Baking Like Crazy

I have been baking like crazy since earlier this month.  I only discovered recently that the oven we bought could actually be used for baking! Oh my goodness! At first, I started with the Chocolate Chip Cookies, Carrot Cake and I also tried using the oven to make Chicken Roulade! I was just going gaga about baking! And oh, I made Lemon Bars too!

At first I felt bad not being able to realize that I could've used the oven to bake ham for the holidays. But then again, it could be a blessing in disguise! Haha Because the Husband doesn't like ham and secondly, ham is very expensive here in the Lion City. Actually, almost everything is expensive here. :|

God knows how much I missed baking. I love love love it. It's been 2 years since I last baked a decent cake. Maybe I was too tired from babysitting that I completely forgot about my love for baking. I have not been trained formally but I guess it comes naturally if it's in your genes. You see, my mother loves baking and so does my sister. We have a small bakery back home and I guess it would be insane if I didn't know basic baking at all!

I made Oatmeal Cookies this time. I will use the recipe from Allrecipes.com because it's easy to prepare and the ingredients are tummy-friendly.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:
In a bowl, cream butter with brown and white sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.
Combine the remaining dry ingredients such as flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
Fold this into the butter mixture. Add the oats, chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for an hour.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Grease cookie sheets. Set aside.

Drop a tablespoon of the cookie dough onto the baking sheets with 2 inches apart from each other. Flatten the cookie a bit to have an even result. Bake for about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Source: http://allrecipes.com./recipe/soft-oatmeal-cookies/

I made some revisions with the recipe.  I used regular flour instead of the whole wheat or all purpose. I also used granulated brown sugar because I didn't have the refined one at home. :( It took longer for me to cream the butter and sugar. Huhu I didn't put cinnamon but I added chocolate chips and walnuts to make them yummier. :)

Here's the first batch of my Soft Oatmeal Cookies:

Fresh from the oven

My young tot and the Husband enjoyed these goodies that they didn't last for more than 3 days!