Blissful Baking

Storms can do a lot of damage and for me that manifested itself in my friendships, many of which rely often on cooking dates to connect. With tree limbs down, our roads were blocked, making even a quick coffee with a friend nearly impossible. Separated only by a few streets, we were estranged from each other with only a “making sure things are ok” text here and there.

And then the lights came back on. . . .

The first day with power I did a lot of laundry and cleaning. The second day, I made time for Jackie to come for a quick baking date and lunch. I knew, as busy as I would be — writing, organizing and cleaning — that I needed the emotional connection with my friend that becomes so much better with the scent of cinnamon wafting throughout my house. Since my breakfast cookies had been my sustenance throughout the powerless week, my supply was completely depleted. Jackie, who loves oatmeal cookies, agreed to bake with me and opted to parallel bake some traditional oatmeal cookies as well.

It was blissful baking as we exchanged tales from the storm, offered each other guidance and suggestions on how to get ourselves back on track. We took turns helping one another with our cookies, making balls of dough, watching them bake and doing a taste test at the end.

My Breakfast Cookies

I call these “My Breakfast Cookies” since I often have a few with my morning coffee. I think of them as “Oatmeal in a Cookie” since I pack them with all sorts of add in’s, reduce the fat and make them with a mixture of whole wheat flour and regular flour. I’ve rationalized that they aren’t such a bad-for-you breakfast. I’ll also admit that I eat them all day long as a guilt free and delicious cookie morsel. I’ve also noticed that every batch is different since the add-in options are endless. I hope you enjoy them too.
½ stick butter, softened
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
¼ cup wheat germ
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup shredded coconut
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the butter, applesauce and sugars. Add the eggs, one a time and beat with the vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flours, wheat germ and salt. Add this to the butter mixture, alternating with the oats. Stir in the coconut, chocolate chips and dried cherries.

Form balls one tablespoon full and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, pressing down on each cookie slightly. Bake for approximately 12 minutes until firm to the touch. Cool on a cooling rack. Freeze and defrost as you like.