I’ll keep the chitchat to a minimum today and let the cookies do the talking. These are our forever favourites — just our classic chocolate chip cookie recipe but with a lot of Oreos thrown in. You can use mint Oreos, or double stuff, or whatever you want, anyway you go, it’s going to be delicious and you won’t regret a thing.

It’s a stressful time for everyone, so treat yourself and those around you. Spread understanding, spread kindness, spread the vote and pass the cookies.

(And to my fellow parents who balk at allowing kids [or themselves] to eat this kind of thing on the regular, you do you, but the way I see it, by normalising getting true pleasure from what we eat, kids will have a healthier relationship with food and themselves.)

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a double batch — I always make this many because why not? They’re the best way to make new friends and neighbours, the best way to fix a bad day. A double batch should set you up for awhile, but feel free to halve it.

1 1/2 cup (340 grams) butter

2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup white sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons salt

3 sleeves Oreos (any flavor you wish)

2 -3 handfuls dark chocolate chips (I buy mine in bulk)

In a large pot, melt the butter over low heat until totally liquid then remove from the heat. Whisk in the brown and white sugars for a minute until creamy, then add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Now using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, baking soda and salt. Crumble the Oreos in, add in the chocolate chips and stir. (NB: if the batter is too warm, the chocolate will melt.) This batter can be made ahead and stored in the fridge until ready to bake.

To bake, preheat oven to 170C/340F. There’s no need to grease or line the baking trays. Using a spoon or your fingers, place equal-sized blobs of dough on the tray, at least 1” apart. Bake until still-gooey inside, about 5 - 7 minutes, though this depends on how large your dough balls are. I recommend taking them out when they seem underdone as they will firm up as they cool, especially if left on the tray. Experiment a bit, and see how underdone you like it. Use a spatula to remove the cookies from the tray and cool on a wire rack.

Repeat with the remaining dough. Eat warm with milk or straight from the freezer.