I carefully parsed through The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Ever. “Avoid over-mixing…follow the recipe…” Okay, I thought, securing my apron, I got this.

I had somehow wound up in a baking club’s leadership after applying for fun. Contrary to what I believed my peers assumed, I had never baked in my life, unless you count enthusiastically chucking raw cookie dough balls into my grabby seven-year-old mouth despite maternal efforts to cook them. Determined to portray myself as a socially-worthy-and-competent-baking-figurehead, I was determined to stick to the recipe religiously, yet this was quickly doused after scouring my pantry. My ticket to social acceptance would have to be The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever missing half the sugar, chocolate chips, and butter. There was no time to buy more, as I had volunteered to deliver cookies to a homeless shelter that afternoon. Nevertheless, I was resolute in proving that I was not an imposter under a passionate student baker façade. 

Three hours later, the passionate student baker was despairing. 25 pale lumps stared back at me with condemnatory, melty chocolate chip eyes. Lacking brown sugar made them chalk-colored, and lacking butter made them protrude up slouchily, like awkward, spherical teenagers in puberty.

I probably over-mixed, and I definitely didn’t follow the recipe. 

Since I was running late, I had no time to taste-test until after delivering. I dreaded the displeased verdict my taste buds would issue. 

I arrived hesitantly at the shelter and unceremoniously presented my 24 blobs to the clerk, stuttering an ashamed “enjoy” before hastily fleeing into my car.

Ready to taste my incompetence, I reached for the 25th blob.

A shout snatched my attention. A little girl scampered down the steps and waved at me, smiling in delight. In her hand was a blobby cookie with a big bite taken out of it.

Thank you, she mouthed. 

All of a sudden, I felt like a socially-worthy-and-competent-baking-figurehead. There was no recipe for kindness, and kindness was all I needed to make The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever. 

I bit into my own blobby cookie and smiled. It tasted sweet.