Bachelor Camp – Cookie-Baking for Men

So far the only downside to Bachelor Camp is that it's attended by a bunch of bachelors. The “boys” are enjoying learning the tricks of the adult trade, coming up with great ideas for future workshops, and having a tremendous time acting male around each other – but getting three young men to have a daily, overlapping slot of free time would challenge the Super Powers of any mortal.

Red had company today so couldn't join us for Cookies 101, but it worked out for the best – we didn't have enough shortening on hand to make THREE double batches! Sassy wasn't here either but it didn't matter for this lesson – she makes cookies as well as I do.

All the boys want to learn baking basics so we started with Chocolate Chip Cookies because it just doesn't get more basic than that. This recipe sufficed to reinforce what Jack and Rocky both already knew about careful measuring, thorough mixing and the all-important “wash your hands!” It also gave me the chance to pass along a couple of my own kitchen tips (like “break the eggs into the measuring cup and dump them into the mixing bowl, then measure the shortening – it will slip right out of the cup” and “bake the cookies slightly cooler for slightly longer if you want them to be slightly chewier”). It was fun, we got to eat cookies at the end of it – and I never tire of the sight of a male in an apron!

This weekend we'll be doing more cooking and may delve into a few “manly” areas such as How to Use a Power Tool. The big excitement today in our household is that we're getting together with our own beloved Mollie and Doctor John – we're meeting up for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and afterwards convoying over to Joy and Roger's house to eat some of their one-year-old wedding cake!

What will the boys be wearing? Why, the shirts they ironed yesterday, of course!