We had a bake-a-palooza date, banished our hubbies (they went out for brunch), donned our Donna Reed aprons and got to work. We made two different kinds of cookies that day: cinnamon twists and shortbread. Both \u00fcber-yummy. Full disclosure: no calories were spared in the making of these treats.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m still getting used to my new induction stove and convection oven, so there continues to be some trial-and-error involved. I know that my oven underheats by 10 to 15\u00a0<\/span>degrees, so I cranked up the temp. The cookies turned out a bit darker than Debbie said they should be, but they were perfect for me. I\u2019ll let you decide what to set your oven at, but the recipe calls for 350\u02da F.<\/p>\n CINNAMON TWISTS\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n 1 cup brown sugar Mix the brown sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl, and mix the baking powder, baking soda and flour in another bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and then put the mixture into the fridge for about one hour. (This is just a rough guideline.) After it\u2019s chilled, form the batter into little \u201clogs,\u201d about the size of your baby finger, but slightly longer.<\/p>\n On a flat plate, mix the white sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the \u201clogs\u201d in the cinnamon and sugar until they\u2019re well coated, then twist them into little twisties.<\/p>\n Bake at 350\u02da F on a parchment-lined cookie sheet till the cookies are golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Remove them onto a wire rack to cool \u2013 pour yourself a glass of milk and stuff your face until you feel like you\u2019re going to explode. Wait an hour, then repeat. The recipe makes approximately 58 cinnamon twists. They freeze beautifully and they\u2019re super-delicious with all that cinnamon sugar adorning them. Dipping in milk, coffee or tea is also recommended.<\/p>\n DEBBIE\u2019S SHORTBREAD COOKIES<\/b><\/p>\n 1 cup butter or margarine (I used vegan) Cream together butter or margarine and icing sugar. Add vanilla, cornstarch and flour, mixing for three to five minutes. (You can refrigerate the dough at this point if you want to make the cookies the next day. Up to you, but not necessary.)<\/p>\n When ready, spoon out half tablespoons of the dough and roll them into small balls. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and flatten with a fork.<\/p>\n Bake at 350\u02da F until golden brown on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.<\/p>\n Could it get any easier?<\/p>\n After our bake-a-palooza was over, we sat down with a big glass of milk for me and a strong cup of coffee for Debbie, and gorged ourselves silly. Soon after, our hubbies got home from their male-bonding experience over panini and lattes. Laying their eyes on the bounty before them, they forgot they were stuffed from lunch. Need I state the obvious? Within seconds, each of the guys had wolfed down at least four of each cookie. And, once again, said they were stuffed. That lasted for 15 minutes. Our 100 cookies soon became dozens fewer. My friend\u2019s suggestion for how to ensure that our husbands don\u2019t eat the rest of the cookies in the future is to put them in a white container in the freezer and label it \u201cCalf\u2019s liver.\u201d Pretty clever, don\u2019t you think?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My next act was to make a recipe I found on Instagram by Shanie Amir, called Crispy Oven-Baked Eggplant Schnitzel. Simple, scrumptious and sort of healthy. Not.<\/p>\n CRISPY OVEN-BAKED EGGPLANT SCHNITZEL<\/b><\/p>\n 1 eggplant
\n<\/b>3\/4 cup canola oil
\n<\/b>3 eggs
\n<\/b>2 tsp baking powder
\n<\/b>1\/2 tsp baking soda
\n<\/b>3 cups flour
\n<\/b>1\/2 cup white sugar (approx.)
\n<\/b>2 tbsp cinnamon<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>1\/2 cup icing sugar
\n<\/b>1\/2 tsp vanilla
\n<\/b>2 tbsp cornstarch
\n<\/b>2 cups flour<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>2 eggs
\n<\/b>1 tbsp mayonnaise
\n<\/b>1 1\/2 cups golden breadcrumbs (or Panko)
\n<\/b>salt & pepper<\/b><\/p>\n
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