I’m not a great cook. My husband might whisper that to you behind closed doors. But there are a few things I make really well, like homemade potato rolls, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy.

However, I love to bake. Baking doesn’t get an eye-roll from me, it gets a smile. I can make an apple pie with a homemade crust, I tell you. And I love to make cookies because I love cookies, but there are just so many ingredients … it’s tedious, messy, and none of us really need the extra calories, so I don’t make them often.

But imagine my surprise to see a recipe from writer Kathi Macias for peanut butter cookies requiring three, I repeat three, simple ingredients. I thought, no way … too good to be true.

Some believe that receiving a child’s love/a teen’s love is too good to be true. It’s too time consuming. Too many ingredients required. It’s tedious, messy. Well, we can’t be good at everything, but we can be just good enough in a few areas to make a batch of homemade love.

So, I put this recipe to the test.

The ingredients are—

1 Cup of Peanut Butter—Butter up your child. Say what’s in your heart. My 17 year old daughter looked so sweet on Sunday, so beautiful. In my eyes. Not only on the outside but on the inside, too. She approached me when I was getting ready for church and asked to take a selfie with me. My heart swooned. After church, I said to her, “You are beautiful.” With her chin lowered beneath a bashful grin, she said, “Thank you, Mama.” She knew I meant it, and the compliment made her day. She might even remember that moment forever. I certainly will.

1 Cup of Sugar—Give your kids sugars (In Texas, “sugars” means “kisses”). Last night, my youngest daughter was resting beside me before bedtime. My mind flashed back to the moment after she had endured kidney cancer surgery. She had just been wheeled into her hospital room, only 13 months old, and the nurse placed her on her tummy. My first thought was if I had just had surgery, I wouldn’t want to lie on my tummy, on my incision. My baby girl raised up on her knees and hands, crying. It’s a moment I hate. She was scared and confused and in pain, I’m sure. We quickly had her placed on her back.

Returning to reality and unable to contain the tears, I looked at my 15 year old and kissed her forehead at least ten times and told her how grateful I was for her … for her life. As I laid my head back down, a moment passed, and she kissed my cheek.

Katelyn 2001 enduring chemotherapy

1 Egg—Be the egg-xample. Spend time with them, and they’ll spend time with you. After sharing my novel’s plot with my oldest daughter and seeking ideas from her, she wants me to help plot her novel. 

And after years of singing songs together, my youngest shares listening to One Direction songs with me. She’s taught me every word of the sweet songs. “Half a Heart” is my favorite. You should give it a listen. It’s sweet.

Mix well. Roll into one-inch balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet, and make crisscross pattern with a fork.

My youngest daughter helped me. We both love these peanut butter cookies so much so that as soon as we run out, we make another batch.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-1/2 minutes.

A perfect batch of homemade love.

Do you like to bake? Do you have a yummy simple recipe that you’d like to share? What advice do you have for garnering true love from your kids, family, and friends or showing love to them?