Snickerdoodles... From Scratch

I don't bake.

I cook, I make candy, I make jelly.... but I don't bake. I can bake but I don't, especially cookies. My sister bakes.I wash the dishes if I am around when she bakes.  She is the cookie queen. We may buy a pound or two of butter, she buys buttter in 20 pound increments. We buy the 5 pound bag of sugar and flour, she never buys less than 20 pounds at a time. We may make a batch or 2 of cookies, she makes over 7000 in a weekend for a Christmas house tour silver tea reception (Stanton Holly Trail). 12 varieties, packaged perfectly and with a self published recipe book.

Kids selling cookie dough for fundraisers all know where I live. Ms. Marybeth will buy some they all say. She loves this stuff. I also love any other kind of premade cookie dough. Pillsbury, Toll House, it doesn't , matter as long as I don't have to make the dough.

Recently Cara has become a Food Network addict. She loves that channel. Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Cake Boss, Sweet Genius, Restaurant Impossible,Crave... she knows them all.

What do they all have in common? A Kitchen Aide mixer. "Why don't we have one of those?", she asks." Because I don't need one." I say. " I don't bake. They are for mixing dough."

"Well we neeeeeeeeeeed one!" she says.

"Why? I don't bake. I don't need to make dough."

" I want to bake." she says. "Can we get one? Pleeeeeease???????" I tell her they cost alot. Maybe for Christmas.

So today is the first day of Thanksgiving vacation and she wants to bake something...from scratch." "Like what?", I say.

"I don't know."

"Well when you figure it out, let me know and I'll see if we have the stuff."

She googles Food Network and decides on snickerdoodles. Luckily we have all the stuff.

1st question: Is sugar a wet or dry ingredient? Asked as I am pulling out of the driveway to meet some people at the bank.

Me: Are you asking me this? Aren't you in that smart kid class? And don't turn on the oven until I get home.

Then the phone call: Where is the measuring cup for the eggs?

Me: They're eggs, you count them.

Cara: Well you always put them in a measuring cup to make sure there are no shells.

Me: I only crack them in there because they are handy. You can use a bowl.

Cara: I want those measuring cups.

Me: I'm in the bank. Top shelf in the cabinet where the plates are.

I get home. Cara and her BFF, Cadence have started.

They were afraid to soften the butter in the microwave. They thought it would melt.

They used the tiny hand mixer to cream the butter, sugar and eggs. It was everywhere. " It said in a small bowl" they tell me.

It doesn't look like dough, they say." Its too thick and they can't stir it. "Use your muscles." I say. So I take over and stir, clean up and make dinner while the dough chills.

After dinner the house smells wonderful. The cookies are delicious. The girls have completely rocked the kitchen.

Cara to Cadence, "We really made these from scratch, with real flour and everything!"

This is why Cara will be getting a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas.

Maybe both girls can visit Auntie Paula for cookie lessons.

And maybe they will wash the dishes next time.

It is what it is.
Namaste