I've been on a cookie baking mission to find a recipe that keeps things as simple as can be. I've gone through recipes that sound and smell good, but have come out tasting like a terrible and chewy mess. I hate to toss out disasters to the birds because nobody wants 'em. With a goal in mind to find a sweet recipe for a basic vanilla cookie, I think I've hit gold with a recipe I found here.
I can't even begin to talk about the horrible, hoooorrible peanut butter cookie recipe I found online a month ago. When I kept it simple, the cookies were fine. When I tried to complicate it with flour, two kinds of sugar, baking powder and the works, they sit in the jar for a month. Half a batch eaten, half a batch rotting in cookie heck. I might not be the greatest cook of them all, but people do kinda know me for the desserts in the immediate family.
The cookie failure didn't sit well with me. I hate to waste my materials when I'm trying something new. I especially hate having to feed the crazy birds outside. They're already getting fed by two old ladies and an old man down the street. Now, they're getting our Jif peanut butter? Oh nooo. So I grit my teeth and fished all over google for a new recipe. For some reason I decided to keep it simple with a vanilla cookie. How can you really mess up a recipe that requires vanilla? When I finally found an agreeable recipe that was simple enough, I dove right in the minute I scribbled down the last baking step. This was the test batch.
These cookies stuck to the baking sheet like craaazy. I called myself adding a little more sugar to the batch to make it sweeter. The cookies baked a little more brown than I wanted 'em to. Still, they barely lasted in the jar for three hours. Once that sweet smell of vanilla and butter hit the entire house, everyone wanted the "butter cookies". Knowing the taste gallery loved them, I knew I'd need to bake more.
My second attempt was so dreamy. A little too brown, still a lotta stuck to the sheet, but they were insanely good. The ones that came apart went into my mouth. The ones that were okay went into the jar. With the second batch, I tried to make sure to get them out a bit earlier. They still kinda stuck the sheet. A few decided to play right and slip right off. With the final batch, I decided to defy the instructions. I sprayed Pam on the baking sheet. They stuck a liiittle bit more than I wanted. However, I still had a few that came up with no problem.
I think the trick is in how you mix and drop the cookie dough. I used an electric hand mixer to combine everything. The dough came out a bit airy and fluffy despite my using the lowest setting. When I made my test cookies the night before, I didn't have any eggs. I had to let my unfinished mixture in the fridge overnight. Although it would be annoyingly hard to mix all that thickness by hand, it seems like it would be better than using the electric mixer. Or, I guess you could use a regular old electric mixing bowl or a food processor. In any case, this 'nilla wafer recipe is sure to make mouths water and the milk flow in the kitchen. I suggest doubling the recipe to avoid an empty cookie jar.
I can't even begin to talk about the horrible, hoooorrible peanut butter cookie recipe I found online a month ago. When I kept it simple, the cookies were fine. When I tried to complicate it with flour, two kinds of sugar, baking powder and the works, they sit in the jar for a month. Half a batch eaten, half a batch rotting in cookie heck. I might not be the greatest cook of them all, but people do kinda know me for the desserts in the immediate family.
The cookie failure didn't sit well with me. I hate to waste my materials when I'm trying something new. I especially hate having to feed the crazy birds outside. They're already getting fed by two old ladies and an old man down the street. Now, they're getting our Jif peanut butter? Oh nooo. So I grit my teeth and fished all over google for a new recipe. For some reason I decided to keep it simple with a vanilla cookie. How can you really mess up a recipe that requires vanilla? When I finally found an agreeable recipe that was simple enough, I dove right in the minute I scribbled down the last baking step. This was the test batch.
These cookies stuck to the baking sheet like craaazy. I called myself adding a little more sugar to the batch to make it sweeter. The cookies baked a little more brown than I wanted 'em to. Still, they barely lasted in the jar for three hours. Once that sweet smell of vanilla and butter hit the entire house, everyone wanted the "butter cookies". Knowing the taste gallery loved them, I knew I'd need to bake more.
My second attempt was so dreamy. A little too brown, still a lotta stuck to the sheet, but they were insanely good. The ones that came apart went into my mouth. The ones that were okay went into the jar. With the second batch, I tried to make sure to get them out a bit earlier. They still kinda stuck the sheet. A few decided to play right and slip right off. With the final batch, I decided to defy the instructions. I sprayed Pam on the baking sheet. They stuck a liiittle bit more than I wanted. However, I still had a few that came up with no problem.
