The Big Christmas Cookie Bake is on and my misadventures with an antique bed!

Last night I mixed up a batch of cut out cookies,  see Sugar Cookies to Cut Out 12/10/11.  I like to frost them with the frosting recipe at the end of the post and sprinkle them with decorative sugars. I baked these first thing this morning.

This morning I tried The Pioneer Woman's Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies.  She had them going a week or so and I printed off the recipe as malts are my friend and that sounds awfully good in a chocolate chip cookie!  So this morning was spent baking and decorating cookies.   It is a very lovely thing to do on a cold and gloomy day.

This is my adaptation of Malted milk Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients for Ree Drummond's Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks soft butter
3/4 C. brown sugar packed
3/4 C. sugar
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
1/2 C. malt milk powder, rounded
2 C. flour
1 1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/4 t. salt
12 Oz. bag of chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and whisk the flour, soda, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.   Prepare the baking sheets with parchment or silpat mats.

Cream the butter and sugars until fluffy.  Add the slightly beaten eggs.  Combine the vanilla and malted milk powder with the creamed mixture until smooth.  Add the flour mixture until just combined and stir in the chocolate chips until distributed.

Drop by teaspoons onto the prepared pans or use a cookie scoop.  Leave quite a bit of room between them as these are a thin cookie that spreads.  I made six per half sheet pan.   Bake 9-11 minutes.  The cookies will be very flat and chewy.  Allow to cool a few minutes before removing them from the pans to cool.

Option:  Cool completely and use two cookies to make ice cream sandwiches.  Add sprinkles to the sides of the ice cream, then wrap individually in plastic and return to the freezer until serving time.

Again I will put at least half of these in the freezer for later.  The most important thing is to place waxed paper between the layers and double wrap them.

After I cleaned up the kitchen I headed to the back bedroom where I have worked for 3 days to switch out the rails of an antique oak sleigh bed.  Why 3 days?  Brian had hurt his shoulder and I don't want to aggravate it further by asking him to help me.  Right off the bat I hurt my back hauling the rails from the garage.  I didn't have enough sense or patience to take them one at a time.  I expect I am old enough to have known better.  Ha  ha!  By the way, the reason I got started on this project is that every fall, before Christmas, I change all of the beds to flannel sheets before we get overnight company.  So, while I was at it I thought I would out go ahead and switch out the rails.  I am thinking of using the old rails as shelves mounted with brackets for display or for plants.  I have seen this done with old ironing boards and I think this might do nicely.

Anyway it was the first days adventure.  Getting them up a full flight of stairs.  This bed is made with oak plugs instead of nails which dates it quite a bit.  It is solid oak and the rails have a ledge as well as notches built into it to place the slats into every few inches.  I have never seen one like this although my church pew is made this way. We have been using the incorrect rails up until now.

I broke a light bulb all over the place Sunday when I started again.  When it hit that hard old oak it shattered like it was concrete and I am still finding glass and sweeping it up today. 

Finally Monday I was able to drag the mattress and box springs off and lean them against the wall.  I pulled up, wiggled, and cajoled the first rail out and managed to keep the whole bed from collapsing on top of me.  About then I lost my balance, regained it, and decided "enough for today."  Thus my 3 days.

Still can't get this finished.  Tomorrow is day four of trying to get this bedroom back together and maybe Gingersnaps?