It’s been a busy week around EasyRecipe central. We’re so close to launching our new recipe plugin and it seems like every 15 minutes I get a, “Maureen, can you design a _____ for me right now?” So it’s drop everything and help him get what he needs done and then get back to “work”. My blog and cooking in general have suffered. Last night I ate peanut butter off a spoon for dinner. I know, I know – it could be orgasmic to do that but I’d need to have my clothes off and who has time?
I got a call yesterday from an old friend who was visiting Brisbane and wanted to drive up to the Sunshine Coast for coffee with us. With all that’s been going on, we both went, “who has time for this???” But we love this woman and wouldn’t miss spending time with her so I raced around like a madwoman making the house presentable. Did you see the meme going around this week that said the best cleaning is always done in the 10 minutes before company arrives? That’s me to a T. Anyone who arrives unannounced takes their chances.
You probably don’t have to clean up for company but I’ve got a dog that thinks every tissue or piece of paper he finds should be made into confetti, leaves kiss marks along the bottom of the windows (our back wall is nearly all glass) and I have cats who think if I don’t feed them at 6am they’ll knock over the food and help themselves. Yes, the place was a mess. I’d just gotten home from having coffee with a new friend and scrubbing the windows and floors wasn’t on my to-do list.
John came down the stairs and said the usual, “you don’t need me to do anything do you?” It’s like he doesn’t live here and the chores are all mine but he has been working 18 hr days to get this thing done so I smiled sweetly and said, “I’ve got it,” and he trotted back to his office. A few minutes later he yelled down and said, “Don’t forget that Anne can’t eat eggs!”
Argh, I had forgotten so I went to my recipe file from my mother to find a quick cookie without eggs so we could have a nibble with coffee. I found one! Okay, I’m not a big fan of cookies without eggs. It’s like eating a stick of sweet butter for me but in small quantities, this recipe is very good. They are especially good if you can’t eat eggs.
- 3½ cups flour
- 452 grams (2 cups) salted butter
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy - don't skimp on this step because it makes a difference.
- Add vanilla extract.
- Slowly add in the flour.
- Place the large balls of of cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheet pan using a spoon or ice cream scoop. Leave room for flattening and a little bit of spread in the oven.
- Take a flat bottomed glass, smear a tiny bit of batter on the bottom and dip in sugar and flatten each ball.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. You only want the edges to turn brown so the cookies are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Anne was so pleased that she got a treat that she begged for the recipe to take back to Melbourne with her. I figured if she was that happy, other people who can’t eat eggs might like them too so you should keep this recipe for friends like Anne.