Week 5, Day 1 Cookie Disasters

Toast and turkey chili. That's what today was all about.
That and cookies....

Today was our ward's "Better know the Mormons" night.
It was the reason that Paul and I fasted half a dozen times last month and it's going on as I type (Pearl and I had to come home early so that she could go to bed- she's still crying up there and that makes me sad). I brought several dozen cookies because I was afraid there wouldn't be enough as far as treats go- that fear proved baseless as there were at least two tables full. Oh well.
I made Snickerdoodles and some bizarre chocolate chip cookies that I really hope Paul doesn't bring home.

Snickerdoodles:

1 cup butter flavored shortening ($0.89)
1.5 cups sugar ($0.36)
2 eggs ($0.14)
2 t cream of tartar (I have no idea, to be honest, sorry)
1 t baking soda ($0.005- or $0.01)
2 and 3/4 c flour ($0.16)
2 t cinnamon ($0.08)
2T sugar ($0.01)

These are made just like any other cookies. Beat wet ingredients, sift dry, mix and bake (400 for 10 minutes).

Snickerdoodle total: $1.65

Now if you're ever in need of snickerdoodles, you can definitely call on me. I'm pro at snickerdoodles, I'm almost as good at making them as I am at eating them (and I ate an entire batch in a day- gross!). I am not, however, particularly great at chocolate chip cookies. I blame this on my mother who taught me how to cook from a very young age but since she could never get chocolate chip cookies to turn out either, it's all her fault. I found a great recipe that I really loved and it calls for a packet of instant vanilla pudding mix. Today when I got ready to make the cookies, I discovered I didn't have any instant vanilla pudding. In fact, the only pudding I had was cook and serve coconut. Instead of being sane and rational and just using a traditional recipe without the pudding, I decided I was going to go for it anyway. I used the pudding and then when I tasted the dough, I discovered that the pudding mix had coconut flakes in it. Oh bother. I baked them anyway hoping that maybe they would taste a bit like caramel delights or chocolate dipped coconut macaroons (they don't). They're not horrible but they didn't spread out and so they're just little gumdrop-looking-weird-texturey-things. I wish I had taken a picture but I didn't and let's hope that there aren't any that come back for me to show you. I certainly don't want them.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter flavored shortening ($0.89)
1 c dark brown sugar ($0.23)
2 eggs ($0.14)
1 packet instant vanilla pudding ($0.33)
2 cups flour ($0.12)
2 t baking soda ($0.01)
Chocolate Chips to taste ($0.75)

Make like any other cookie. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Total: $2.47

I don't know whether I should count food that I make for other people in my week's total so today was either $4.12 or $0.00. Free sounds nice, doesn't it?