My Black Apron in Ku-Ki-Do

Cookies are my thing.  So, blogging must start with Ku-Ki-Do. 

First a little background…

The road to cookie mastery began last time we lived at West Point where I spent three years baking a batch every Tuesday afternoon for “our cadets”.  That kind of repetition inspires either boredom or experimentation.  I opted for the later.  New strategies were initially born of poor planning and an aversion to last-minute grocery runs with toddlers who approached the aisles of the commissary like a pack of baby goats.  Eventually though, a few seriously sumptuous batches emerged from my cantankerous oven and the process of fine-tuning became a healthy obsession that continues to this day.  

The first objective was to master “The Chocolate Chip” and after about twenty tweaking sessions with different combinations of equipment and ingredients I got to the point where I could consistently turn out blue-chip specimens.   From there, I began the process with other varieties, all of which are my very favorite on whichever day I happen to bake them.   And, on rainy afternoons with aging dried cranberries or other equally odd ingredients staring me down, I still like to audition new ideas for the lineup.

I share my recipes without keeping any secrets.  I REALLY do, but I am often accused of holding something back.  Crazy!  I would never sabotage the process of cookie creation!   Honestly, I’m not sure exactly what I do differently from others who bake from the same recipes, but I have come to the conclusion that method and ingredients are critical to results.  Not everything is easy to put on a recipe card but I believe anyone can turn out great cookies.  You too can award yourself a legendary black apron in this newly established order! 

Thus, the blog begins.

Stay tuned for philosophy, pictures, methodology, and of course the recipes.