The Great Sugar Cookie Experiment, Part 1

One evening, not too long ago, following a tasty meal, Leo said, "I'm in the mood for dessert." We had nothing on-hand, so I decided to make Leo some sugar cookies. Unfortunately, we were completely out of butter, so sugar cookies from scratch were out.

I keep a few mixes on the pantry shelf for "emergencies" (even as I wrote that, my inner voice snorted and said, "Emergencies? Really? What emergency would require a Williams-Sonoma plum cake?"), so I went a-hunting and discovered a fairly old sugar cookie mix that my dad and stepmom brought back from a trip to Maine. It even came with a lighthouse cookie cutter attached. I wasn't too sure it would still be good (do mixes like that ever go bad?), but decided it was better than nothing and started mixing up the batter. 

Well, it was late, and somehow I managed to mis-read the directions, so instead of 1/4 cup of water, I added 3/4 cup water. Oops. 

I didn't actually realize my mistake at first. I just kept wondering why the batter was so soupy and how on earth I was going to make it into cookies. Finally, I checked the box and realized the error I'd made, and in a panic, started throwing ingredients into the mix. I added flour by the spoonful, then, fearing the mix would be bland and tasteless, added sugar, then an egg, then some dry milk, then a little vanilla, then more flour...until the batter resembled a thick, rubbery substance which, if it had been black, I might've used to repair a tire or two. 

I was just about to throw everything out when Leo discovered me in the kitchen and wanted to know what mischief I'd gotten into. He was overjoyed to hear that I had been making him some surprise cookies, but dismayed when he heard I was considering throwing out the dough. We agreed we should at least see what happened when we put them in the oven.

The results of the Great Sugar Cookie Experiment, Part 1.

So I baked the creepy, rubbery dough as the mix instructions indicated, and...much to my absolute shock, the results were incredible and delicious! The cookies resembled something in between a cookie and a scone. They were a little bit fluffy, too, like a cake. And when we added a little of the lingonberry jam from IKEA, well, it was heavenly. 

And Leo's dying for me to make them again. Only problem is, I don't know exactly how I arrived at these cookies to begin with. I saved the box from the mix and wrote down all the ingredients I added, but it'll be a bit of a challenge to make these cookies a second time, since I'm not entirely sure how much of anything was in the original formulation. 

I plan to make one of those "cookie mix in a jar" recipes for sugar cookies. You know the one you make to give as a cool homemade gift? Well, I'm going to mix that up, then add three times the water I'm supposed to add, then add a bunch of the ingredients I added the last time to try to re-create the rubbery dough I had before. I'll actually keep track this time, and maybe over the course of a few attempts, I'll be able to recreate my fabulous sugar cake cookies. Keep your eyes peeled for future experiment results.