THINK WHAT A BETTER WORLD IT WOULD BE IF WE ALL, THE WHOLE WORLD, HAD COOKIES AND MILK ABOUT THREE O'CLOCK EVERY AFTERNOON AND THEN LAY DOWN ON BLANKETS FOR A NAP. (BARBARA JORDAN)

There remained in my cabinet exactly two and a quarter cups of flour, and in my refrigerator two eggs (still fresh, which I knew because I tested them in water).

I had to. There were too many variable still unchecked from the last batch.

We had used dark brown sugar instead of light. That could have been our downfall (or rather, the cookies' downfall). I still had some Country Crock in the refrigerator, which has a much higher butter content than the margarine we used the second time (we had attributed the second batch's failure to the use of margarine and not butter). And of course, for batches #2, and the pending batch #3, the Tollhouse Recipe was used as to where batch #1 used the Betty Crocker Recipe.

So like I said, I HAD to. Batch #3 had to be done, because I had to know if the light brown sugar, and using Country Crock would make a difference. Last night was inevitable.

Now here's the thing. In reality, I knew that the Country Crock was going to spoil it. But that little tub was calling to me from the wire racks in the 'fridge, giggling its little giggle the way it does. "I'm good on toast and muffins. Just as good butter, really. You choose me over butter all the time. Do it!" I really wanted butter, but you know, it was 9:30PM, and that's too late to start making phone calls to go to the store just for butter. People would think I was nuts. So, the experiment continued factoring in the only slightly higher butter count of Country Crock, and focusing on the LIGHT brown sugar as opposed to the dark.

Conclusions: Country Crock makes for RUNNY batter, because there's still not enough to HOLD the mixture together in stiff form. This is why recipes that call for margarine split it with Crisco. I mean, we all know that instinctively. The light brown sugar was a good move though. Also, the dark cookie sheet may be a problem which I will have to continue to test at a future time when I have BUTTER. I only baked six cookies because those spread out to cover the entire pan.

Batch #3 as baked cookies - completely failed. However, batch #3 as cookie dough?! Complete success! I don't know what I'm going to do with a HUGE tub of cookie dough sitting around, though. I like it as much as the next person, but not that much.

Oh wretched chocolate chip cookie recipe! Why do you taunt me! Now I have no flour, no eggs and no chocolate chips and I need a new cookie sheet, as well. Are you trying to tell me to lay off the cookies!? Had I never tasted some of my own lovely cookies, I would not want for more! But I have! Oh sorry baker am I...

hahaha...