You're probably thinking the same thing I'm thinking. Why are these called washboard cookies? The don't resemble washboards at all. Or maybe you read my Twitter rant at the time these cookies were baked. Remember that rant in all caps about my cookies not coming out right...?? Yeah, these are those cookies! According to the description in the book, these cookies are supposed to be "crisp and perfect with a cup of tea." Well.... no. They didn't exactly turn out like that. Actually it must be opposite day because these suckers are very cake-like. If you know me, cake-like cookies do not make me happy... UNLESS they are part of a whoopie pie. But, ladies and gentlemen, these are not whoopie pies. These are supposed to be washboard cookies! I hate that I'm making very few posts lately because of my new and improved busy schedule. And I hate even more that my last TWO posts both contained mishaps! Oh well, I must press on! If anyone has any advice as to why these cookies turned out soft and cakey instead of crisp, I'd love to get your input!
Also, if you have any clues as to why my camera decided to go all "Chester Cheetah" on me and turn all of my photos orange, that would be nice as well! Here's what they looked like before Photoshop:
Recipe from Cook's Country: America's Best Lost RecipesWashboard Cookies
MAKES 36 COOKIES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I reduced this to only a pinch, but I'd completely omit it next time)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl. With an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg mixture and beat until well combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and coconut, and mix until just incorporated.
2. Following the photos, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and, using floured hands, shape it into a 15-inch log. (At this point, the dough was extremely soft and hard to work with. I'd recommend chilling it for about 15 minutes to make it easier to shape into a log.) Flatten the top and sides of the log so that it measures 1 inch high and 3 inches wide. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. (The dough can refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
3. Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and arrange the slices 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Dip a dinner fork in flour, then make crosswise indentations in the dough slices. Bake until the cookies are toasty brown, 15 to 18 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve.
