Simple Coconut & Pecan Macaroons

One of the difficulties of planning this trip for next year is trying to imagine living out of a backpack. It's really true that people- including me- have too much stuff these days. I wouldn't quite consider myself a pack-rat, but I definitely like to hold on to things for memory's sake or because "oh, I might want this someday." It's time to simplify. I feel like we tend to measure our lives by our stuff and what we own. If that is the case, my life is about to become a lot smaller and more compact. 

In reality, however, I'm pretty sure my life is about to get even bigger and more exciting. You would think. 

I want to measure my time in experiences, not in material things. Seems like an obvious goal, but it's easier said than done.

Speaking of simplifying, these cookies are possibly some of the simplest little treats I have ever made. One bowl, one baking sheet, one batch of melted chocolate and you are good to go. Simply delicious.

Coconut & Pecan Macaroons

makes one dozen cookies

3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp coconut milk

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, syrup, flax seeds, coconut milk and salt until smooth. Mix in the coconut, pecans and flour. Roll the dough into 1" wide balls and flatten them onto the cookie sheet. Bake for about 12-15 minutes.
3. While the cookies bake, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a low flame on the stove, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping. Add in the coconut milk and whisk until smooth. Let the macaroons cool for about 10 minutes, then one by one dip the cookies in chocolate, just coating half of the top. 
4. Place each cookie back on the sheet and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so that the chocolate can set. If you can't wait that long, go ahead and eat a cookie or two and ignore the gooey chocolate mess. It's totally worth it.

Almond Butter Jam-prints

Whenever I tell people I'm from Minnesota they always say "Isn't it FREEZING there?" Sure, it gets freezing. But guess what else. It gets boiling hot in the summer. 

When it gets up to 100º the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven. This has led me to discover something new and exciting: night baking. It's much quieter and cooler at night and baking becomes this kind of meditative activity. It's just you and the cookie dough.

And maybe a cat or two.

It's really quite lovely.

The only problem? The next day when I go to photograph the cookies, the batch I made last night is magically smaller... I blame the cookie gnomes. Cookie gnomes love these sweet and salty jam thumbprints almost as much as I do.

Almond Butter Jam-prints

makes 1 dozen

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup maple syrup 
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
jam or jelly of your choice (I used blueberry pomegranate jelly from the farmers market. It was delicious! I highly recommend blueberry or blackberry to go with the almond butter flavor)

1. Preheat the oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Mix together the almond butter, maple syrup, oil and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Add the dry mixture into the wet and stir until fully incorporated. 
3. Place your chopped almonds in a small dish. Form the cookie dough into about 1" round balls and roll each ball in the almonds. Align the balls on the baking sheet and press your thumb into each one to make a little well for the jam. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
4. Let the cookies cool for about 15 minutes, then fill each with roughly 1/2 teaspoon of jam or jelly. Enjoy and don't let the cookie gnomes get them! (They are a real thing, I promise)

In the words of my brother, these cookies "are like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but better." True.

Seduction by Cookies

When it comes to men, there is always going to be the one that got away. In the real world, you can choose not to see him anymore and forget about it. However, in a college of only 3,000 students packed into one tiny town, it is guaranteed that you will see him. And when you see him you will probably be wearing sweat pants, have your hair up because you forgot to shower, look totally sleep deprived from studying, and be waiting in line at the student grocery store buying a huge jar of peanut butter and a bag of kettle corn. That is my life.

If life were fair, it would go like this:

You casually bump into him wearing your best outfit, looking awesome and carrying a big plate of these cookies. You offer him one, he takes a bite and suddenly doesn’t know what he ever did without you. Totally realistic. Seduction by cookies? Definitely possible. Especially with these...

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies 

makes about 3 1/2 dozen

8 ounces vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti)
1/2 cup vegan margarine
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp ener-g egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream together the margarine, cream cheese and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg replacer and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips and try to refrain from eating the entire batch of batter then and there.
3. Scoop the dough in tablespoons onto the cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each cookie. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. The cookies will still feel squishy right out of the oven, but this is a trick. They harden a bit as they cool! Enjoy with a glass of soy milk and don't forget to share!

These cookies are my new favorites: incredibly simple and amazingly delicious. They are slightly cake-y with a little crisp on the outside, plus the cream cheese adds a little extra something to what would otherwise be a traditional chocolate chip cookie!

Just to warn you... I tend to go on cookie kicks around exam time. They are the perfect study food for you and your friends! Don't be surprised if there are more cookie recipes to come in the next couple weeks :)

Happy Valentines, Have a Cookie!

