Dear Editor,
I would like to file a complaint.
This complaint is about cookies. The last two different batches of the same recipe (different changes) have failed utterly. They were delicious and good for you (sort of), but absolute failures as cookies.
My mother has informed me that they weren’t just failures. She insists that they were, in fact, EPIC failures.
On further attempts with this same recipe I have on a third attempt succeeded masterfully, but failed the fourth attempt. (Though they did make strangely good granola bars after prying them from the pan.)
This recipe:
Cream – 1/2 c. white sugar, 1 c. brown sugar packed, 3/4 tsp. salt, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 c. peanut butter
Add – 1 c. oatmeal, 1 (12 oz.) chocolate chips, 1 c. nuts
Mix well. Drop on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 Degrees until lightly browned about 10 to 12 minutes. If too dry add a few drops of milk.
That is the extent of the instructions. I have learned that the peanut butter, oatmeal, nuts and chocolate chips can be optional if you want and that the length of cooking time can vary as well. This recipe is able to be turned into a low sugar recipe, though it is easier to do so if you have doubled or tripled the batch recipe and then substituted some of the white sugar for Splenda (or your equivalent). (Don’t mess with the brown sugar too much or it will change the cookies a lot; that’s why it’s good to convert to low sugar and not no sugar added. I have tried this, it makes weird biscuit/bread cookies that are good, but still strange.)
One of my sisters compiled a recipe based off of the previous one.
It goes as follows:
Ingredients – 1/2 cup Splenda/Sugar Substitute 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup margarine/butter 2 eggs 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup oatmeal 1 bag chocolate chips 1 cup chunky peanut butterMix: Splenda, brown sugar, salt, baking soda.
Add: Peanut butter and margarine to sugar mix. Cream together.
Mix in eggs and vanilla.
lastly, stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Drop cookie dough by spoonfuls on cookies sheet.
Bake cookies in a preheated 350° until lightly browned, approx. 9 1/2 mins.
Once again, the amount of time in the oven varies and the chocolate chips and oatmeal and even peanut butter can be optional.
The second recipe is the one I usually use as it has slightly better instructions and I like to switch out the butter/margarine and some of the peanut butter (if needed, you don’t always have enough peanut butter when you quadruple the batch. There are a lot of people in my family…) with applesauce or some other fruit that has been turned into a sauce (or mashed up). The amount of applesauce (or other fruit) I haven’t really measured (which might be the cause of some of my problems now that I think about it…) but have added using how much I think I need. (If it looks like it needs more, I add more.)
On further thought, it occurs to me that this letter might be better used should I actually measure the amount of mashed fruit/applesauce I put in and record the results.
Either way, the ‘epic failures’ were still mostly edible and some of them were even delicious.
As such, please disregard this letter, Editor and I thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Martha Stout
Breathing In 