Eight weeks in and it finally happened — my first kitchen casualty.

I’ll admit, I’ve gotten pretty cocky over the past few weeks. Things were going so well! But it looks like I’ve run out of things I know how to cook and things got…interesting.

After a long day at work, nothing sounded simpler and more relaxing than a big pan of chocolate chip cookies. But since this is a cooking blog and not just a heating blog, I figured I’d do it the hard way. From scratch. 

First of all, I just want to say that baking is really hard. I just moved into this apartment about 2 months ago, so I’m still getting acquainted with the oven. So this is not all my fault.

I started with a quick trip to the grocery to pick up my ingredients:

– 2 eggs

– 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

– 1 teaspoon baking soda

– 1 teaspoon salt

– 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

– 3/4 cup granulated sugar

– 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

– 2 cups of chocolate chips

Everything was going fine.

I mixed all the dry ingredients, the butter and added the eggs individually. I waited to add the chips last so I knew there was enough. Still fine.

I filled my baking sheet with several spoonfuls of chocolate-y goodness and set my timer. 10 minutes at 375 was all that stood between me and those long-awaited cookies. As the smell of chocolate filled the air, I took out the pan and left it on the stove to cool.

Then it was time to take my first bite. And that’s when things got ugly. 

I can’t even explain it. I’ve never had cookies this bad. Like, seriously. Never. After a few more bites and some gagging, I saw it. The tablespoon measuring cup sitting on the counter.

Turns out, I used an entire tablespoon of baking soda, salt and vanilla instead of a teaspoon. Lesson learned: Salty cookies will make you want to die.

I plan to revisit the world of baking, but for now, I think I’ll stick to heating things up. At least that way, I don’t have to stare at a dozen perfectly good-looking cookies in the trash can.

Thank God for Pillsbury.