Just a Number?

My friend Annie’s birthday is this week. We kicked off the week of celebrating by joining her at the F.A.B. (Fighting Against Breast cancer) 5k on Sunday.

She was a perfect hostess and threw a ladies brunch that will surely show up on pinterest one day.

Finishing up last minute details before the race.

Since I crashed at her place the night before, I did what I often have others do for me while baking- sit and kept her entertained as she cooked away.We talked about this, that, and the other, until the topic of her birthday came up. She’s older than me by just over a month. And this is the year we turn 27.

A cookie bar recipe that includes whoppers? And not just some- I doubled the recipe and used the WHOLE carton. You’re welcome.

She said she had always wanted to have get-togethers and throw parties like this when she grew up and was just waiting to do it. Then, she realized recently, that uh…. well… somewhere in the past few years, we did grow up.

When mixing all the dry ingredients, I’ve learned to always hold back, at the very least, a half cup of flour. It only took one incident where there was WAY too much flour listed (I think it was an accident) for me to start doing this. You can always add more- it’s much harder to take away…

When? I’m not quite certain. Adulthood is a sneaky bastard, and I assume it snuck into my head as my preferences turned from Keystone Light to Goose Island.

Or when I made the decision on my own as to where I would live after college?

Or when I started drinking coffee instead of Diet Coke to wake myself up in the morning?

Or when I looked in the mirror and said to myself, “there is no way you’re leaving the house with a skirt this short. Has it always been this short? I look like a prostitute. Did it shrink in the wash?!?!”

Or when I started not being able to sleep in past 8:00 (or 9:00 at the very latest) on the weekends because I felt the need to “be productive”.

Maybe when I rolled my eyes in exasperation and said “oh crap… Mom was right.” (Yes, mom, I have said that. And no, I will not tell you specific times it happened.)

Sometimes a rolling pin just won’t do the trick. That’s when you know it’s time to break out the hammer. And I did. With pleasure. Muahahahaa….

Whenever it was, it happened. And after Annie confessed her realization, we just looked at each other.

Sure, we have two very different lives. She has a husband and owns a house. I’m perpetually single and rent. She’s excited about the idea of children and I can’t wait to say I’ve officially kept a house plant alive for 3 years (this summerrrrr!!!!).

I used the same ratio of whoppers stated in the recipe, however, I skipped the marshmallows and cut back on the amount of chocolate chips used. Unlike the original, I planned to frost the cookie cake and didn’t want it to be overkill.

But we’re both adults, nonetheless. We pay bills and taxes. We grocery shop for ourselves. We clean. We watch the news and discuss the weather. We talk about 401k’s and health insurance options. And, as we now officially enter our late 20′s, the evidence is not only in how we act, it’s on legal documents, too.

A new trick I learned! If you pop the cookie sheet into the freezer for about 10ish minutes before throwing it in the oven, the sides will start to cool down. Because the edges are cooler when put into the oven, they’ll bake slower than usual (and theoretically at the same pace as the middle). This leaves you with a cookie cake that isn’t raw in the middle and baked relatively evenly across the whole pan. Brilliant!

But why don’t I feel different?

I still feel like I shouldn’t be allowed to do some of the things I do without thinking, “oh man… mom and dad are going to be so mad…”. Shouldn’t be allowed to buy certain things on my own. Go where I want without permission.

Ahhhh the pink icing. It not only fits Annie’s personality, it went extremely well with the breast cancer awareness theme of the race!

So, my question is, when does that part change? That part that automatically knows what to do and reminds me “you can do this because you’re an adult and that’s what adults do”.

Or will it? I’m nervous it won’t.

Sometimes the best birthday cakes are simple and fun. Done and done.

Maybe that’s ok. Because I can’t imagine my life without a few nights out of the month where I stay up much too late for my own good. Drink an extra glass or two of wine more than I should. Eat cookies for dinner. Giggle at the word “balls”.

So yes, we have come a long way. And yes, from the looks of this post, I’m still very much confused about my age.

But oh how much longer we have yet to go. 27 doesn’t seem as scary as it used to be.

Talk to me in another year…The recipe used for the cookie cake was Picky Palate’s loaded malted chocolate chip cookie bars. I doubled the recipe so it would give me enough for a 9×13 pan and, as mentioned earlier, cut out the marshmallows and cut back on the chocolate chips. The frosting made up for this. Promise.

Another promise? There is surely not a better recipe for a cookie cake. My favorite thing about it was how the malted milk powder/crushed whoppers baked. They created a texture as if toffee had been added. VERY chewy.  And VERY addicting.

I’ll just hold on to that childish notion of eating cookies for dinner for maybe one more day…

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