Redemption in the Kitchen

After my spectacular cookie failure last week, I knew I had to try again. I wasn't going to let a bunch of baking ingredients get the best of me. My cousin (I think...I'm pretty sure it was my cousin, although there wasn't a link in her comment) suggested I was the victim of bad baking soda, which made a lot of sense to me, given the deflated appearance of my pathetic attempt at cookies. So I ran out to the store, replenished our stock of eggs, and got some brand-new baking soda.

Armed with fresh ingredients, I tried again. This was a fairly important attempt, because the next day was a potluck picnic at work, and I didn't think anyone would eat burned cookies. Maybe it's just me. Of course, in typical "me" fashion (something that drives my husband nuts), I doubled the recipe this time. You know, that recipe that flopped the last time I tried to make it. Yeah, that one.

I got the ingredients ready and started mixing things together, and everything was going smoothly. I plopped in the butter, got ready to mix and realized - I'd only used enough butter for one batch. And that was the last stick. PANIC!

I started scrounging through the fridge to find another half-cup of something, anything, resembling butter. I found some Smart Balance spread. Perfect! Opened the tub...and realized there wasn't enough to make a full half-cup. I scooped it into the measuring cup anyway, smooshed it down, and went back to the fridge. Surely there was more Smart Balance in there. Surely. I could have sworn there was another tub of it. But...no.

And then I saw it. That tiny tub of honey butter that I'd bought on a whim when we were in Florida on vacation because I thought it would be good on...something. Who knows. I'd never used it. But...it was...butter-like...? Right? Never mind the fact that that trip to Florida was in January 2008. It was all I had.

Fingers crossed, I topped off my measuring half-cup of Smart Balance with some of the gooey honey butter, and hoped no one would end up sick (assuming the cookies came out edible). Mixed it all up, scooped the dough onto cookie sheets, and slid them into the oven. Then I switched on the oven light, sat down, and waited. I was not going to be surprised by smoke pouring out of the oven again! Nose almost pressed to the glass (but not quite, because that glass gets hot!) I watched as the cookies puffed up and baked, and didn't deflate. Success! Hooray!

They tasted pretty good, although they weren't spectacular, but I didn't bring any of the three dozen cookies I took to our picnic home, either.

But I realized something that evening when I baked the successful cookies. Cookies are pretty darn easy to make from scratch. I had no clue. So over the weekend I decided to try some variations. Because that's just the way I work. I can't stand to leave a recipe alone. So when I found a recipe for chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, the possibilities seemed endless.

First, I followed the recipe, but instead of chocolate chips, I added Andes Mints baking chips. Yum. Those turned out tasting like Thin Mints. Second, I did the same thing, except I added peanut butter-chocolate swirl chips. Those were tasty, too, but I thought the chips tasted a little weird. I'll probably try something different next time. Third, instead of adding cocoa powder, I added malted milk powder and made malted chocolate chip cookies. Again, very good, but I'll add more chocolate chips next time.

But those mint cookies. Wow. They were good. I've already made another batch of them. They're way too easy to eat!

I found the recipe in a Hershey's chocolate Christmas cookbook. It makes very moist, cakey cookies that are so good.

Hershey's Chocolate Cookies

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Hershey's cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups baking chips of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together in a small bowl and set aside. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix until combined. Add egg and beat well. Turn down speed and mix in flour mixture until combined. Stir in chips. Grease a cookie sheet and, using two spoons, drop small mounds of dough about an inch and a half apart (these cookies won't spread much while baking). Bake on 350 for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake.

I made 55 smallish cookies with this recipe, so there were approximately 73 calories per cookie.

Enjoy!