cookies for tennis

Say what you will about teenagers; especially teenage girls, but they sure are appreciative of fresh baked goods.  The tennis season is finally over.  For the past four months I've had tennis for four days a week.  We had one of our best albeit dramatic seasons.  A team that we have never even scored one point against before this year, we lost only by one this year.  It was actually tied, and one of my girls hit a winning shot to tie her match up, but as she did so, she fractured a bone in her foot and had to forfeit the rest of the match, causing us to lose by 1 - so sad.  We had a few injuries this year - she was out for the rest of the season.  We had a bloody nose, two girls hit in the eye, and one girl punched in the head.  Yep - she was two points away from going to the finals in a doubles tournament, but her opponent wasn't handling losing very well.  The opponent jumped the net and got into my girls face; and then hit her in the head.  Unfortunately my girl then defended herself and both girls were disqualified.  I've never heard of fighting happening at a tennis match. 
I'm ready for a rest now.

Of the past five batches, four of them were for my tennis team. 

#112 Crisp Sunflower Cookies 
September 2013
So my girls tennis team had some serious issues when the boys tennis team comes around.  They get all flaky and can't concentrate.  So I needed to solve to this problem.  My girls team challenged the boys team to a tennis game (not a match, just a game that we play during practice).  Keep in mind I actually coach both teams.  I announced that I would bake a batch of cookies for whichever team won.  The boys were victorious.  However, I got what I wanted.  For the rest of the season, the girls were much more focused when the boys came around.  What's better, the two tennis teams bonded and kind of functioned as one. 

#113 Big Chocolate Cookie
September 2013
To play sports for the Mpls high schools, you have to pay a $60 sports fee - pretty reasonable considering most suburban high schools charge upwards of $100.  I told my girls that for each of them that had their sports fee turned in by the 13th, they'd get a big chocolate cookie.  I actually had to make a double batch of this recipe, because it only made 1 dozen and I have more than a dozen girls on my team.  I don't normally make double batches, because I figure if I need a lot of cookies, I'll make a recipe with a bigger batch, or make two batches and get to cross off two recipes. 
It worked, all but 3 girls got their sports fee in by then. 

#114 Banana Nut Bars
10/4/13
It's craft show time again at GA church.  As usual the church ladies sell yummy Lutheran church homemade bars - so I contributed as well.  I would say they went over pretty well, there were only 2 left by the next day. 

We had the individual state tournament for tennis this morning.  I sent six girls.  My two singles team and one of my doubles teams won their first round.   I made two recipes for this morning's tournament.  It was an early morning and lasted several hours, so brought snacks for the girls to eat. 
#115 Apple Walnut Bars
A nice recipe for fall.  Diced up apples, diced walnuts; they were gone in a hurry.  
#116 Double Chocolate Biscotti
This probably goes best with coffee, but I don't drink coffee.  The biscotti definitely came out tasting like biscotti, but again, is probably best for coffee drinkers.  I think I'll freeze the rest of it and save it for when I have some people over ... for coffee?  I think I better learn how to make coffee.