I’m waiting for some butter that was in the freezer to soften so that I can bake Root Beer Float Cookies for the St. Anonymous UMW spring bake sale. I have never tried these cookies before and have no idea if they will be any good or not, but the person who posted the recipe to Pinterest loved them and they look a lot faster and easier to make than the Logan’s Roadhouse style yeast rolls I was going to make.
Yesterday I got an email with a suggested price list for our products. The suggested price for a dozen cookies is $3.00. The root beer concentrate and buttermilk that I had to buy for the cookies cost just under $6.00. That doesn’t count the cost of the other ingredients that I already have around the house. Every year at this time, and again in the fall, I debate whether to just donate ten bucks to the United Methodist Women and save myself some baking. When I was younger, I used to love to bake, and once stayed up most of the night baking Danish pastries so they would be fresh and hot for a similar UMW bake sale. Now I look back and wonder who was that woman, and why was she using my name and my face?
The money we make from selling baked goods is supposed to go to missions. “Missions” always sounds vaguely like the money is going to exotic foreign lands but a lot of the missions we support are here at home: programs for children and youth, women in prison, and for a church run food bank.
I think the idea of bake sales dates back to the days when most women did not have an income, but did have time to spend baking, canning, or making small crafts. (Our "bake sale" actually sells a variety of items, not just baked goods, but the baked goods are most prominent.) I've heard stories of women bringing store bought items to donate, some still in the box. Having a "no-bake sale" in which everyone just chips in ten or fifteen dollars might make sense, but I think most of us would miss the bake sale.
I think the idea of bake sales dates back to the days when most women did not have an income, but did have time to spend baking, canning, or making small crafts. (Our "bake sale" actually sells a variety of items, not just baked goods, but the baked goods are most prominent.) I've heard stories of women bringing store bought items to donate, some still in the box. Having a "no-bake sale" in which everyone just chips in ten or fifteen dollars might make sense, but I think most of us would miss the bake sale.
So as soon as the butter softens, I will be baking cookies. This time, I will be sure to protect them from ants. If they are actually any good, I'll let y'all know.
For future reference: Most recipes with buttermilk can be successfully replaced by either 1 c. milk + 1 T. vinegar = 1 c. buttermilk, or use 1/2 c. or so of yogurt and make the rest of the volume up with milk. The key is having an acid to react with the baking soda.
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