And Just Like That...

…the 1970 Kiki Project is finished!

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Recipe #40 was the only task left to complete.

I debated for days over what to make for the final recipe. Under consideration:

~ a birthday cake for this weekend, for myself (a lot of work, and I prefer a fantastic slice of cake eaten out, rather than homemade, sometimes!)

~ Mrs Mostert’s apple squares (this was my birthday celebration dessert last year when we celebrated at mom and dad’s; this choice could have been a fitting Recipe #40, as I would have ,then, the same dessert one year apart)

~ apple platz (platz is “squares” in German; this traditional family recipe is totally yummy plus I liked the significance of family)

But, in the end, I decided that simple is best. With the recipe I chose, I could utilize skills acquired over the previous 39 recipes; the finished product would be adored by all – especially B; this baked good is, I’ve decided, my favourite type of baking to play around with. As a hint, here are the ingredients for Recipe #40, assembled and ready to go:

look carefully, now...

What’s your guess?!

OK, I’ll spill the beans…

Recipe #40 is…

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Now, who did I turn to for the most stellar recipe possible???

Was it…

Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)?

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Was it…

Anna Olson??

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Was it…

My Mom??!

Bzzzzt. (buzzer of wrongness)

Instead, I went straight to the experts:

the recipe on the back of the chip package

This choice reminded me of stories you hear where Grandma or Great-Auntie’s cookie recipe is the best in the family. Then, when queried as to the origin, the family matriarch states that it comes from the back of the chocolate chip package! Strange, but so true.

To get back to why I chose to make classic chocolate chip cookies, here are my reasons:

~ Making cookies is my favourite form of baking, I’ve decided. You can make a cookie as easy or as complex as you wish, they freeze well so leftovers are not problematic, and you can freelance if/when you see fit.

~ Butter, margarine, or shortening?? That is the debatable question. From my cookie trials this year, I declare that the winner is:

shortening!

i prefer the cookie texture that comes with crisco use!

~ Parchment paper is the best “new to me product” this year – I had never tried lining cookie sheets with this paper before, and I love both the results and that you don’t have to scrub caked-on cookie bits off the cookie sheets when you’re done baking.

Near the beginning of the Recipe Project, I purchased a giant bag of oatmeal. My goal was to empty it by the conclusion of The Project. Well, I got close:

i put the one cup measure there to show the amount of oats left...that was one big bag!!

The only other “leftover” is this, from Recipe #18:

pie crust mix, purchased back in May...all sealed up, though, so it should be ok, right?!

And what are the chances…my one and only baking boo-boo occurred today:

just makes me look professional, right?!

To commemorate the end of my project, I decided to share the cookies around among friends and family. Just to be special, I made up fun little cookie bags:

the tags say, "celebrating the conclusion of the 1970 kiki project"

And, I kid you not, after making up the gifties, I had this amount left for our freezer:

exactly. forty. cookies.

Honestly, total coincidence – I didn’t know how many cookies were on those cooling sheets til I had prepped the cellophane bags. I love it!

Happily, we’ll be stocked with cookies for a while!

bye bye!

For the recipe details on today’s final production, click here and you’ll be taken to the “40 Recipes” page.

As Kool and the Gang would say, “It’s A Celebration!”

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