Cooking web notes

  Oh the fun I had today.  It's been a while since I baked or made anything sweet.  This morning I knew it was time.  Couldn't make up my mind if it will be chocolate cake my usual or something different/ new.  The sensible side kept saying with gravity, chocolate cake.  I whip it up quite often and both my husband and I love it.  Not too sugary, very rich with chocolate, soft and crumbly I knew it was my best bet.   However, this irksome other side of mine which wins over the better of me with its usual emphatic clamour and relentless pushing persuaded me to bake TOFFEE.  This recipe is from J who assumes I am good at cooking and mostly avoids details when she shares her recipe with me.  She will jot down the recipe on a smart checkered top recipe card and in a matter of fact way put down the ingredients and say bake it.  It's great!  She is always right and I do know her ways cos we have baked together.  But not on a groggy morning when my mind is counting the dogwood flowers that are in bloom.
                            
  I still wanted to bake and it's not easy to explain to you why I am like what I was this morning.  I got the mix together and dumbed all the dough in a baking pan and roughly spread them out.  Now Toffee's are easy peezy.  To my utter chagrin when I popped the oven half way through baking I thought meringue pie was baking.  Yeah! My short bread dough looked bumpy.  (Meringue is an exaggeration so don't worry)  I scratched my head like 'Supandi' and waited for the bulb to light.  No luck.  I am running out of time.  I pulled out the dough half way through baking and patiently patted down the dough.  Evened out.  Phew! Only if I did that first time around.  Disclaimer: Never try patting down dough half way through cooking chances are you might burn yourself with the edge of the pan.
  Long story short I was reminded again do baking when you have the time and you are thinking clearly not in a hurry.  Or you should have a friend like J or M or Namitha who will listen patiently and help you think clearly when you call them.  Even though they are themselves juggling 101 things in the morning.  Did I tell you about the taste.  Butter scotchy.  My favorite flavor.  Yes!   When I envision butter and caramalized sugar or brown sugar blending together.. hmmm ecstasy! 

Ingredients:
Butter/Oleo - 1 Cup
Brown Sugar - 1 Cup
Egg yolk - 1
Vanilla - 1 tspn
Flour - 2 Cup
Salt - 1/4 tspn
Method:
1. Cream butter/oleo
2. Add all the other ingredients and mix one at a time to make a dough
3. Spread the dough evenly in a baking tray (9 inch square pan)
4. Bake at 350 F for 20 min
5. Spread chocolate chip on top once short bread is baked and keep it in the oven again to melt it.  At this time oven can be off because chocolate will melt with the warmth it already has

Contributor: Sunitha