Follow The Recipe???

As you all know I don’t particularly like to follow recipes to closely. Most of the time, it is because I like to add my own personality. But every now and then, it goes far beyond my own ego. Some recipes just aren’t good recipes to follow.

The other day I made some cookies. The recipe came from a cookbook that I know and trust, and have been very impressed with all the recipes I have tried from this book thus far, Amish Friends Baking Cookbook, by Wanda E. Brunstetter. However, apparently even good, reliable cookbooks can make mistakes.

I was making some peanut butter oatmeal cookies from this cookbook. I questioned the recipe as soon as I read it, but because I am very familiar with this book and its recipes, and have been very impressed with everything I’ve made so far, I put aside those questions and actually followed the recipe – for the most part. However, the only change I made was to add some chocolate macadamia butter rather than peanut butter. Everything else I kept the same.

The original recipe only called for only 4 ingredients.

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup molasses or honey

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups of oats

That’s it. I read it and reread it a few times to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, but, no that’s all it called for. I thought to myself, how are these going to be cookies. How are they going to even look like the picture? But, I took a chance and trusted the recipe, something I rarely do. 🙂 However, I knew as soon as I had mixed everything together, there was no way these were going to work, but I tried baking them all the same.

What I got was an ooey-gooey mess. I think Mrs. Brunstetter missed a few key ingredients on this one.

Fortunately, I know enough about cooking and baking that I knew what I needed to do to fix them and to actually make them cookies. So back to the drawing board, or in my case, my big cooking island, where changes were made.

I took the original ingredients called for and added to them. My additions were:

2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 egg

I mixed everything together with the original ingredients, then baked them all over again. VOILA! Success. I know! You are all shocked, right?! 🙂

Once they came out as actual cookies, they came out really well. And they taste good too, but they are even better when topped with a little ice cream. 🙂

So my advice to you today, is to follow your instincts, NOT the recipe. Even good recipes and good cooks make mistakes. No one and nothing are perfect. And if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Never give up. Failures aren’t failures. They are just challenges to push us further, and make us better. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.