Vanilla Wafers before going into the oven. Photos courtesy of Karin Cole

When I was growing up, my dad used to joke that his three responsibilities were to earn income, make the family laugh and clean the toilets. This arrangement left my mom with a long list of domestic duties, including all the cooking (which, frankly, was lucky for me, as my dad’s culinary skills at the time were deadly).

In my house, by contrast, my husband is the primary chef, and I have carved out a niche that includes the following domains: pizza, international foods, weekend breakfast and all baked goods. If it seems like I cherry-picked the best assignments, that’s because it’s true.

If there is a genetic component to my skill in the kitchen, I like to think (or hope) that it comes from my mom, who is an excellent home cook and impressive baker. I am neither, and I have the photos to prove it. But I do manage to get some great results when I cook, primarily by finding unfussy recipes, sticking with what works and, periodically, calling my mom for advice. Unfortunately, I can’t publish her phone number for public use, but I can share an unfussy recipe that work for me.

These cookies are the epitome of unfussy: They have only six ingredients. I sent this recipe out with Valentine’s Day cards in 2021, when it seemed like we all deserved a sweet treat that didn’t require much effort. These cookies are delicious as is, but also are highly customizable. I like to replace some or all of the vanilla with lemon or almond extract, and I top them with sparkling sugar, which retains its crunch and won’t melt in the oven. They’re a perfect cookie to make for yourself or serve with coffee or tea for a friend or neighbor.

These cookies are also great to make with kids. I will set out little dishes of whatever toppings I find in the cupboard (colored sugars, ice cream sprinkles, crushed peppermint, slivered almonds) and let them do the decorating. It’s much less messy than frosting cupcakes, though I’m sure the cookies would be delicious with frosting on top, as well (what isn’t?). I think they would be easy enough to turn into Easter eggs or Christmas ornaments, too, with the addition of food coloring.

Last but not least, the logs of dough (the recipe makes four) can be stored in the freezer tightly wrapped for up to two months, and thawed in the fridge before slicing and baking. Just make sure you label and date the packages clearly if your freezer, like mine, conceals an avalanche of popsicle boxes and half-empty bags of frozen peas.

Karin Cole’s six-ingredient Vanilla Wafers.

VANILLA WAFERS

The recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking (2003). You can decorate however you like — with sparkling sugar, colored sugars, ice cream sprinkles, crushed peppermints, slivered almonds to name a few.

Yield: about 65 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

Combine the butter, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat on low speed until blended. Add the flour and mix until incorporated and a smooth dough forms.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a log 7 inches long and about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a sharp knife, cut each unwrapped log crosswise into slices about ¼-inch thick. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Add any toppings before baking.

Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until the edges and bottoms are golden, 12-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

In elementary school, Karin Cole thought she’d like to be a chef. She became a surgeon instead but still is the family baker.

MEET THE COOK: KARIN COLE

As an elementary school student in the mid-’80s, I aspired to one day be a chef. Somewhere in a dusty attic there may even survive a copy of the one and only episode of “Karin’s Kitchen,” a video I made for a school project. (I don’t remember much about it, except that I was making some kind of dessert bars and severely underestimated the time it would take to pour out a can of condensed milk.) I never realized that professional goal. Instead, I’m a surgeon, and I will spare you any attempt to draw parallels between the two careers.

In the kitchen of a gray colonial house in Falmouth, though, the dream of Karin’s Kitchen lives on. Maybe baking is a way to relax and reset after a long week at work. Maybe this is part of how I care for my family when I’m here, knowing that there are nights and weekends when I won’t see them. Maybe I just like to eat (definitely that). Whatever the reason, my husband knows to stock the kitchen with butter, eggs and flour when I’m not on call.