A Christmas Baking Disaster

I was attempting to bake cookies for the second of three cookie exchanges i am doing this Christmas season.  My first attempt for my 1st cookie exchange was spectacular but this time around it was anything but.

The first batch I made was from this recipe  I chose this one because I had a box of red velvet cake mix in my pantry that I wanted to get rid of.  

Looking good, or so I thought.

This was the first pan.  They flattened alot.  The second pan didn't turn out at all because I forgot to spray it so they all stuck hardcore.  They were hard and crunchy and nothing like the photo.

Here is the end product.  They look like crap and i have no idea how they taste because I have 0 desire to even try them.  Again, they look nothing like the photo.

Here we go with recipe #2.  I had high hopes for this one:

Here is the dry ingredients:

The wet ingredients:

 All mixed together.  It looked way more brown then red so i added lots of food colouring but it didn't make much difference.

Going into the oven

And coming out of the oven.  Yet another flat pancake.  So not impressed!!

The cookie exchange that these cookies were for is on Thursday night.  I started making batch #3 today and am now waiting for Greg to get home to help me finish it.  Sometimes easy doesn't always mean easy - especially for me :)

I always thought of myself as a baker and not a cook but perhaps I am neither.  Although I have been reminded recently of the good birthday cakes, muffins and sugar cookies, gingerbread people I make so perhaps not all bad.  But did you know that I cannot make a gingersnap to save my life??  I have never been successful with it.  Perhaps I will challenge myself to make them soon - eventually something's gotta give right?

Thanks to all my dear friends who showed me support and encouragement yesterday when my baking confidence hit rock bottom.  I love each and every one of you!!