By May and the heat is building in that familiar way. Biscuit has settled into the apartment as if she has always lived here, which is what cats do: they decide a space is theirs and immediately make it so. She has two spots, the kitchen windowsill and the end of the couch nearest the floor lamp, and she moves between them with great purposefulness. In the evenings I read my textbooks on the couch and she sits next to me and we are together in the quiet, which is not lonely the way the quiet used to be.
The summer semester is different from the spring semester: one class, Language and Literacy Development in Young Children. I am taking fewer this summer on purpose, not because I cannot manage more but because the daycare will be busier with summer enrollment and I want to be present for the work. I am learning to pace myself, which is new. I have always pushed hard because I was afraid that slowing down meant falling behind. But falling behind what? I am building something at my own rate. That is allowed.
I made pound cake this week and took it to Gloria. Not for any occasion, just because it was Sunday and I wanted to make it. She was sitting at the kitchen table when I arrived and her hands looked stiff. I set the cake on the counter and started the coffee without being asked and she watched me move through her kitchen and said: you know where everything is. I do, I said. She said good. I did not say everything I felt about that but she knew. She always knows.
James is doing better with his knees. He showed me how far he could walk now, down the driveway and back. Progress is progress, he said, at any pace.
The pound cake I brought Gloria that Sunday was simple on purpose — nothing fussy, nothing that needed explaining, just something made with my hands on a quiet afternoon. This gooey chocolate chip and marshmallow cookie pie carries that same feeling: it bakes in one pan, it travels well, and it asks nothing of the person receiving it except to enjoy it. If you’re looking for something to bring to someone who knows where everything is in your kitchen, or someone who just needs to know you were thinking of them, this is that thing.
Gooey Chocolate Chip and Marshmallow Cookie Pie
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1 cup mini marshmallows, divided
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish or cast iron skillet with butter or nonstick spray.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until the mixture looks glossy and slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt directly to the bowl. Stir with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix.
- Fold in the mix-ins. Fold in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of the marshmallows, reserving the rest for the top.
- Fill the pan. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared dish. Scatter the remaining chocolate chips and marshmallows over the surface.
- Bake. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the edges are set and golden and the center looks just barely underdone — it will firm as it cools. If the marshmallows start to over-brown before the edges are set, tent loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.
- Cool and serve. Let the cookie pie rest in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt if you like. Serve warm, at room temperature, or wrapped up and carried to someone’s kitchen table.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 385 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 220mg