I have cookies on the brain today. Is it the weather? Perhaps a little withdrawal from the holidays?

Nope, I needed to bake cookies for one of my favorite people in Redding. My friend has a long-standing tradition of providing the staff in the election office treats on election days. I am MORE than happy to help. So seven dozen cookies later, I started to think that cookies are simple as long as you follow some simple rules.

1. Use the BEST ingredients you can afford. A fantastic place to purchase good ingredients like nuts, chocolate chips and dried fruits is the bulk section at WinCo. WinCo uses many brand names in their bulk section. Just ask anyone working in the bulk area what brand of nuts, chocolate, dried berries, etc. and you will be amazed. Bulk does not always equal generic/no-name brand goods. Always buy quality real vanilla. Always, always, always. No exceptions!

2. BUTTER. Period. Unsalted butter is best. I use unsalted to have control of the amount of salt that I want in a recipe.

3. Butter and eggs should always be at room temperature. It is easier to incorporate other ingredients into the butter if everything is room temperature.

4. Read the recipe through. Gather all of the ingredients prior to starting. You can even pre-measure them in anticipation of putting them together. It will also keep you from losing track of how many cups/teaspoons/tablespoons. I know you can count, but it is not always easy to count if you get distracted. If you do and the ingredients are not combined, you just dump what ever you are measuring back into its container and start over. You can’t do that if you are putting flour into your butter and eggs that have been creamed. You have to dump the lot and start over. This will save time, and most of all, frustration.

5. You will notice how easy your baking becomes with just this one following simple hint. This is key in my book: After the cookie dough is finished, please take the time to wrap up the dough and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This does two things for successful cookie baking.

One is that all of the flavors have an opportunity to marry, and thus make a more flavorful cookie.

Second, cooling the dough reduces the typical cookie spread that can happen when baking off cookies immediately after making the dough.

Here is a new favorite that I have added to my list of winning cookie recipes. The bulk of the recipe comes from Dori Greenspan.

I tweaked it to accommodate my style of baking. This cookie is a lot like a brownie. I did have to resist the urge to add orange zest. My family is tired of my orange-chocolate fetish, but I would add the zest, if the mood strikes you.

I have made this with pecans and walnuts as well. Can’t go wrong with this chocolate dream of a cookie.

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Chocolate Oatmeal Drops

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
9 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups oats (not quick oats!!!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get the sheet pans ready with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Scrape down the mixing bowl.

Continue mixing on low. Add eggs one at a time, making sure that each egg is incorporated into the batter before adding the next egg. Add the flour mixture. Mix a few turns and then add the oats.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Scoop out cookie dough. I like to use ice cream scoopers for this task. Place dough scoops on sheet pans. Use the palm of your hand to press from a “ball shape” to more of a “puck” shape. Of course, this only applies if you are using the ice-cream-scoop method. Bake for about 12 minutes.

Allow to cool.

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Andrea Charroin was a trained baker and pastry chef in San Francisco before she, her husband Westley, and their two sons moved to Redding nine years ago. After falling in love with Redding’s downtown, Andrea and Westley opened a little pastry shop, Rene-Joule Patisserie, across from the Cascade Theatre. For the three years Rene-Joule was in business, it was renowned for making everything from scratch, using the best ingredients and keeping with a seasonal menu. To this day, Andrea is still asked about her Marathon Bars, Orange Twists and sourdough bread.