The other day during a writing workshop we were given a prompt, something to make us think of the holidays, some old-time recipe, some tidbit from our childhood, perhaps, of warm apple pie baking in the oven as we passed around a container of cinnamon. It smelled so good. I wanted to grasp some memory, but all I could come up with were the directions to Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Boil water, add pasta, cook, drain, add 1/4 milk, 1/4 butter and then mix in the "cheese" packet. Total yummy goodness every time. So when I got the notice that book club was doing a cookie exchange this year, I stressed. I looked up an incredible Double Chocolate Meringue Cookie recipe my sister and I had at Miraval. Low cal, one point each, sort of. Perfect for the new Weight Watchers, going to get through the holidays without gaining any pounds, goal. I bought all the stuff. Before last week I had no idea what parchment paper was. Or cream of tartar (sounds like it goes with something else from my youth, fish sticks), but now I know you get it in the baking section and it's not cream, it's a powder used to help make meringue fluffy. I made the cookies. Not good. A little charred. I tried again last night. No better. Flat, too crispy. Shawn and I and one of his patients that's a baker at AJ's reviewed my plight and figured that maybe it's the chocolate chips. Maybe they are pulling down my cookies. So I tried again. It's for the book club after all, needs to be good. I did the Miraval deep breathing. It's sort of like climbing a telephone pole and jumping off. It's all in your head. Just believe. It's only a bunch of egg whites. Really, how hard can this be? So I beat the crap out of them tonight and skipped the double part of the double chocolate meringue. Better. Chewy, chocolatey enough. I did it. Shawn finished them off. Tuesday book club, no more store bought loser stuff from me. I'm a baker now.
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