Quote:
Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby
I'm a seasoned baker (not much of a cook, though my jambalaya is as good as any I've ever had in New Orleans). But if all I want is a few cookies, and I want them "now" rather than "in a few hours after I've picked up any ingredients I don't already have in the house, spent the time measuring and mixing and shaping on the pan and baking and waiting for them to cool and washing the dishes and putting all the cookies EXCEPT THE THREE I ACTUALLY WANT in the fridge" - then I'll just buy a few cookies. Or maybe even a package of Biscoffs. Or a little bag of Tate's miniature chocolate chip cookies at Winn Dixie for $1.25.
If I want hamentashen, I bake them. But it's not just a matter of putting a bunch of stuff in a bowl. You have to first make the filling in a pot on the stove, which involves grating and squeezing an orange and lots of stirring to keep the dried fruit from burning. The dough requires squeezing and grating a lemon, and kneading the dough and rolling it out to just the right thickness and cutting it and reshaping a new ball and rolling it out and cutting it - and filling the center of each cut circle with "just the right amount" of filling before turning the edges up and pinching them so the filling doesn't ooze out onto the pan and stink up the entire kitchen when it bakes itself onto the metal.
It takes a couple of hours from start to finish, and yields around 30 pastries. So I have to REALLY want them, if I intend to make them.
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Geez! Making cookies is not difficult. It takes one bowl, a mixer, measuring cup, measuring spoon, and some cookie sheets. I make the dough in less than 5 minutes, then roll into balls. Place the dough balls onto a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator. I clean the bowl, beaters, measuring cup, and spoon by hand. All of this takes 15 minutes max. The dough balls can be baked when convenient or placed in a container and frozen. I have dishes to wash after dinner. The cookie sheets are simply a few more items to add to the dishwasher. Easy peasy!
When I have a craving for cookies, I do not have to go any further than my kitchen. Make some coffee, lounge in my PJs, and enjoy. For several weeks, I have baked goods at my fingertips. I do not have to add stopping at a store to my busy schedule. To me, this is convenience. Plus, I know what is in my cookies. Lecithin, modified cornstarch, dyes, preservatives, fillers, shortening. No thanks!
* yes, I only use one measuring cup and one measuring spoon. Depending on the recipe, the cup is either 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup. Same with the spoon, 1/4 tsp or 1/2 tsp. I simply fill the cup or spoon several times as needed. Most times, I do not use a mixer. Simply mix with a spoon. Less dishes makes my life easier.