By We got married. I am Tyler wife. I am Savannah Clarke.
Gloria walked me down the aisle. She moved slowly because her hips hurt and she did not say a word about the pain. She held my arm and we walked and when the pastor asked who gives this woman, Gloria said I do, and her voice did not waver. It did not waver at all. In that moment I was certain she was the strongest person I had ever known.
Tyler cried when I came down the aisle. I did not expect that. He does not cry often. He stood at the end of the aisle in his first suit and cried quietly and did not try to hide it and I walked toward him and thought about every step between here and the girl who ate biscuits alone at Gloria table and thought this was the kind of life that happened to other people.
Crystal was in the back row. I saw her when I came in. She was wearing the outfit from the photograph. She was there. She stayed through the whole ceremony. She came to the reception and stood near the tea cake table for a while. I found her there and we stood together for a few minutes and I introduced her to Debbie, who smiled and said she had heard so much about her. Crystal smiled back. It was careful and real at the same time.
She left during the reception. I saw her go. I felt nothing for a moment and then I felt everything and then I let it settle. She came. She was there. She is doing the best she can from where she is. That is enough for today. Today has enough in it already.
Crystal stood at that tea cake table longer than she stood anywhere else, and I have thought about that every day since. When I went to her, we did not say much — we just stood there together with something sweet between us, and that was enough. I have been making Cookies and Cream Cookies ever since, because they are the kind of thing that asks nothing of you and gives you exactly what you need: something simple, a little celebratory, and good enough to linger over when the words do not come easy.
Cookies and Cream Cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 11 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- 16 Oreo cookies, roughly crushed into chunks (not crumbs)
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract, mixing until just combined.
- Combine wet and dry. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Fold in mix-ins. Gently fold in the white chocolate chips and crushed Oreo pieces with a spatula, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
- Scoop and space. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake. Bake for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly underdone. They will firm up as they cool.
- Cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 218 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 29g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 145mg