baking: an introduction.

to be a part of my family, a prerequisite is a love of food. next to breathing, we cook and eat. then we proceed to talk about what we cooked and how we ate it. point is, the love of food is inherent with me.  it flows through my veins, its encoded in my dna, it can be furthered metaphorized in alternate cheesy fashions. but the love of food and the skill to make it wasn't easy come.  if i was brought up in india like my parents, i would have learned to cook uppitu, tuppa-anna and chapati out of necessity.  but like many first generation "american" girls with parents paranoid about the combination of fire and klutzy daughters, my first foray into the kitchen was through baking (cause sylvia plath didn't stick her head in an oven...)

at first, i was awful at it. the cookies came out with burned bottoms. my brother and i would eat out the gooey tops out with a spoon and throw away the bottoms. the cakes were dry. i would slather them with tubs of betty crocker frosting and hope no one would notice.  the brownies hard. i'd call them fudge in an attempt to save the day.  but i was dogged, persistent! and i prevailed. these are the cookies that did me into the baking hall of fame in high school. they are refreshingly undisgusting for xmas, unlike fruitcake, marzipan and eggnog, more apple pie. the perfect comforting holiday treat. or the ultimate gateway recipe. you decide?

the oh-so-famous mock trial christmas party cookies
chocolate-chip walnut oatmeal cookies - makes 45

ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease 3-4 baking sheets.
2. sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. cream together the butter and both types of sugar. add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
4. slowly add the flour and mix until blended well. add the rolled oats, chocolate chips and walnuts and stir until distributed well. the cookie dough should be crumbly.
5. drop dough in tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven.

these are perfect with hot cocoa - preferably ghirardelli's sweet ground cocoa in milk with a pinch of cinnamon (and a splash of kahlua...if you're naughty). welcome to bliss!

ADDENDUM: for my lacto but not ovo veggies:
substitute half a cup of yogurt for the egg and bake as normal. see, i provide answers for all!