I know that switching from talk about cancer and the blessings of eternity to a big essay on cookies might seem like emotional whiplash, but I know that I need to keep moving forward and keep looking for the good even when there are incredible hardships happening with my family that are accompanied by what at times feels like an almost overwhelming amount of distress and grief. Writing helps me process my emotions, so I suspect there will be more deeply introspective posts coming. I also know that there is joy to be found and that I will be writing about special events and graduations and cooking experimentation and pancakes and so on and so on. Life is full of ups and downs and if I only focus on one or the other, this won’t really be an accurate reflection of me and the life of my family. So, buckle up. There is going to be some emotional whiplash. I have no idea what the future holds, but I can guarantee that there will be both good and bad.
Having said that, let’s talk about cookies.
When it comes to a cookie that absolutely depends on butter/margarine to be at its very best, the first one that comes to mind is the classic sugar cookie. There is no brown sugar to cover up the shortcomings of your choice of fat and no chocolate chips to make them a decadent delight. They don’t have a bunch of citrus zest to elevate the flavor. And at their most basic, no frosting to provide a burst of sweetness that can make just an ok cookie feel like a winner. The wrong consistency can lead to spreading which ruins the shape of your cutouts. And for anyone who has ever choked down a hard, dry sugar cookie so as not to offend the chef, you know that texture and moisture level are key elements that can’t be ignored. Basically, the perfect sugar cookie is kind of like the holy grail of cookies. Each chef has their own idea of exactly what a sugar cookie should be, and like many others before me, I spent years testing recipes until I found one that produced a cookie that had all the elements I like best-super soft, with a delicate texture, moist and able to hold their shape when baked.
So, when it came to testing the homemade plant butter, I knew I needed to pull out my family’s most loved sugar cookie recipe. I always chill my sugar cookie dough overnight, so on Wednesday evening I whipped up a tiny batch to be baked yesterday. In the process of doing so, I made a mental note to add just a bit of color to the plant butter next time. As it was, when I creamed my butter and sugar together, it looked exactly like mashed potatoes, which was, in all honesty, a bit off putting. Other than that, the dough acted and felt exactly like it always does. After chilling, it felt a bit stiffer than normal, but it rolled out easily and cut nicely. I think I baked them about a minute too long as they were just a bit drier than I like, but overall, it was a huge success. I know that I’m pickier than most of my crew, so when I say they were drier, I mean that they were fully baked while I generally like mine just a tad shy of all the way done. Other than that, they held their shape well and were still soft and tender. They tasted great and the texture was exactly the same as with the Nucoa. I was quite surprised and totally thrilled with the outcome.
With a trial run completed with great success, I mixed up a full batch so that I can send some super cute Easter cookies to my missionary. I baked them this afternoon and shortening the bake time by 1 minute brought the cookies in at exactly the right texture. Total win.
Next trial? Pie crust. In a few weeks I will have to break out the pie pans and see how the plant butter performs in my favorite part butter/part Crisco pie crust recipe.
Let me wrap this up with one more plant butter related comment. I used the homemade plant butter on the griddle when I made pancakes this morning. I wanted to see how it performed in a direct heat, let the butter melt kind of a situation. End result? It worked great. It didn’t separate, kept the pancakes from sticking to the griddle, and tasted just fine. That’s two wins for today. And after the past several weeks, this little success has been a much-needed positive development.
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