Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Right before the oven died

So, the day started with cookies. That's a good start, right?


Then bread. That's pretty normal around here

Ugh. Of all the things to happen. I was in the middle of baking a loaf of bread ... The bread was at the point where I'd normally spin it around to make sure it's browning evenly ... and it was completely pale.

So I waited a while, and it was the same color. The oven didn't seem as warm as it should be. I used my infrared thermometer to check the oven temperature, and it was only about 230 degrees. Ugh.

Turns out I need new heating element in the oven. The part is on order and I should be back in business soon.

BUT - right before I baked the bread, the cookies worked out pretty well.

I'd just gotten a box full of different mixes from Krusteaz, and I was anxious to try the molten deep dish cookies. I mean, seriously. Cookies. Molten. Deep dish. How could any of that be wrong?


I also had a new dessert bar pan from Good Cook that seemed the perfect match. The basic instructions for the cookies said to bake them in a muffin pan, but I thought the square cookies would be interesting.

So I gave it a try.

First, the cookies fit into the pan perfectly. They were flatter and wider than they would have been in muffin pans. They rose more along the edges and fell in the center.


The good news was that the came out of the pan cleanly. See the pan in the background? That's how it looked after the cookies came out. Of course, I sprayed it with baking spray for extra insurance. But that's not always foolproof. So I was really happy when they slid right out of the pan.

I thought they could have been less brown along the edges - when I think of sugar cookies, I think of something that's slightly browned, but still a little pale. But, no matter what, I really liked them. They were crunchy on the edges and chewy in the middle, with a gooey chocolate center.

And that browning, as well as the odd rising and falling, might have been a hint from the oven that it was about to quit. It's possible it got hotter before it went cold. I really don't know for sure. Or maybe it's because they were an entirely different shape and size than the recipe called for. Or maybe it was a high altitude issue.

But, in the end, that didn't really matter. If you didn't know they weren't supposed to look like that, you'd never think twice. And that divot would be a great place for a tiny scoop of ice cream.


Don't they look good? 

You want a bite, don't you?
I'm going to make another batch the same way after I get the oven fixed - that chocolate cookie with the molten caramel interior sounds pretty darned good. And I'll watch the time a little more carefully.

What do you think? Would you try them?

Disclaimer: I received the box mixes and the baking pan from their respective companies. I was not required to write a post about either.
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