Why I Don't Bake Cookies

Tonight our Relief Society activity is All About Love. I'm just not feeling the love. Why you are asking yourself. Part of the activity is a cookie exchange. We have to make two dozen cookies and put three cookies on 8 plates so that we can exchange them at the activity. Argh! For most women this probably sounds like a simple dimple task that they can complete in their sleep. Not so for me. I am what is called dessert-challenged. Even if I follow the recipe to a "t" something still goes wrong. I would like to blame it on my oven, altitude problems, etc but let's face it... it is the baker. Take today's attempt at making a 3-ingredient cookie recipe that I have made many times. It is the only cookie recipe that I can make. And when I say "make", what I mean to say is that it is occasionally edible.

I started making it and almost immediately made a mistake of adding flour before creaming together the butter and sugar. Duh!!! I caught myself however and wiped my brow in relief. I mixed everything together and chilled the batter in the fridge to use later. The first dozen turned out beautifully and my head started swelling with pride. Maybe I was wrong... maybe I could turn out some decent cookies after all!!! Don't get ahead of yourself sister! 2nd batch... burned... and they were baked for the same amount of time as the first. Drat it! Third batch I scaled back on the time and go figure I had to add back the minutes I had taken off. What the??? They turned out perfectly. Then I made a tragic mistake of eating my lunch while the fourth batch baked. Even though I again scaled back on the time at least 2 more minutes ticked away while I was distracted with my lunch and when I finally clued into the oven beeping at me the batch had burned. Dagnabbit!!! I was hoping to use the extra cookies for our choir practice treat on Sunday. So much for that idea.

My husband called as I pulled the 2nd burned batch out and I told him I was burning cookies. He laughed. Yep. Laughed. He knows my track record for desserts and in fact he is our official cookie baker in our house. He offered to take over for me tonight to bake cookies for the choir. What a sweetheart.


Shortbread Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup sifted icing sugar
2 cups all –purpose flour

Cream together butter and sugar. Gradually blend in flour, mixing until smooth. Chill if very soft. On lightly floured surface, roll out to ½ inch (1 cm) thickness and cut into small rounds, or roll out to 1/8 to ¼ inch (3 to 5 mm) thickness and cut with cookie cutters into Christmas shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Decorate with almonds or candied cherries, if desired (or decorate with icing after baking). Bake in 300 degree F oven for 15 minutes or until set but not browned. Makes 36 to 48 cookies depending on size of cookie cutters.