My formula for making friends is simple: Bring cookies and Monopoly Deal.

First comes the cookie part. It’s nearly impossible to find anyone who dislikes a good cookie. Cookies equal childhood; they equal cold nights and cozy rooms; they equal tradition and simplicity; and they equal good old fashioned fun.

Over the years, I have a few tricks to make sure I always have cookies on hand. For one, whenever I have a free 30 minutes, I’ll make a big batch of dough and keep it in my fridge, pre-weighed and pre-rolled into balls for quick baking. 

I’ll also throw in whatever I have on hand in the dough, which could be anything from chocolate to nuts to oats to other cookies (like that time I made a cookie out of Oreo crumbs).

The most important part: I’ll always have large tupperware to store cookies in, making them easy to transport for aforementioned friend-making purposes.

Then there’s Monopoly Deal. For those of you who have never played, it’s exactly what it sounds like and then so much better. It’s Monopoly in card-game form, where you strategize using money, properties, and deal cards to build your empire. It’s equal parts millennialism and capitalism, and if you don’t lose all your friends for being ruthless, you’ll certainly gain quite a few from sheer addiction and untamed desire to win.

So there ya have it: My secret formula for making friends, followed by my not-a-secret anymore recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies you can have. Enjoy.