The History of a Zucchini

(Image taken from delish.com)

This post is a bit of a cop out, I know. It's an unworthy homage of "The History of a Squash", an article written by the character Beth (as Tracey Tupman) for "The Pickwick Portfolio", from the book Little Women. Recipe with at the end.)

Once upon a time a cook went to market in search of ingredients she would use to make supper. Among the items she carried home with her were two large zucchinis. One she chopped up and put in a savory vegetable stew; the other she sliced into matchstick-sized pieces and set aside. She stirred freshly-creamed butter with sugar, then added one fresh chicken egg and gradually added flour and oats to the mixture. In went the sliced zucchini and a handful of nuts. The mixture was then carefully spooned onto a baking pan and went into the oven until the heavenly scent wafted into the kitchen and the entire household. That night the stew and cookies were enjoyed by the household for which the cook worked. No one guessed that the same ingredient was used in both recipes.

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Kitchen Sink cookies (adapted from the recipe for Quaker Oats' "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" and Momofuku's Compost Cookies.)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 sticks of butter
2/3 cup of brown sugar (light or dark brown, doesn't matter too much)
1/3 cup of granulated (white) sugar
2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
2-3 cups of oats
Any combination of the following ingredients that add up to 2 1/2 cups:
dried cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips, pecans, almonds, walnuts, shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, puréed peas, puréed sweet potatoes, crushed pretzels, crushed potato chips.

DIRECTIONS1. Sift second group of ingredients together.
2. Combine all ingredients in first group, adding the egg after butter and sugars have combined.
3. Gradually mix the sifted ingredients into butter-sugar-egg mixture.
4. Add optional ingredients (optional).
5. Put dry ingredients from third group into a plastic bag, add a tablespoon of flour and shake.
6. Gradually mix remaining ingredients into the dough.
7. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchement paper, put in oven for about 12 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown.

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I play it sort of fast-and-loose when it comes to cooking and baking. The proportion and measurement of ingredients is much more important when it comes to baking because mistakes can't be as easily remedied. Some times I'm very careful about getting the exact amounts and following instructions to a T, but most of the time I get overzealous and tweak the recipe to my whims. Though my creations don't always turn out the way they were intended, they're usually all enjoyable. Or, at the very least, edible. I call these "kitchen sink" cookies because I like to put "everything but the kitchen sink" into the dough. It's a good way to sneak a small serving of vegetables into a dessert.