Flat Stanley meets his match.....

There has been something plaguing me for years now. A dark cloud hanging over my head that I just haven't been able to shake. A source of contention, something that fills me with a sense of failure at every attempt. This terrible conundrum is......FLAT COOKIES. Many moons ago, I made the best, most lovely chocolate chip cookies. Mom would frequently ask me to make cookies and not only were they delish but also oh so pretty to look at. I hate to toot my own horn but I have to admit, I made quite a name for myself in STJ. But then the unexpected happened....my cookie baking skills fell FLAT, literally. For years now, every batch of cookies I have made have turned out FLAT! Sometimes pancake FLAT, sometimes with just the slightest mound shape to them but mostly just FLAT! The attempts at a remedy have been numerous....soften the butter, use less soft butter, new baking soda, oven temperature adjustments and to no avail. Still ridiculous looking, FLAT cookies.

Saturday night while discussing my dilemma with Connie (following a particularly embarrassing batch of FLAT STANLEYS), I had a sudden stroke of genius, maybe it was the cookie sheet. Since being married, I have used the air bake cookie sheets we received as a wedding gift as they are the perfect shape to place the cookies on. Prior to marriage, I used regular old rectangular cookie sheets. Ah, this may be just the ticket! Such a simple fix. Could it be this would be all it would take to put me back on top?

Of course, I was anxious to put my theory to the test and finally had the chance on Friday. My trusty assistant, Lily and I popped the Darius Rucker CD in and hit the laboratory determined to send FLAT STANLEY packin' once and for all. Fresh off the science fair, I decided a full on experiment was in order. Three cookies sheets were pulled from the pantry and put into rotation~an air bake, a lightweight cookie sheet and a heavy duty cookie sheet.

As any scientist worth her salt knows, you can only change one variable to produce valid, scientific results so we stuck to the original Tollhouse recipe and got cookin'. After the requisite beater batter test, into the oven went the first pan, the airbake sheet.

FLAT~not as bad as last week's paper thin, see through cookies but not the perfectly shaped, commercial ready cookies of the days of yore. Just as I suspected!

Next up was the heavy duty, big mama sheet. As the timer counted down, the anticipation mounted. I had faith, my excitement was palpable and TADA!!!!

Finally, the perfect cookie. OK, maybe a little more brown than I prefer but the shape was stuff dreams are made of. My hypothesis had been verified and I finally found redemption. The third, lightweight sheet produced another batch of piping hot, irrestible, wonderful little morsels. I pulled perfect cookie after perfect cookie out of the oven and intend to from here on out. It is unfathomable it took me ten years and countless hours of frustration but it just makes the conclusion so much sweeter.

Lily and I are proud of our success and have enjoyed the fruits of our labor. The mystery of the FLAT cookie has been solved and balance has been restored to my universe. It just lucky this worked, otherwise the "sheet" would have definitely hit the fan!