By We fly Thursday. Clay graduates Friday. I have packed and unpacked and repacked because I don't know what to wear to a military graduation. Connie says "Clothes, Craig. Wear clothes." This is not helpful. I want to look like a father who is proud and capable and not falling apart. Connie says a clean shirt and khakis will accomplish this. She packed for me. The suitcase is a metaphor for our marriage: she handles the details, I provide the emotional chaos.
Before we leave, I'm cooking. I'm making meals for the freezer because we'll be gone four days and when we come back I don't want to worry about cooking — I want to sit in my kitchen with my son, who has a few days of leave before AIT, and eat things that taste like home.
I made: a pot of chili (frozen in quart containers), chicken and dumplings (frozen in family-size portions), pulled pork from a shoulder I smoked yesterday (frozen in bags), and a cornbread batter that I'll mix fresh when we're back but have all the dry ingredients pre-measured. I also baked a batch of sorghum cookies because Clay mentioned them in his last letter — "Tell me you're bringing sorghum cookies" — and I am absolutely bringing sorghum cookies to Georgia in my carry-on luggage because no amount of airport security is going to stop a father from bringing his soldier-son cookies baked from his grandmother's recipe.
Betty called tonight. She said "Tell Clay that Betty is proud." She doesn't call herself "Grandma Betty" or "Mama Betty." She calls herself Betty, as if her name is an institution rather than a label, which it is. Betty is not a person anymore. Betty is a principle. Betty is the standard by which all cooking and all love is measured in this family, and Betty is proud of her grandson, and that is a commendation that outranks anything the Army can pin on his chest.
I'm scared to fly. I'm scared to see Clay. I'm scared of the moment when he walks onto that field in a uniform and I realize, with the finality of a gavel coming down, that my boy is a soldier. But I'm going. Because Hensley men go into mountains and Hensley fathers go to graduations and this particular mountain is in Georgia and the only way through it is through it.
Sorghum cookies in the carry-on. Chili in the freezer. Clean shirt in the suitcase. We fly Thursday.
Clay asked for sorghum cookies in his letter, but the truth is any cookie baked from scratch and carried in a carry-on bag is, at its core, the same cookie — it’s the going that counts. These cardamom sugar cookies have the same warmth and spine that Betty’s sorghum cookies do: a little spice, a little sweetness, something that smells like a kitchen that loves you. They bake in a single afternoon, they pack without crumbling, and they keep their flavor for days, which means they’ll survive a flight to Georgia and still taste like something a father made on purpose.
Cardamom Sugar Cookies
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 11 min | Total Time: 1 hr (includes chill) | Servings: 36 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat softened butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl once.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, stirring just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours). This keeps the cookies from spreading too thin.
- Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour 1/3 cup sugar into a shallow bowl.
- Portion and roll. Scoop dough into 1-tablespoon balls. Roll each ball in the sugar until evenly coated. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake. Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look just barely underdone. Do not overbake — they firm up as they cool.
- Cool and store. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Once fully cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days — or pack them in a zip bag and carry them onto the plane.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 112 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 72mg