No shortening? No problem. Recipe adapts to what's on hand.
The holiday baking season may be history, but that doesn't mean bakers stop receiving requests for sweet treats. Nearly every January I find myself with invitations to birthdays, potlucks and family gatherings and with those invites comes a solicitation for baked goods.
Over the years I have dodged some requests and, dare I admit, pulled something from the freezer. This year I decided to step up to the challenge and devised a solution to creating an easy post-holiday dessert.
First, don't run out to the store before taking quick stock of your pantry. Chances are you already have on hand the essentials of a good dessert. Now all that's needed is a basic recipe flexible enough to work with those leftover ingredients from the holidays.
The concept of flexible ingredients in a baking recipe must sound like kitchen fantasy. I'm not talking about taking liberties with the usual stir-ins like flavored chips and nuts. No, I'm proposing substitutions among the major ingredients in our classic drop cookie recipe.
No, I'm not tossing out the fundamental food science behind cookies. Rather, today's recipe begins with a simple base recipe that follows all the culinary rules yet leaves some wiggle room.
Maybe you don't have enough butter, sugar or shortening on hand. Perhaps you have a small amount of many different ingredients, but not enough called for in the base recipe? Or yikes; the vanilla extract bottle offers only a few scented drops.
Not a problem. My One-Recipe-Fits-All Cookie has you covered. The ingredients can be mixed and matched to create cookies with varying textures and flavor notes. Check the list against your pantry ingredients to come up with your own cookie.
But don't alter the leavening choice or amount. This is still a baking recipe and some rules remain intact. Otherwise let your creativity and ingredient availability call the shots.
• Annie Overboe, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, lives in Villa Park. Write her at Baking Secrets, Daily Herald Food section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006 or food@dailyherald.com.
One recipe fits all cookies
21/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups favorite stir-ins, such as chips, nuts or dried fruit
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In medium bowl whisk together flour, soda and salt. Set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter, shortening and sugars 2 minutes until well-combined and lightened. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat 30 seconds. Scrape bowl well. Beat additional 30 seconds.
Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape bowl well. Add stir-ins and mix on low speed 10 seconds.
With tablespoons or a small scoop, drop dough onto prepared sheet; bake 12-14 minutes until cookies are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on pan, then move to cooling rack.
Makes 40.
Ingredient substitutions: Short on butter? Reduce butter to 1/4 cup and increase shortening to 2/3 cup. Cookies will bake puffier and less crisp.
No shortening? Increase butter to 1 cup and decrease vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon. Cookies will spread more and be chewier.
Not enough light brown sugar? Use 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar or 1/4 cup dark brown sugar with 3/4 cup light brown sugar. Cookie will have deeper color and more caramel flavor.
Not enough all-purpose flour? Use 2 cups all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup cake flour or 1/4 cup bread or whole wheat flour. Cookie will be softer with cake flour; more firm with bread. Whole wheat adds texture.
In lieu of vanilla extract, use almond extract or flavored liqueurs.
@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving (without stir-ins): 97 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated), 12 g carbohydrates, trace amount fiber, 1 g protein, 17 mg cholesterol, 63 mg sodium.