Back in February, six months into the school year, the whole online experience was leaving much to be desired. After logging on and off Zoom and Collaborate Ultra day after day, I’d find myself longing for a casual run-in with an acquaintance, or a lecture that actually runs 50 minutes long. But when I lay awake at night staring at the ceiling, riddled with anxiety after staring at screens all day, instead of counting sheep, I’d be counting Blue Chip cookies.
When lectures were over and I’d shut my laptop between classes, I’d reminisce about running up the stairs in the Nest and confidently striding over to join the long Blue Chip line. But in my dreams, the line would evaporate as I’d approach. The red velvet loaf and turkey sandwich would speak to me through the glass case. Then, a Marbelous cookie would float into view, or sometimes, magically appear in my hand.
It was always the Marbelous cookie. These dreams would haunt me, mostly because this reality was only a mere ride on the 14 away! But it was midterms. It’s not like I had time for baking, and I definitely had less motivation to drag myself to UBC campus and realize my dream.
But, by the end of midterms, I couldn’t take it anymore. Would I create my own Marbelous cookie? Did the Marbelous cookie as a concept, let alone a recipe, even exist outside the realm of UBC? A quick Google for “Marbelous cookie” led me to, to my astonishment, a recipe for the cookie — “Marbelous Cookie (aka. Triple Chocolate Cookie).” Many before me had surely yearned for Marbelous cookies while living off-campus. But only one UBC alum, Amy Ho, the author of baking blog Constellation Inspiration, had decided to do something about it.
Ho’s homemade Marbelous cookie only expanded on the cookies of my dreams. With three types of chocolate and a dusting of Maldon salt — not to mention your own blood, sweat and tears — the cookies were certainly worth the effort.