I am a cook. I am NOT a baker.
When I tell this to people, they look skeptical. Because maybe they've sat at my table, or enjoyed a dish that I brought to a potluck. They assume that if one can cook, one can bake. This is fallacy. Baking is a gift unto itself.
Finally, I have indisputable proof of my inadequacy.
Obviously, I'm in desperate need of a timer. And an attention span. And a new hair color.
If only I had camped out in the kitchen, watching the clock, instead of cruising through blogs on the internet.
You know the worst part? After I burned the first oven-full of cookies, I DID IT AGAIN with the next dozen. Humiliation at its finest. The entire batch of dough was burned to an evil crisp.
This blog should read:
Trailblazer Cookies, the perfect choice when you want something sweet and homemade, but you also want to make healthy choices for yourself and your family. Think hiking snacks, or lunch box desserts. These are a cross between a peanut butter/oatmeal/chocolate chip cookie and a granola bar.
The dough had looked splendid and a pinkie taste confirmed the right amount of sweetness from Agave Nectar and a splash of Maple Syrup. Yet it contained a little stone-ground whole wheat flour, plenty of oatmeal, couple of eggs, walnuts, peanut butter, raisins and craisins. Believe it or not, olive oil instead of butter. And 60 percent cocoa chocolate chips. Delicious and nutritious.
This recipe, created by Yours Truly, would probably taste fabulous. That is, if I could bake properly.
I had planned to enjoy a couple of these with my Kiddo after school. Instead, I'll be fumigating my house.
Maybe you'll have more success.
Trailblazer Cookies
an original recipe and catastrophe by Kelly Jo Vanderstelt
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together, stirring in ingredients one by one:
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1/3 Cup Agave Nectar
- 2 Tbs. Maple Syrup
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Peanut Butter
- 1/2 Cup Stone-ground Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 Cup Oats
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut
- 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips (used the Ghirardelli 60 percent cocoa)
- 1/4 Cup Raisins
- 1/4 Cup Craisins
- 1/4 Cup Walnuts, chopped
2. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven. I'm not actually sure how long you should bake it, but I know definitively that it's a lot less than 25 minutes. How about starting with 10 minutes and going from there?
Makes about 3 dozen.
I think I'll give this another try sometime this weekend. Wish me well!
Do you have any cooking catastrophe stories to share?
Elise was looking at your blog with me this morning and she started gagging when she saw the picture of your cookies. She said, "Mom, will you please get that picture out of your computer and throw it away!" Awesome picture! I can cook and bake breads, rolls, pies, cookies... but I CAN NOT get a cake to look or taste right for the life of me. Maybe because I don't like cake so the interest isn't there. I don't know, but I finally decided to stop wasting ingredients and admit defeat. The only time a cake is attempted around here is for a birthday. I feel your pain!
ReplyDeleteOh no! I have done that. I normally bake just fine, but one time I forgot to set the timer and got busy doing something. When you smell something burning on the other end of the house from the oven, it's much, much too late. These cookies sound really good. I might try making them with honey instead of agave since (a) agave is expensive in my area, and (b) the jury is still out on whether it's really good for you or not. Sigh. Nutrition info is maddening sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI've done that. I've even put muffins in the oven and then gone to the library. Only to pass a cookbook on muffins to remind me to quickly call home and get my hubby to take them out. these cookies look great, unfortunately due to peanut allergies I won't be able to try them, but I'm going to pass them off to my "Eviltwin". She always looking for a good healthy cookie for her dayhome.
ReplyDeleteAll good cooks have failures apparently because recently my carrot cake that I have made for years was a total flop. Could it be the oven?......
ReplyDeleteI was baking a pie and forgot to put a cookie sheet under the pie pan. As I was walking thru the kitchen I noticed the flames seemed higher then usual. Then I realized my pie was on fire!!! The pie filling had leaked over the pie tin, onto the gas flames, and set the entire pie to flames. That was a stench that didn't air out too easily.
ReplyDelete