Fifteen minutes to bliss...

A long time ago, when I was just a little girl, my mother taught me something that can solve many minor problems in under 15 minutes. What did I learn that I want to share today?

Quite simply, the easiest cookie recipe I have ever come across.

With this recipe, squabbling siblings cooperate, moody teenagers smile and grownups get a few minutes of quiet.

To accomplish this miracle, all you need is two eggs, a half cup of oil and one cake mix.

Most of the time I have these items somewhere in my pantry.... what about you?

To make peace reign in your home, at least for a few moments, first preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and find either a cookie sheet or a 13x9 baking dish. Stir together the eggs, oil and cake mix. Leave them plain or stir in a bag of chocolate chips, some M&M's or whatever else you've got that sounds good. Then decide, do you want individual cookies or yummy squares of goodness?

For squares, squish everything into the ungreased baking dish and put it in your oven for 15 to 20 minutes. If you want cookies, roll the dough into one inch balls (or larger) and place them on the cookie sheet. You can top them with candy, nuts or sprinkles if you wish. Cook the yummy bits for about 8-10 minutes. (It is better to error on the softer side, you can always stick them back in if they are too gooey.)

If you have children, they will learn this recipe quickly and may begin to beg for cake mixes at the store (sorry). If you don't have small people under foot, I promise the cookies will still taste delicious!

Although we almost always use a chocolate cake mix, feel free to shake things up a bit and use whatever flavor makes you happy. Sometimes we've been known to even dress our cookies up with silver balls and icing at the holidays or roll them in sugar to make them extra soft.

Whatever we do, there are always plenty to go around and a few to share with someone else.

Discover the power of warm cookies!

Stir...Bake...Smile