The Cookie Thief

I recently had to perform band-mom duties of making cookies for the Holiday Concert for my son's High School Jazz Band. I decided not to take the easy way out, so instead of just buying a few dozen cookies to take to the concert, I actually made some Christmas Cookies. The concert was held last Thursday, so I spent the evening Wednesday baking. I ended up making 4 dozen sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles, and my husband requested a small batch of peanut butter cookies so I figured since I had the oven going, I might as well.

I made the sugar cookies first, so they could cool down enough to get the icing on them and the sprinkles. Yes, I went all out this time. After I had all of the sugar cookies baked and cooling down, I cleaned my mixers and proceeded to make the peanut butter cookies. Now, according to my veterinarian, Dr. Ann, peanut butter is like an addictive drug to dogs. Highly addictive, they love it. Well, Skeeter, my 10 month old Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog, not to be confused with the Australian Sheppard), apparently loves anything with peanut butter. Apparently he could smell it, because when I put the two cookie sheets full of peanut butter cookies in the oven, he kept coming in the kitchen to investigate. At one point I swear, he laid down on the floor and was staring at the oven door. What a beggar. He really looked pretty pathetic, staring at the oven as if to say, "I sure could use some of that stuff in there, it just smells so wonderful, I wonder if she'll give me a taste."

I proceeded to frost the sugar cookies and get the sprinkles on them, and got them on a tray for the concert. Then I took the peanut butter cookies out of the oven and took them from the cookie sheets to some aluminum foil on the kitchen counter to cool so I could put them in a zip-lock bag. With the last of the cookies cooling down on the foil, I decided to take a break and sit down for a bit while they cooled down. I was sitting here at my computer checking my e-mail, when I heard my husband say, "Psst!! Come here and see what YOUR dog is doing." I quietly crept into the dining room so I could see the kitchen counter where, to my surprise, there was Skeeter, front paws on the bottom cabinet door, very carefully removing a peanut butter cookie from the aluminum foil. He did this making absolutely no sound whatsoever!

I yelled, "What are you doing?" just as he was backing down the cabinet door, cookie in mouth. He spun around, very carefully set the cookie on the floor and looked at me like I was from another planet. While I proceeded to tell him what a bad doggie he was, my husband counted the cookies. There were 20 cookies. I made two dozen!!! Skeeter had managed to steal 4 cookies before he was caught! In the end, I bagged up the remaining 20 cookies and let Skeeter go ahead and have that last one he so quietly stole.

The following evening, my husband got a few cookies out of the bag, and was sitting in his chair. Skeeter was at his feet, and howling. It was as if he was really jonesing for a cookie. I guess Dr. Ann was right, it is like an addictive drug to a dog!