Full disclosure: these aren’t reaaally the ugliest cookies in the world. They’re just… they’re not pretty, but they’re not aggressively ugly enough to be charming or appealing. Instead, they’re uncomfortably misshapen, with half-hearted hatching and odd little bits sticking out.

I didn’t set out to make ugly cookies on Saturday night. I was watching an episode of SVU (I wasn’t joking in my other post!) and wanted a break from knitting, so I decided to make cookies. I’d roasted up and pureed a big ol’ butternut squash earlier that day, so I decided to use squash in place of pumpkin. I turned to a favorite cookbook – Vegan With a Vengeance, of course! – and flipped to the cookie section. The Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies were exactly what I craved, so I blithely set to work… only to discover, mid-mixing, that I didn’t have any rolled oats. Whaaa? I always have oats! I must’ve brought them to work and forgot to bring them home. So, instead of using oats, I just upped the flour content and hoped for the best. I also added mini chocolate chips in place of the raisins and walnuts because, ew, raisins.

Sad hatch marks.

Okay, I know that the front cookie doesn’t look all that ugly. But the rest of them are odd-looking! I swear!

…looks aside, these are still pretty tasty. Not the best pumpkin/squash cookies I’ve ever had, but certainly good enough to sate me. I’ll just need to remember to bring my oats home from work so that my next batch is even better!

What do you do when you realize you’re out of an ingredient mid-baking?