Brown Sugar Nut Bars

This recipe is perfect for when you want to bake something, but you haven't gone grocery shopping in three weeks and you have barely anything to cook with. There are very few ingredients because it is essentially cookie dough sans chocolate chips baked in bar form. In other words: so. good.

It is adapted from this old-school cookbook The New and Complete Encyclopedia of Cooking by Madame Benoit. According to the note on the inside page, my dad gave this to my mom on some sort of special occasion as a present. Now, not to be too judge-y, but if my significant other gave me a cookbook as a present, I would be like THIS ISN'T THE 1950s BI-ATCH. That's like getting your wife a book about how to iron men's shirts properly. But it does have interesting old-fashioned recipes, as well as tips on how to throw a "luncheon," so I can't hate. It's like a primary source from the olden days.

Brown Sugar Nut Bars (makes 16 squares)

1/2 cup Earth Balance shortening
2 cups firmly-packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts
Icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x9 pan.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the shortening until fluffy. Add the brown sugar and beat very well. Beat in egg replacer mixture and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients and chopped nuts. Gently fold into butter/sugar mixture.

Scoop dough into prepared pan and press down until it is flat and even. Bake approximately 30 minutes; the edges should be brown and pulling away from the pan. Sprinkle with icing sugar while still warm and cut into squares. It may seem like it is still raw inside, but the squares are supposed to be gooey in the middle.

Old School Chocolate Chip Cookies

Making these cookies reminded me that everything in life can relate to a Friends episode (or Seinfeld, but in this case it's Friends). For example, chocolate chip cookies remind me of "The One With Phoebe's Cookies," in which Monica really wants Phoebe's late grandmother's super-secret chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it burned up in a house fire. So, Monica must use one frozen cookie to reverse engineer the recipe, and tries out all these variations with different spices and ingredients and taste testing. In the end, the super secret recipe turns out to be from Nestle Tollhouse (or, "Ness-LAY Toll-HOOS"). Haha what a waste of time. It's funny because it's true; everyone wants the unique, definitive version of a classic, but the simplest cookie recipe is probably the best. Whatever's on the back of the chocolate chip bag you happen to buy is just fine. Use it as a base, then modify to your taste. I use all brown sugar so they are extra chewy, and the "optional" walnuts are a must. They cut down on too much sweetness and add a satisfying crunch.

This recipe is adapted from the back of a Nestle Tollhouse bag and it makes a lot of cookies (4-5 dozen).

1 cup Earth Balance shortening
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon egg replacer powder mixed in 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil.

Soften shortening in a large bowl (either let stand at room temperature or microwave for about 30 seconds), then use a wooden spoon to beat in brown sugar. Add egg replacer mixed with water and vanilla and continue to beat mixture until light and fluffy. Work those arm muscles!

Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir a few times then add chocolate chips and walnuts and stir until combined. Over-mixing is not your friend.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes until golden brown on the bottom. Let cool a few minutes on the sheet to keep them from falling apart, then transfer to sheets of old newspaper to cool completely.