waterless baking

At the beginning of last week the apartment complex shut off my water for three days straight. That's right, three days! Luckily a friend who was out of town gave me her key and I used her apartment for water-based things like showering, and washing dishes. it was so nice of her to do that for me, particularly since we arranged it last minute, about 11pm the night before her 6am flight - and I'd never been to her house before. I wanted to be sure and thank her properly, and what says 'Thank you!' and 'Welcome Back' better than a plate of Lemon White Chocolate Chip cookies? Nothing, in my mind.

I figured, I didn't need any water for the baking, so I'd make them at my house and just pack up the dirty dishes and bring them over to her place to wash. What I hadn't counted on was how frequently I use the water when baking. Zest of lemon, must wash the lemon - bottled water on a paper towel to wipe it down. Flour poufs out of the bag when you close it, and it's all over your hands, must wash your hands - bottled water and a paper towel. You accidentally pet the cat, must wash your hands - bottled water, soap, a paper towel and hand sanitizer. You drip some of the batter on to your fingers to taste the goodness, must wash hands - more bottled water, soap, a paper towel and hand sanitizer. You get the idea. It was a challenge. But, I pulled through. I used parchment paper to line the pans, so those didn't need washing. And because I was unable to wash my hands, the counter, utensils as I normally would I became very diligent and probably more sanitary than usual while baking. It was quite the experience. Try it - bake without using your faucet.