creative cookies

For The Tiger Issue #3, I am taking a step away from talking about sports. Today I will talk about my baking, specifically the cookies I made (myself) from scratch to share with classmates. Since I didn't use measurements for anything, I will be unable to share that information. Instead, I will share what I used! I used organic flour, organic baking powder, vegan marshmallows, organic chocolate chips, one banana per batch, and coconut oil. Yes, I surprisingly didn’t use any butter or milk!

My thought process for the idea of the cookies all ties in with the creativity I have seen at my job. Customers would create the weirdest combinations of flavors such as avocado and oreo cookie ice cream, but it would end up tasting good (according to the customers at least). I thought of the idea of 'banana s’mores’ due to having a banana during lunch and was craving s’mores throughout that week. With the type of cookies I was going to make in mind, I wanted to make the cookies differently, not for the sake of being different, but just to experience the result. I ended up using only organic and vegan friendly ingredients to see if anyone would be able to tell the difference or not. When I was making the cookies, I had no butter or milk. So, I substituted the two with coconut oil, which worked out perfectly.

The final cookies scored an average of 9.6/10! Fellow classmates “Gigi” and Mia Ramirez thought the cookies were amazing, loved everything about it, and wished to have more in the future. In addition, Ashley Wells and Lorena Pajcini had also enjoyed the cookies very much. Lorena liked the consistency of the cookies, said the softness was “like cake,” and suggested that I make cake pops or brownies, which should be fun and easy to make. Ashley had liked the texture, the addition of marshmallows, and the overall taste. Ashley, as well, gave beneficial advice by saying that adding vanilla extract will enhance the flavors which I will have to try next time. In addition, Gianna Ortiz liked the texture and softness of the cookies as well as the concept of combining chocolate chips and marshmallows. Sadly, the cookie that Gianna had a “disturbing slight burntness.” Lastly, we have Jackson Pedersen. He thought the cookies were so good that he was willing to fight fellow students that tried taking a cookie from the container. Jackson had no words to describe the cookies, but instead he showed how much he liked them by eating about four cookies.

If I were to make these cookies again, I would add almond milk to make the cookies moist, rather than being slightly crumbly. I think I would keep everything else the same, such as the vegan ingredients plus the coconut oil. The vegan marshmallows I had bought were hard to distinguish whether they were even vegan, and they taste even better than regular marshmallows. Thankfully, I had no butter since not only was coconut oil a healthier option, but it added a slight hint of coconut as well.

Overall, the cookies were a success and I had fun doing this segment. In the future, I will be willing to do something like this again! Lastly, shout out to Gianna Ortiz for inspiring me to bake something! P.S. I am the better baker/cook between the both of us.