What's In A Name?

In the spirit of love and chocolate...

What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Juliet railed at the injustice that forbid her to love Romeo because his surname was that of her family's most bitter rival. Based on names, their love was wrong.

Just like Romeo's and Juliet's houses were divided, our house too is split by a name. There is a cookie that my husband and I both love for which I have one name and he has another. We both were served these cookies in our youth but our families called them different names.

The problem lies in that my husband does not like the name I use for these beloved cookies. I have no issue with the name he uses.

The cookie of which we speak has all the ingredients that make a good cookie. It starts with milk, sugar and butter.

1/2 cup milk, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter

Next, add unsweetened cocoa and peanut butter.

3 TBS unsweetened cocoa, 3 TBS peanut butter

You can play with the recipe a bit here. If you prefer just a peanutty taste, leave out the cocoa. We go with the chocolate meets peanut butter approach.

Combine all five ingredients over medium heat, bringing to a boil for 1 1/2 minutes. No matter how much you really want to or think you should, do not stir while it boils.

Remove the mixture from heat and stir in rolled oats and vanilla. You will be glad you saved your stirring arm in the last step, because the mixture really gets thick and stubborn.


3 cups rolled oats, 1 tsp vanilla extract

Once you have exhausted one arm stirring, use the other arm to drop the mixture by teaspoonful onto waxed paper covered cookie sheets. This makes about 4 - 5 dozen and your arm will know it. Let cool completely.

Now, about that name thing. You probably recognize these as a no-bake drop cookie and you might even have your own version of this recipe. It is a common one and you probably call them "No-bake" something or other.

But our house is divided on the name of our version. My name for them is based purely on their completed appearance. I think you can figure it out. Starts with a D, ends with an oo, then repeat.

My husband can not account for the source of his name for them. All we can guess is that wacky was the reaction his mom received when the kids heard she was making these. She named them Wacky Cookies in honor of the wacked out behavior they inspired.

They are so good, you might act a bit silly in anticipation.

My husband refuses to adopt my name for them; he says it is gross and unappetizing. But he eats them as quickly as I do. So the taste clearly overrides any mental aversion created by the feculent reference.

...What's in a name? That which we call a doodoo cookie

 by any other name would taste as sweet.