by:  Mike Salvatore

My wife Mary (EBC Alum ’06) has maintained a tradition of giving me foodstuffs for Valentine’s Day every year since we started dating.  This past year when I got sushi and mini eggs delivered to me at work I was quite grateful.  At the time I remembered the first Valentine’s Day we spent together…

It was a cold, wet day in February that year.  The sounds of winter birds chirping on campus were drowned out by the constant ringing and the grumbles of angry students that came with yet another false fire alarm being set off by the moisture in Lehman Hall.  None of these things could keep the smile off of my face.  Mary had made for me a card out of construction paper that said “happy farm animal day” and she had given me a little toy tractor and a large plastic container full of what she called “cow pies.” 

By dating Mary for one and a half months I had learned in one of her many stories from growing up on a dairy farm that a “cow pie” is a term for a cow’s fecal matter.  In the wintertime when cows leave their pies behind, they freeze.  Sometimes young children tend to play Frisbee with these cow pies.  Other times kids like to throw the pies at each other.  The very thought of these things gave me the shivers, so when Mary told me that she got me “cow pies” for Valentine’s Day I didn’t know what to think at first. 

Inside the large plastic container lay several home baked cookies for me to enjoy!  Mary has made me chocolate cow pie cookies several times since that day, and I have come to associate the term “cow pie” with a tasty treat.  

You too can enjoy Mary’s cow pie cookies!  Here’s the recipe:

1 cup margarine

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

¾ cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix the ingredients together in a big bowl and drop them by a teaspoonful on a greased or non-stick cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 9 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen. 

Consider some of Mike’s helpful baking pointers before you embark on your cow pie quest:

- If someone else is making cookies for you, DO NOT attempt to steal any cookie dough until AFTER the sugar has been added to the mixture.  You will no doubt get caught because you’ll have a sour, disgusted look on your face.
- Always under-bake your cookies.  What’s the worst that can happen?  The cookies might be too soft.  Boo hoo. 
- When adding chocolate chips remember that “1 cup” is just the suggested amount.  If you were to add 2, maybe 8 cups of chocolate chips the result would be extra chocolate for you.  You can’t lose!