Cookie Therapy

One of the drawbacks of living out in the boonies - our internet service has been pretty spotty since before Thanksgiving.  I'm pretty tolerant.  It's taken me this long to finally get fed up.  After yelling at my computer screen, then hanging up on the computerized "tech support" several times, I finally turned to cookie therapy.  Creating always helps me to refocus on something positive rather than the problem I can do nothing about at the moment.  It also lowers my blood pressure (pretty scary, because my BP is normally low). 

So what level of Cookie Therapy is called for after over two months of lousy internet service?  Hmmm, first, a batch of Lemon Bars.  One of my faves, because I always have plenty of organic California lemons, thanks to Dad's tree.  And the crust is flour, butter and sugar.  How can you go wrong with that?  Of course, I use whole wheat flour.  Next came six plus dozen Snickerdoodles.  Those got baked right after the lemon bars.  They're cheap and easy comfort cookies.  Then I mixed up two more varieties for the coming days when I knew I would need more Cookie Therapy.  These needed to be refrigerated before baking anyway.  Sure enough, the morning after the snickerdoodles and lemon bars, no internet.  So I baked eight dozen Chocolate Crinkles.  I love this recipe, because it uses less expensive cocoa, which I always have on hand for hot chocolate and brownies, instead of more expensive chocolate chips (which I tend to sneak into and eat).  They are also a perfect fix for a chocolate craving.  Still in the fridge, awaiting the next outage, is a batch of Lemon Cheese Spritz.  I mixed these up because I happened to have the cream cheese, and I have been wanting to use my cookie press.  So sometime in the next few days I will be baking the Spritz. 

There are several side perks to Cookie Therapy.  Baking helps warm the house.  I know we're eating healthier snacks, with organic whole wheat flour and real butter, without hydrogenates and unpronounceable additives.  And my freezer is stocked for the next couple months with said snacks.  Well, I think they'll last a couple months...

So which recipe should I share?  Oh, the dilemma!  I guess it has to be the Chocolate Crinkles, because of Valentine's Day coming up, and Mrs. D's chocoholism.  Here it is:

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
(adapted from original in Betty Crocker's Cooky Book (c)1963)

1/2 c. olive oil
12 T cocoa plus 4 T olive oil
2 cups sugar
1 T molasses
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 t. non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 t. sea salt
1 c. sugar processed in blender for 1 min.  (substitute for confectioner's sugar)

Mix oil, cocoa and oil, sugar and molasses.  Stir in 1 egg at a time until well mixed.  Stir in vanilla.  Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then add to wet ingredients.  Mix well.  Chill overnight. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Drop small spoonfuls of dough into remaining sugar (processed in blender or confectioner's).  Roll in sugar, shape into balls.  Place about 2" apart on greased baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Do not overbake!  Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Anyway, if anyone out there has a recommendation for rural internet service, such as Hughesnet, Mifi, aircard, please let me know.  Or go to Mrs. D's Homestead on Facebook and join in the discussion there.