Last Minute, Cookies and Fun

I’ve mentioned this before, but I love firsts! Which there were a lot of this week(end), and it was quite fun. I’m fully settled in my dorm, and loving it.  Since there are only two days (where did the time go??) before classes start, I have tried to fit in as many adventures as I could manage.

Christening the new oven with…. Donuts!

rich and maple-y

hey, they're glazed!

I used a combo of recipes for these, but I don’t think I like them enough to post.  Next time I’ll get it.

Amazing yogurt bowl combo, with puffed cereal! and figs!

sigi's, chia gel, fresh figs, puffed cereal, cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup

And, thanks to a last-minute invitation, guess where I finally went – for the first time…

It was incredibly hot and muggy, but turned out to be an awesome day.

we rode this guy, on one of the interior swinging cars. so disorienting.

wave swinger! also really disorienting.

rode the cyclone, twice. felt like I was going to die, twice. picture taken from the wave swinger.

After I got home from the park, I even had time to make some cookies to bring over to my relatives’ place that night! [recipe at the bottom]

have I piqued your interest yet?

I followed the trend, and cracked open this season’s first can of pumpkin.  It’s just too good to wait!

pumpkin oats, oat bran, chia, with spoonfuls of almond butter and sigi's, with cinnamon and a little maple syrup

Went to the best self-serve froyo place I know of…

sorry for the lack of froyo photos. I was preoccupied with eating it.

And I made millet (!) for the first time.

so light and fluffy

I followed Ashley’s directions for perfectly cooked millet, and it really was perfect.

with roasted summer squash, tempeh and mustard sauce

Delicious dinner.  The dressing was an oil-free mustard ‘vinaigrette’:

• 1T whole grain mustard
• 1T seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 stevia drops
• splash of Bragg’s (or soy sauce, or other salt)

No way I forgot about the sweet stuff!!  This recipe was not at all planned – I made it completely on a whim.  And it turned out really good!  I’m not sure how accurate the baking time is, because I used a not-super-reliable dorm oven.  But these are rich. And chocolatey. Just Delicious.

Oatmeal Chocolate Super-Cookies (vegan)

makes about 10-12 cookies, 2″ diameter

• 1/4 c spelt (or any) flour – GF works too
• 1/2 c rolled oats
• 1/4 c cocoa powder
• 2-4 T sucanat or other dark granulated sugar(depending on how much sweetness you like)
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 flax/chia egg (1T ground seed + 3T water, soaked for 10ish mins)
• 1/2 c almond butter
• 3T liquid sweetener
• 1/2 t vanilla extract (I’m using alcohol free, so may need adjustment)
• 1/4 – 1/2 c non-dairy milk
• optional add-ins, about 1/3 cup: cacao nibs, chopped nuts, seeds

Directions: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, making sure there are no clumps.  In a separate bowl combine all wet ingredients except the milk.

Add the wet to the dry, and add in the milk a bit at a time until you have a light, sticky dough.  Now add in your mix-ins – I used cacao nibs for that extra rich chocolate-y flavor.

Grease a cookie sheet, and spoon the dough in 1-2T clumps onto the greased sheet.  Bake for about 18-20 minutes at 350, depending on your oven.   Transfer to a cooling rack, let cool for about 10-15 minutes.  Or just eat them piping hot, right off the cookie sheet.

the dough goes from this...

... to this 🙂

As of now, I plan to spend my labor day relaxing before I have to switch to full-on school mode.

What’s your favorite kind of cookie? Are you a fan of home-baked, cafe-baked or store bought?