Baking is so, so different from cooking. The rules that bind it together are set in stone and predictability is how you measure success. Unlike, say, being a bit generous with the dill weed in a meatloaf — which will change the flavors without dramatically changing the end result — adding more baking powder doesn’t just change a cookie, it may flat-out ruin it. Given this locus of discipline many shy away from baking with abandon. Then the other side of the coin is once you build a process of success there is plenty of room for creativity. That’s where I live, actually. And this cookie is proof.

I often approach cooking by looking at something that works; meaning nailing the ratio of flour, to sugar, to fats, to leavening, (see BASIC recipe below in tabs,) and then ask myself about ways to switch out elements of flavor, texture, or color. I also start most recipes by looking in my pantry and taking stock of what I can do with what I already have. For instance, we know that apple sauce is a great addition to muffins and cakes. It adds moisture and sweetness, and a soft texture. Since partnering withRaven’s Originals foods as a recipe developer, I find their apple butter to be extremely well balanced and smooth, superior almost to apple sauce. So, why not try it in a cookie?