Sometimes Margarine is Best

Last week I did an experiment when baking my TNT tried and true 1, 2, 3 Cookies. I baked them at my daughter's, and she had coconut oil, which is considered healthier than margarine. So, that's what I used.

First of all, since the coconut oil was in a glass jar and not in pre-measured/weighed blocks like margarine, I had two difficult challenges.

• getting the coconut oil out of the jar
• weighing the coconut oil

My daughter set up the scale with the mixing bowl at zero, and I struggled to remove the coconut oil from the jar. Eventually I managed to put enough coconut oil in the mixing bowl. I'd say that it easily quadrupled, or much more, the entire preparation time for making these simple cookies. That's besides the greasy mess it made.

Then I quickly added the two other ingredients, sugar and flour. Since we had decided to make granola cookies, I substituted oats for some of the flour. 

Even though the coconut oil was much softer than unmelted margarine, it couldn't be mixed with a spoon or two. So, first my granddaughter and then my daughter kneaded the mixture by hand. It was so awfully greasy that I kept on adding more flour and sugar, besides the cinnamon for flavor. 

I placed the mush in baking pans and put them in the oven, medium heat. I could see them baking and bubbling, but no matter how long, there was no "browning." At one point, when they seemed to have baked enough, I took out the trays and cut the cookies. Then I replaced them in the oven and turned it off. That's where I left the cookies and went home. 

My daughter reported that even when cooled the oiliness remained, and they didn't properly harden. 

There is a version of these cookies with oil and egg, but since we were making them for a vegan, we couldn't use eggs. 

Since the cookies aren't daily fare by us, baking them with margarine is perfectly fine and safe. Forget the coconut oil. It's just not worth the extra time and effort. And the cookies don't come out well either.

Basic 1, 2, 3  cookie recipe:

• Any weight measurement is fine as long as you're consistent. 
• 100 grams sugar
• 200 grams margarine melted
• 300 grams flour
• either cinnamon, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, seeds, chopped nuts etc
• measure and mix
• pat down 1 centimeter or a third of an inch on baking paper in pan
• bake in medium oven until it starts to brown
• remove to cut into squares or diamond shape
• return to oven and turn it off
• When it gets a bit browner, not burnt, take out to cool. 
• Once cooled, the cookies will harden.
• If they are still soft, then return to hot oven for a few minutes of bubbling.