That's the way the cookie crumbles

Today was a day. A Day.

We were back on snack duty for school, and little man decided he wanted cookies. No problem, right? Wrong.

I should have been more wary since my last cookie adventure ended with a gooey uni-cookie of a mess on the cookie sheets. But I bake all the time, so I blamed the new recipe.

Today, this is what I got.

This is what was left of 3.5 sheet pans of oatmeal chocolate chip. Hubby's favorite. This is what I get for trying. 

I was in a panic, thinking I needed to toss my cookie sheets and burn the cookbooks. My baking rep was in serious jeopardy. I texted my father-in-law, who single-handedly supples all of Indianapolis with a dozen different varieties of Christmas cookies. (Okay, maybe not ALL of Indy, but darn close.) He gathered the important information - oatmeal cookies, called for butter AND shortening, and yes, it's the same butter I always use. 

His diagnosis? The butter had too much water or my baking powder was bad. 

DING DING DING DING!

I went to my pantry instantly. I had just opened a new can before the monster cookie debacle. Date on the bottom of the can? MARCH 2006. W.T.F??!! There is no freaking way that can has been in my pantry for 4.5 years. I'm sure there are dust bunnies who have been living here that long, so don't check under anything, but I actually use my baking supplies. I'm sure I can thank a mix up at our local mega-mart for my cookies crumbling. And two weeks of my baking-induced anxieties. 

Now the next chance I get, I am off to the store to buy more baking powder, where I will CHECK the date on the can. Once I have a successful batch or two under my belt, I may start to feel normal again.

Because that is no way to treat a cookie.