Things I Love:

-listening to music and reading in a warm and cozy coffee shop
-laughing so hard you cry
-the feeling you get when a plane is taking off- like your stomach is dropping and your body is lifting. weird, but I love it.
-having picnic dinners on my living room floor with my family
-watching bad movies with best friends
-dancing so hard that you forget your feet hurt 
-my cats
-staring out at the ocean
-classic love stories
-the smell of cookies fresh from the oven....

Orange Spiced Sugar Cookies with Cinnamon Icing

makes about 8 large hearts

Cookies:

1 1/2 cups white unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water (replaces an egg)

Icing:

2 tbsp soy milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and orange zest. In a measuring cup, stir together the remaining ingredients.
2. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and combine using a wooden spoon or your hands. You may need to add a little bit of water if the dough is too crumbly. Form the cookie dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate it for about an hour.
3. Begin to preheat your oven to 375º. Once the dough has chilled, let it soften and warm up a bit, then roll it out to about 1/2 cm thick. Cut out desired shapes (hearts for today, of course) and place on a greased cookie sheet. 

4. Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes, or until the bottom edges begin to turn golden brown. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before icing.
5. While the cookies bake, prepare the icing by whisking together the ingredients in a medium bowl or in a food processor.

6. Ice the cookies, let them harden for about 10-15 minutes, and share with everyone you love!

<3

Countdown to Cookies

Oh, killing me softly

and I'm still falling

still the one I need,

I will always be with yooou

This is what I was singing the whole time I baked this weekend. Is anyone else as addicted as I am? The video is also super adorable.

I have another thing for you to get addicted to- more cookies. This has been kind of a stressful week for me. I've been trying to register for classes for next semester plus I'm in a dance show that just opened last night! Thank goodness for chocolate.

Not only have I been on a quest for the perfect vegan pancake, but I've been searching for the perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie as well. I think I got it. They are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and the molasses adds an amazing richness to the flavor. These cookies are killing me softly. Just like Beyonce.

The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe slightly adapted from here)

makes about 20 cookies

2 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dark chocolate chips/chunks (make sure they're vegan!)

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp dark molasses

1. Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease two cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt and chocolate chips.

3. In a medium bowl mix the oil, soy milk, vanilla and molasses.

4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. It works best if you use your hands!

5. Roll dough into balls and flatten onto the cookie sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Munch.

Oatmeal Choco-Banana Cookies

My friend's class was having a potluck the other night and since I will take any excuse to bake for a bunch of people, I decided to make cookies for her to bring. I didn't have much time or supplies, so I scrounged together the random ingredients I had and actually came up with something pretty delicious! She said everyone loved them. The only problem is they dry out a little the next day if you don't seal them up really well- they're best eaten the day you make them.

Oatmeal Choco-Banana Cookies (adapted from Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookies Jar)

Makes about 2 dozen

1 ripe banana

1/3 cup oil

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 cup quick oats

optional if on hand: chocolate chips or walnuts

1. Preheat your oven to 350° and grease two cookies sheets.

2. Mash up the banana really well in a large bowl, then mix in the oil, sugar and vanilla.

3. Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cocoa. Stir until combined, then add the oats. Add a little water if the dough is too crumbly.

4. Roll dough into balls and flatten them onto your cookies sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes- do not over bake or they will dry out!



Mmm these ingredients make such a great cookie combination!

Double Chocolate Cookies

Well my class schedule is now official and I couldn't be more excited about what I'm taking. Lots of literature, dance and art- what could be better? It will be incredibly busy... but I'll figure out a way to handle it. In fact, you know what the best way to handle stress is? Bake cookies. Especially chocolate cookies. Take my word for it, it's incredibly therapeutic.

My friend and I were just going to make plain chocolate chip cookies, but when we found cocoa powder in the pantry, we decided the more chocolate the better. They ended up delicious and had a great, crumbly-on-the-outside and chewy-on-the-inside texture.

Double Chocolate Cookies (adapted from here):

makes about 2 dozen

2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

big handful of vegan chocolate chips

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and oil. Then add the vanilla and water.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined (you may need to add a little extra water if dough is too dry).

5. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place them on an un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten them down a little- they don't spread much.

6. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Take them out when they're still a little soft, as they will harden as they cool.



The weather here has been gross and rainy, but these cookies make the perfect rainy day snack.

Also, while I eat cookies and start studying and everything, I have been revisiting this song and the whole album it's on. It's one of my favorites! My friend and I listened to it as we baked these :)

Oh and just so my readers know... I'm still not super happy with the theme of my blog. So if stuff keeps changing I apologize and promise I will be content soon!