Saturday, May 1, 2010

I'd Rather Be A Cookie

Why is it that I can throw all the right ingredients into the bread maker, and 99 times out of 100 it turns out like this?  A lovely inverted volcano always graces the top instead of a cute little rolling hill! 

Now, on the other hand, when I dump all the ingredients in to make chocolate chip cookies, they ALWAYS turn out!  Such was my experience Thursday and every other day.  I have wasted so much yeast, flour, oil, salt, and honey on UUUUUUH-gly loaves of bread that it's not even funny, but I do have to say that as an air freshener it's hard to beat.  I LOVE the smell of bread baking.  It reminds me of my Mom.  I don't know how she made six loaves of bread every Saturday while I was growing up, and how they ALWAYS turned out.  Before I die I want to make 10 darling loaves of bread in a row!  It's an art that is for darn sure.  I hope I eventually turn out to be as reliable as a chocolate chip cookie and not as temperamental as a loaf of bread.  Right now I maintain a balance of cookie days and loaf days.  Just ask my husband :).
Beck's Choc. Chip Cookies
1 cup real butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2. tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups rolled oats
1-3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I like to grind my own white wheat.  The red wheat is a little drier.  Regular white flour also works just fine and dandy)
1-2 cups chocolate chips (2 cups taste better, 1 cup works when that's all you have!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes.