I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s smart tip post is from dessert lover and cute mom, Ashley of Oh What Fun.

If you are a child of the 80s or 90s you more than likely remember this commercial where a busy mom slaves all afternoon to make marshmallow squares for her family. If you don’t remember then maybe it is just me who gets vintage commercials & jingles stuck in her head?

Anywho, this fake out was born from necessity for yummy dessert in a flash but not wanting it to taste or look store bought, plus a remembrance of the previously referenced commercial. Feel free to try this fake out tonight when your husband asks for dessert even after he’s told you on multiple occasions to “not keep sweets in the house.” But because you know him oh so well & always have a tub-o-chocolate chip cookie dough hidden in the depths of the fridge specifically for when this situation arises you are good to go… Oh, is that a situation only I find myself in, again? Ah well. It would also work really well for unexpected guests, or just to make you seem generally awesome because people will think you actually took the time to bake for real.

Here goes… all you need is store bought cookie dough (tub, roll, little flat package, it really doesn’t matter) & the following yummy additions:

Dark chocolate chips (I prefer at least 60% cacao) + sea salt + almonds

The next trick is to take your ball of cookie dough (if working from a tub or tube it should be a BIG heaping teaspoon. From package, 2 pre-sized dough balls… we are going for BIG cookies here) & kinda flatten it in the palm of your hand. Then you add 2-3 dark chocolate chips to the center & 2-3 almonds if you want them in there & imperfectly form a mound of dough. Next you place your newly formed cookie dough mound on a cookie sheet & add a few more chocolate chips & or almonds on the top. Ideally you want 2-3 chocolate chips on the top center of the mound so they sort of form a “pool” for catching the sea salt.

Once all your dough mounds are evenly spaced on your cookie sheet, using a sea salt grinder (if you have one) or just sprinkling a pinch, yourself. Add a bit of sea salt to the top of each cookie. Aim for the center where the “pool” of chocolate chips will be created. It doesn’t have to be perfect, in fact going for that imperfect look is what you want… that makes the cookies appear homemade!

Oh look, I SEA Salt! Get it? Sea Salt instead of see salt?

Bake cookies according the directions on your package of store bought dough. Let cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet, arrange on a fancy plate or with a fancy napkin. Serve with cold milk or beverage of choice. Sit back, relax & relish all the compliments…. “Oh did you make these?!” “Yes, yes, I did.” (technically it isn’t a lie).

Finally, while I haven’t tested any of the following, adding some other fun mix-ins could result in some stellar cookie goodness. On my list is the following: Walnuts. Dried fruit. Banana Chips. M&Ms. Mini peanut butter cups. Marshmallows. Bacon. (Mmmm bacon) I truly think any of these would equal awesomeness as long as the sea salt & dark chocolate is in play. Why? Because sea salt is the star! It brings out the flavor of the chocolate. So just always at least add those two ingredients & you’ll be golden.

Any other ideas?

See more awesome from Ashley on Oh What Fun