Nan's 15-minute cookies

This is a family recipe from my Godmother, Nan. My sister Kate perfected it in high school when she made them every day after school to keep her spirits up. They require 6 ingredients plus chocolate chips and take 15 minutes start to finish, no joke. Pick up a few cookie tins from a discounter, whip up a batch of these, are you have awesome, homemade holiday gifts.

You need 1.3 sticks of butter, 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of oatmeal, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon vanilla (recommended but kinda optional). 1.5 cups chocolate chips. Makes about two dozen cookies.

Turn on the oven to 350. Melt the butter in a medium sized pan. While it melts mix together the flour, sugar, oatmeal and baking soda. As soon as the butter is melted turn off the stove. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir until it forms a ball. Add vanilla if you have it. Press dough into one big 'ol round cookie on a regular sized cookie sheet about a quarter to a half inch thick and about 12 inches by 10 inches across. Scoot the edges in lightly with a spatula so they don't burn. Cook for 10 minutes. Turn off oven. Take cookie out and spread liberally with chocolate chips, about 1.5 cups. (Don't clump in the middle or they won't melt!) Put tray back in turned off oven for 1 minute so chips will melt. Test a chip. If it is melted take cookie out and spread all the chips with a knife. Best to cool for at least 30 mins before cutting otherwise it gets messy. I cut the cookie into long rows, then cut again crosswise so I have rough squares measuring an inch by an inch. Bon appetit!

FOR THOSE WITH EXTRA TIME: Diversify your tin with batches of lemon bars, gingerbread men and sugar cookies.