The original recipe is easy and fool proof. It’s comforting to know good things in life can be so simple.

My first attempt making Angel food cake ended up in miserable failure. I was not been careful and was getting experimental again – some egg yolks got into the egg mixture, and I switched granulated sugar to light brown sugar. Yes, I had nobody but myself to blame for the failed attempted.

I followed the recipe exactly in my 2nd attempt. Well, only change was I cut 1/4 cup less sugar. Finally, we have a cake.

It was light and just the right amount of sweetness, perfect with Vanilla ice cream.

Success! This patch of cookies were a hit at home and at work. This time I followed the recipe exactly, no substitution or random experimentation. My very picky personal food critic ktula actually liked these cookies. Too bad he only had a couple before I devoured what’s left at home.

My second cookie challenge is Chocolate-Molasses Cookies from Martha Steward site.

Normally I experiment when I’m cooking. Baking is no exception, I can’t help but to tamper with original recipe ingredients – I replaced butter with apple sauce, and semi-sweet chocolate is now 60% bitter-sweet chocolates.

I brought a few finished cookies to work to share with Lara, a talented studio artist also a baking veteran. She tasted it and was able to tell I didn’t follow the recipe exactly.

The cookie was more densed than she expected. She explained when butter was swapped with apple sauce, the protein in the recipe was taken away, therefore affected the texture of the cookies.

As for me, I liked the cookies. Then again I never not like anything I made. Ktula didn’t like it though. The taste is “too healthy” for his liking. Fine, I’ll use butter next time.