I’ll just get right to it. After only being home from Miami for three days I had already baked two batches of these Gaia cookies from Shauna Niequist’s book, Bread & Wine. Yep. I have no shame – they are that amazing.
To be fair, cookies fly out of the kitchen around here. I might have one (or two) while they are sitting on the worn and warm trays, still setting. Then there’s the contractor who claims that he wants a whole batch to himself. Huh, he’s gotten comfortable. He’s good for about 8 in two days. Then B wakes up from his nap and sees them sitting there, makes his ‘cookie face’, and immediately plops down on the hardwood floor waiting to be fed – chocolate melting down his chubby cheeks and hands.
A little time goes by and then the school busses start zipping through the neighborhood. The kids are home. L grabs one (or two), munching away while reading his homework. B is crying at the base of the bar stool because he wants another one, of course. A little more time goes by and the neighborhood kids start whizzing through the house and depending on the time, I sneak them one or send them home with a baggie for after dinner.
And then there’s always a plate or two that go out – my parents, just down the road, are an easy delivery and at times my mom or dad will fly in for a pick up. We had two dear neighbors help us with shoveling and bus pick ups while we were out of town, so some went out to them. Suddenly there was nothing left of my new favorite cookie recipe other than the crumbs at the bottom of the tupperware bin. It was clear as day that one of my Monday tasks would be whipping up another batch. Luckily, B couldn’t agree more and was very helpful. And by helpful I mean spilling the entire canister of flour – oh well!
I don’t think anything beats my life changing chocolate chip cookies, but these are definitely competition. Your life will definitely be affected. Mine has, for sure.
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 cups oats
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup shredded coconut (toasted)
- 1 cup walnuts chopped (toasted)
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped dates, raisins, cranberries, or dried cherries
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add in the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and mix well.
- Toast the coconut and walnuts in the oven for about 5 minutes or so. Add them to the mix along with the chocolate chips, dates, and raisins. Mix until combined.
- Drop by large tablespoons on a cookie sheet. You can refrigerate the cookies for a few minutes to prevent them from spreading out too much when they bake. (I definitely did this!) Bake for 12ish minutes (keep an eye on them).
- *note, definitely take the time to toast the coconut & nuts, makes a huge difference. Just put them on your cookie tray in the preheating oven for 5-10 min.
- *you can get creative with the combos, I went heavy on the milk chocolate chips and light on the dried cherries. Perfection!
Eat up,
C
If you liked this post, check these out!
Courtney
Latest posts by Courtney (see all)
- Roasted Bruschetta Salmon - August 30, 2018
- Four hour Bolognese - August 28, 2018
- Summer sandwiches - July 25, 2018
as a lucky recipiet of these most delicious cookies, I will say they are the best and tastiest! a big competition for my all time favorite chocolate chip cookie
.Thank you Courtney, will be making a batch today!
I actually love craisins in cookies – those look insulin worthy Courtney!
Biz recently posted…V Day Night–A couple days early!
Twitter: sweetsavoryeats
says:
Just found your blog via Biz’ blog….love it! Had to comment on this post as I have the book Bread & Wine waiting for me to read on my bookshelf, I can’t wait!
Ally’s Sweet & Savory Eats recently posted…Iowa Food Blogger $225 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!
Hi Ally! Thanks for stopping by – the book was AWESOME, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!