Charred Failure

At this current moment our flat is totally engulfed in the smell of charred cookies. That's right...I said charred. Here's my realization at this point...which is nothing new to me...you win some and you lose some. Today is New Year's Eve and we are having some friends over for a small get together. As both my husband and I are pretty tired and he is not feeling 100% we decided not to kill ourselves by being major party animals this year. Our plans exist of dessert, games and fun with some friends. Dessert...that's what I am good at right! I mean I love thinking of new things to make, finding new recipes, trying new things...I get such a kick from it. So I ordered a new baking book, a classic Swedish book called 7 types of Christmas cookies. There are not only 7 recipes in this lovely, little red and white checkered book. It is filled with holiday cookies and most I have never done. So you can imagine..from a baker's heart...that getting a new recipe book and trying a new cookie would be "like the best thing ever!" Yesterday I flipped through the book and found a Danish cookie recipe that called for all the ingredients I currently had, so I thought this Danish cookie is a freaking winner. It's the easiest recipe I have ever done. It consists of three...yep...three ingredients. Marzipan, powdered sugar and one egg white. Please somebody tell me how you can go wrong with only these ingredients? As I mixed these things together, it looked relatively cookie-like and I was happy to have such a simple thing to make for a party. I stuck them in the oven and waited. After just a few minutes the smell of almost done cookies started to drift in the air. I ran to check on them, because the recipe said to bake them for 15 minutes. They were probably in there for around 5. When I went in, I immediately realized something went COMPLETELY wrong...and I was utterly shocked, since it was only...ahem...three ingredients. The content of this Danish cookie had all melted together to form a huge rectangular cookie-bar thing and it was bubbling. Well since it didn't look totally done, I thought I would leave it in there. My big freaking mistake. Not several minutes later, I smelled charred cookie smell...which we all know smells the same no matter what kind of cookie you are baking...charred sugar STINKS!!! I ran into the kitchen and found my...what were supposed to be nice Danish cookies for New Year's Eve...turned into a black bubbling mess. At least it wasn't for a customer...that would have been tragic. However, I am still a bit peeved that my first attempt at my new cookbook has ended in such a way. Next on my list for this evening are brownies...wish me luck!

Until my next post, have a Happy New Year and try not to burn the kitchen down.
Barefoot and Baking in the kitchen