I Made Cookies Myself!

Feeling depressed over how unproductive I was for the past two days - seeing how I skip school and coop at home doing house chores like an obedient little housewife and nothing else, I decided to do something that required me to get out of my room (away from the computer) and time consuming as well. Flipped through the recipe books that was lying on my bed and seeing a really simple recipe for normal cookies, I decided to bake some. You know, to past time and be productive. Cookies are productive right? No? Never mind.

In the past (when akak was around), I'd get into deep trouble if I was to go around reigning in the kitchen, messing up the entire place like I did today - leaving oily fingerprint marks around the handles of drawers and the numerous utensils, not to mention, the flour all over the place. It'd be rare to see me running around in the kitchen like a headless chicken in panic with the knobs and buttons of the oven. Well, not today. I took charge of the kitchen and did everything my way, without the nagging nanny or mom. It was like having the whole world beneath my feet when I know I was free to use anything I wanted thought that was needed without being told or sighed profusely at. But that's the thing in the past.

After much contemplation, I dragged dad from his afternoon Hokkien dramas to the nearest store (Cosmart to be exact) to get my supply of cornstarch, vanilla essence, flour, grated cheese and etc.. Forgot to get any chopped cherries or edible pearls for the finishing touches, though, with explains the blandness of the cookies. I hurried home and with a little more contemplation, convinced myself that I was able to do this alone, without the help of anyone, I carried on with my initial plan, filling up my entire evening, smothering the butter and the icing sugar, inserting the dough into the cookie gun and pressing them out and then baking them. The entire process was a leap of faith for me (getting all my hands dirty without any prior knowledge about kitchen skills). But I forced myself into it, believing in myself that I could. C'mon, 16 years in life, this is my FIRST time baking all by myself. The least you can do is give me a break.

And I've got to mention, the adrenaline rush when I saw that my cookies were actually coming out, was intense! Even the mere thought of me being able to handle the cookie gun without making a mess was so immense that I was screaming in excitement when I cut out the first shape! Now I seriously wonder if this sense of euphoria to bake cookies is inherited (I'm having mom in my mind!). Surprisingly, though, I didn't make much of a mess in the kitchen, except for that one bit where I spilled some flour during measurement. Other than that, the place was perfectly clean and spotless when mom came home. Kind of showed when she didn't start yelling her head off, pointing at different spots of the kitchen. Maybe it was also because dad called her to ask the difference between cornstarch and cornflour and I called her to ask her how to operate the oven. Hey, we're guys!

So the final product was good for a beginner/amateur, according to mom who happens to be my first guinea pig. Heck I'm already glad that there's a final product! It didn't quite tasted the way I thought it would be, probably because it lacked 50g of grated parmesan cheese (100g costs RM8w which is so damn expensive!). It was also supposed to melt into bits when put into the mouth, but my cookies turned out harder than usual (it didn't cracked a bit when I accidentally dropped one back onto the tray after picking it up). I guess I need to put on a little extra effort when beating the eggs or something (I'll figure it out). But overall, I agree with what mom said. Did you know she used to bake and cook too? I'll leave that for sometime later. Now, I've packed/assort the final product into a few transparent containers and will be distributing them to those I think who might give their two cents worth of ideas and comments appreciate it, or at least, give it a try. Kai ma, are you interested?

Although it didn't quite turn out like what I've had in mind, it still gives me the joy of knowing that I could do it. It was successful to me. I've known what I've done wrong and am looking forward to the next time. Plus, now that I can handle the oven (with the help of manuals, of course) I'm going to try something new and will mark it when I do it. Until then, I'm going to try more cookies for Christmas. Oh, and these aren't meant for Christmas, just in case you were wondering. I was just experimenting (half wanting to prove my intuitions right) out of boredom and also an outlet for my festive mood. Trust me, reading a book with Christmas carols all the day long can get old and tiring. At least this is productive! Isn't it?