I'm a Quitter

I'm a Quitter. There, I said it, with a capital Q even. That cookie recipe has gotten the best of me. I've been pulling my hair and letting my mind race about this recipe. What if I baked it hotter? What if the dough were colder? What if I used cornstarch instead of arrowroot? What if I totally dropped the brown sugar? I swear I've even heard my husband muttering under his breath about me being a Bordeux Ho, insinuating I'd do almost anything to get this recipe right. Well, I'm done. This is version 4.0 and it is a dud. I used 3/4 cup cornstarch in them and they still aren't crisp. Texture is off, taste is weird and I'm a Quitter.

I was on the phone with my mom while I was taking them out of the oven, complaining they didn't seem right. She told me that old wives tales say you can blame cookies failing on 3 things and hardly ever be wrong:

1. You're having your period.
2. The kitchen is too cold.
3. You're just having a bad day.

Welp, two out of three apply. But I still don't think that's why the cookies are a flop, it's just not a well-tweaked recipe. Or an impossible mission. But clearly my mom loves me.

So now you know I'm a Quitter, I'll let you in on this, too. My mind is still on them. What if I used some vinegar? (I have no idea why... I just remember it was included in a pie crust I made ages ago). There has to be some magical mystery ingredient and while I'm not mixing up any cookies, these damn cookies still have a hold on me.

Since those cookies sucked, I made some rice crispy candy to drown my sorrows. We've been making this forever in my family. Nothing tricky, nothing splashy, just yummy. It was originally on the box probably some time in the 1970's.

Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Candy

1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups rice crispies

Stir the corn syrup and sugar in saucepan, over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter til smooth. Stir in rice crispies and spread in a greased 8 inch square pan. Let cool before cutting, or wad some into balls when you're spooning it out of the pan and enjoy. That's always fun, just don't burn your mouth.

You can also make a quick topping for these by melting 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup butterscotch chips. Yeah, I said butterscotch chips. But considering that vegan butterscotch chips are just as elusive as eggless egg roll wrappers, you might want to just use 1 cup of chocolate chips.

We were out of chocolate chips and I didn't feel like leaving the house to get some more, so we're eating them naked.

The original recipe is double that for a 9 X 13, but if you make it in this 1/2 recipe version you don't have to feel so guilty when you eat the whole thing. Bet they didn't teach you that trick in Weight Watchers, did they? Oh yeah, I quit Weight Watchers, too.... but that was years ago.

I did a good deed yesterday. I finally saw Veganomicon on the bookshelf in Barnes & Noble. The second to bottom shelf, so I moved it right up to eye level with the front cover facing out. Some lucky shopper is bound to grab it now.