Election Stress Baking Syndrome

As you can see, I've been blogging at a frenzied pace. I can't stop thinking about the election. It's stressing me out. I've been baking to cope.

Then again I bake when I'm happy too. I've baked several dozen chocolate chip cookies in one week! This is not good. I mean they are good, but... Well, you know what I mean. I fear that I'm suffering from ESBS. Election Stress Baking Syndrome.



And unfortunately all the baking doesn't turn out well. I just tried Mark Bittman's Fast No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread. I took the bread out of the oven about a half an hour ago. It was warm and smelled pretty good, so I asked G to try it. He said, "It feels like sand. I don't know what to think." He now refuses to eat any more of it.

It's not that bad, but it certainly wasn't what I had hoped for. I don't think that it was the recipe necessarily either. I'm starting to realize that I don't really like buckwheat flour too much. And that's what I used with white flour in place of whole wheat flour, which I don't have in the house right now. I can't throw it away, so I just have to use it and get rid of it.

I also adapted it by using soy flour instead of rye flour. I used more yeast than the recipe called for too. I used a packet of yeast, which is about 2 1/4 teaspoons. That's more than double what the original recipe calls for. I wanted to be sure that it would rise well. It did not. I think I'll stick with bread that needs kneading. It's a better stress reliever that way too.

For now, here is the chocolate chip cookie recipe that I promised you before. I halved the recipe each time that I made them. The first time I also halved the shortening (Smart Balance) and used peanut butter for the other half.

The second time that I made them, I didn't use any peanut butter, but I did half of the cookies with chocolate chips and the other half with white chocolate chips. This is a great recipe to keep trying new things with. It's very adaptable. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Adapted from My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Baking: From My Home To Yours, by Dorie Greenspan)
(makes 2 dozen cookies)

1/4 cup Smart Balance (softened)
1/4 cup peanut butter (softened)
1 egg
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
scant 1/2 tsp. salt
heaping 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Combine ingredients in bowl. Scoop out cookies by tablespoon and place on cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes at 375 degrees.


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