Nudged: Bake Cookies!

By Ellie Guthrie, Guest Nudger

When I was asked to do a Guest Nudge, I was not only flattered that I was to be entrusted with the blog for a week, but also so excited to get the opportunity to contribute to such a cool project! I immediately began thinking of what type of activity I’d be doing. Would it be doing some sidewalk chalk? Would it be rummaging through my closet and finding some clothes to donate? Would it be challenging myself to limit my screen time for a week (basically impossible as a college student)? I was more than happy to find out that it was simply “Bake cookies!”

While baking cookies isn’t rocket science, as a full-time college student busy with balancing jobs, volunteer work, and life, it might as well be!

Note to Nudgers: This Nudge is on my list too, taken from activities I loved doing when I was a kid. The challenge for me will be not eating all the cookies myself! 🙂 If baking isn’t your thing, consider revisiting something you loved as a kid. —Kathleen

What Happened: The first step in successfully completing this Nudge was actually getting the ingredients. While I could’ve baked my usual “pre-made” cookies that literally go straight from package to oven to mouth, I wanted to actually make the cookies from scratch. Luckily, I needed to do a Trader Joe’s run this week, so I accounted for the ingredients I had (eggs and vanilla extract) and the ones I was lacking (everything else). After a little budgeting and a trip to two separate stores to acquire the ingredients, I got home and went to work. I decided to whip out a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies (the only recipe I’ve ever memorized by heart) and had 90 minutes before class to do it. I was also in a mood for cookies (and obviously cookie dough), so the timing of the Nudge was absolutely perfect.

Because I have a small college-kitchen that lacks a dishwasher, I set out to make the cookies with as few dishes as possible. After combining the wet ingredients in one bowl (after melting butter, I reused the same bowl to crack the eggs in), I grabbed one additional bowl to combine the dry ingredients and, eventually, added them to my initial bowl; in total, I used three bowls and a spatula…that’s what I call efficient! After taste-testing a few spoonfuls of dough, I rolled the first two batches onto two pans and popped them in the oven, checking on them every few minutes to ensure they weren’t getting incinerated. (I’m notorious for burning everything. One time I fully ignited a loaf of garlic bread that I was making with my friends.) Once the first two trays were out of the oven, I rolled the last little bit of dough into balls and put it in the oven to bake; 12 minutes later, I had the most glorious batch of 36 cookies sitting in my kitchen. By this time, I’d luckily finished my dishes, but had to bike to class. After sprinkling a little sea salt over the top of the fresh cookies, I took one for the road and left the surprise waiting for my roommates.

Not long after, I received texts from them saying the cookies were delicious and they were so happy to have them. When I made it home from class, I found a near-empty tray of cookies as well as five very content roommates!

The Ah-Hahs: After treating myself (and my roommates) to this Nudge, I found that it was super easy and fun to do such a simple task. It was the perfect midweek pick-me-up! Moreover, since I had some leftover ingredients, I made a few more batches per the requests of my roommates and friends! I learned that it’s super important (and satisfying) to take some time out of a busy schedule to do something that makes me happy—and tastes good as a bonus.