GlossyVeneer

Over the weekend my husband really wanted some cookies. So I obliged, but I decided to make cookies using ingredients I had around the house. No extra trips to the store since I had already been through the torture that is Wal-Mart and the peace that is Vons that day. I did a search on the Cooking Light website and found their recipe for Alaska Molasses Cookies. Bingo! I had all the ingredients. Of course, I couldn’t just leave the recipe alone, I had to alter it some. You know, making cookies more healthy and stuff.

1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup splenda blend
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 large egg
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Spoon applesauce onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels; spread to 1/2-inch thickness. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand 5 minutes. Scrape into a bowl using a rubber spatula.

Combine applesauce, splenda blend, and butter; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add molasses and egg; beat well.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (flours through cloves), stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating until blended. Cover and freeze dough 30 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 375°.

With moist hands, shape dough into 32 (1-inch) balls. Roll balls in turbinado sugar. Place 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Yield: 36 cookies

The cookies turned out soft and moist with a lot of flavor. My husband said they tasted like gingersnaps, but without the *SNAP* or crispness of those cookies. They puff up a lot while baking and then flatten out during the cooling stage. The recipe said to bake them for 8-10 minutes, so I tried 8 minutes for the first batch and then the rest period, 9 for the second and 10 for the last. The first two batches were a little too soft, they almost didn’t hold together. 10-11 minutes seems like a more reasonable baking time on these cookies.

Some of the reviewers on the Cooking Light site said they halved the amount of butter. I may try that next time I make them to see what the difference in texture will be.

I decided when I started to learn how to cook more that I would try new flavors. So when I saw an episode of “Everyday Food” on the satellite guide that featured tandoori chicken, I decided to give it a try.

Photo from Everyday Food

I HATED IT!

It tasted a little bit like mustard to me, and I despise mustard. I took one bite and decided that I wouldn’t be eating any more of that. The spouse took a bite and said, “Yep, it definitely tastes like mustard. It’s not terrible, but it’s nothing exceptional.”

So we ordered a pizza.