be fun to make and fun to eat, but they are not spur-of-the-moment choices. Typically, these are great holiday treats.

What I really need most often is a cookie that I can start making as soon as I start drooling over MasterChef, (nevermind that I just finished dinner), and start dipping in my milk by the time the show is half over and the cooks are sweating through the pressure test.

Eat these with your kids for breakfast, or clean a plate in quiet solitude after they go to bed. Whip up a batch when you need a comfort of the fresh-out-of-the-oven-chocolate-still-melty kind, or bake a couple dozen to share with friends. Either way, try them out. You won’t regret it.

(Anyone else have children with sugar-induced superpowers?)

White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients List

• 1/2 C butter, room temperature
• 1/3 C granulated sugar
• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 C oats
• 1 C white chocolate morsels
• 1 C dried cranberries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and the sugars on medium speed for two to three minutes. Add the egg and the vanilla and mix until blended. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, and flour). Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the chocolate and the cranberries.

Sooooo hard not to eat the dough. The struggle is real. I looked the other way a few times.

3. Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Want more handmade gift ideas?

You can find a list of all the handmade gifts on the series page.