1-2-3 essence from "Ratio" page 38

A cookbook with math formulas!  What more could an accountant / baker want?

I have to admit, the first time I baked the 1-2-3 Cookie Dough, I used white wheat flour, added orange oil, and threw in chopped Ghirardelli 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate.  I should have added more sugar!  The mixture was very crumbly.  Lesson learned:  "If it's crumbly going in, it will probably be crumbley coming out."  The cookies were bad..just bad.  But, the fault was not that of Mr. Ruhlman's ratio in his latest book, "Ratio The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking."  

For my second attempt with the ratio, I followed the directions (almost) exactly as the author suggested.  My only deviation was the addition of the seeds from one vanilla bean (don't! throw that bean away; bury it in a jar of granulated sugar).  The dark, tiny flecks throughout the shortbread cookies added to their charm and simplicity, and taste.  I could have dressed the cookies with drizzles of chocolate, but I let them stand on their own.  They were delicious.  They were not crumbly.  They cut beautifully.  Like the author says, "...you can understand what a cookie is."

I like to bake shortbread in my 14" x 4" tart pan.  It's easy to remove the cookie, and its easy to cut even slices.

Add this percentage to your book, Mr. Ruhlman -  The cookies get a 100% rating!  I just need more room in the margin for notes!