Here I will commence the Butterless Baking Challenge. Why did I take on this challenge? Because I need to get rid of the baking ingredients in my cupboard FAST before I start going on them by the handful. All my Christmas and New Years baking left me in this hole, and the world around me will benefit from my lack of desire to eat sugar. Now, why butterless? I could say that Rico put me to this challenge, or the almost Vegan girlfriend begged me to try this out, but no. This challenge came from my war with the 6 delis/Bodegas around me that only have salted butter sticks. Oh, and no Crisco. Screw them, I have vegetable oil!
First, some notes about cooking with vegetable oil:
- Your cookie will be more cakey.
- They cannot hold as much “stuff’–chocolate chips, cranberries–as butter cookies can.
- They get kinda hard the next day. Keep a piece of bread in the bag with ‘em to keep ‘em fresh.
- They can still be delicious.
Challenge 1–Rid myself of Peanut Butter Chips.
Review: Cookies were delicious, cakey and wonderful. I made them both as flat cookies and in mini muffin tins. Both cooked with the same amount of dough for the same amount of time. Both delicious. They were pillows of happiness and delight.
See, I think the flavor combination of peanut butter and chocolate is delicious, but am I the only one that finds there’s a small border between loving this and overdoing it? I only say this because I’m writing this post nauseous after “trying” the cookies around 10 times. Peanut Butter Overload.
Ingredients:
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups peanut butter (or any type) chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, oil and eggs in a large bowl. Add chips and mix well. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto parchment or Silpat-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until they don’t jiggle and only a few crumbs come out with a tester.
Makes like a billion cookies. I think 36 is about right.
