Cookies make everything better

I tried to change the oil in my car today. I looked it up on the internet, bought supplies, and dragged my roommate out to the front yard to help me through it.

I couldn’t do it. The stupid plug would NOT loosen, no matter what we tried.

I spent a good hour with my face mashed up against the dead bugs on my front bumper before finally giving up. I don’t like to give up, at all, but eventually I had to face the fact that I wasn’t getting anywhere and could completely strip the bolt if I kept going.

So to cheer myself up after the battle with my oil plug, I went inside and did something I knew I could do properly: made cookies.

These cookies are adapted from Aran Goyoaga’s book Small Plates and Sweet Treats. Aran writes the gluten free blog Cannelle et Vanille; since I tolerate gluten just fine and my kitchen is not stocked with gluten free flours, I used a combination of whole wheat and white flour instead.

Make no mistake, the whole wheat flour isn’t in there for health purposes – these cookies have enough sugar and butter to be decidedly placed in the “treat” category. Instead, the whole wheat flour, oats, and coconut give the cookies a wonderful texture and helps cut the sweetness.

Spiced Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies  

Adapted from Small Plates and Sweet Treats by Aran Goyoaga, via Sprouted Kitchen

Time: 1.5 hours (20 minutes prep, 1 hour chill, 10 minutes bake)

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I like to quickly chop them so I get little bits of chocolate distributed throughout my cookies)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Cream with a whisk until smooth (about 2-3 minutes).
2. Add vanilla and egg. Beat to combine.
3. Add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Use a spatula to fold them until just combined.
4. Fold in chocolate, oats, coconut, and walnuts.
5. Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a cookie sheet.
7. Scoop heaped tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Place dough about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
8. Bake for about 8-10 minutes. The cookies will crisp up quite a bit so stick to 8 minutes if you want softer cookies.