What better way than baking cookies?
Okay, plenty of better ways but through this, you get to eat yummy comfort food after that and feel thoroughly guilty much later.
For this one I don't even end up feeling too guilty because I made healthy wholesome oatmeal cookies.
Baking shares much common ground with science experiments.
Aim: To bake mouth watering fruit and oatmeal cookies.
Problem statement: How to bake mouth watering fruit and oatmeal cookies?
Hypothesis: If the correct amount of each ingredient is used, one should be able to create the perfect fruit and oatmeal cookie [if you follow instructions accurately].
Technique: Follow instructions and improvise when faced with seeming impossibilities. Use proper measuring cups. Add what you like, minus what you don't .
Variables: Manipulated: The amount of each ingredient used.
Responding: The cookie.
Fixed: The mixer, the paper.
Materials:
- 1 cup (1/2 pound or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, well beaten
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 cups rolled oats (Use Quaker Quick or Old Fashioned. Do NOT use instant.)
- 1 1/2 cups raisin
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Diagram (a)
Apparatus: mixing bowl or electric mixer, bowls, cutlery and spatula.
Procedure:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degree Farenheit [which is about 190 degree Celsies but 170 degree Celcius should do the trick for a nice tanned bottom]. Grease two large cookie sheets or line with Silpat, parchment paper or waxed paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla.
3. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg together in medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into butter-sugar mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts. Stir in oats.
4. Spoon out dough by large tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie as shown in Diagram (b).
Diagram (b)
5. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets. Then carefully remove them, using a metal spatula, to a wire rack.
6. Cookies are ready to be served as shown in Diagram (c).
Diagram (c)
Observation:
1. Mixture/batter looks like vomit before baking as shown in Diagram (d).
Diagram (d)
2. Cookies nicely expand as well as turn golden brown in oven.
3. Cookies are soft when warm but harden up when cooled. Smell and taste FANTASTIC.
Conclusion: The hypothesis is accepted. If the correct amount of each ingredient is used, one should be able to create the perfect fruit and oatmeal cookie [if you follow instructions].
