Cookie Fail.

It seems as if every time I bake standard chocolate chip cookies, I have no idea what to expect in the outcome. It's always different! I'm very careful at measuring and I believe in mise en place and technique. I don't feel I stray very much, if at all, from my recipe notebook. It wasn't too long ago that I was sending beautiful batches of cookies to Sonoma, New York, Chino Hills... So why today, the flat misshapen discs?

To me, this just proves that I still have a lot to learn. I'd been thinking recently, maybe it's time to dive in and buy that Kitchenaid mixer? No, I'm ultimately putting it off a bit longer. Yes, it'd help, but I should get some of these basics down before I shell out that kind of money on equipment. Having a fancy stand mixer will be too much of a temptation to jump ahead to far more challenging recipes. In the meantime, if that means baking more frequently, then yes, I should be doing just that. A full commitment to a weekly(?) schedule; I need the experience to learn.


So what did I do wrong today? Maybe the butter was too soft and/or maybe letting it rest in the fridge wasn't enough. It did seem like too much spread. Perhaps the eggs weren't fresh enough. Salt and baking soda measurements? I'm going to blame the butter this time and push for better consistency next time. In the butter, and in myself. I don't care to blame the weather, the humidity, the temperature of the kitchen. Why put that much power in things I can't control? The magic part.


These weren't too attractive, but they are still okay as far as taste goes. We'll probably snack on them at the house and I'll make another batch to share with everyone else. I still need to buy that whisk!  There are affordable investments I can make in equipment. As with all things in life, focus on the attainable goals first, and don't sweat what you have no control over.