What’s going on!?!?!
The past few days I’ve had a craving for a wholesome cookie. Something dense and chewy. Something that is only a "cookie" because of its shape. Something made with real food, minimal butter and sugar. Basically just clumps of superfood baked into hand-held bites!
I went to the master of "throw real food in a bowl and bake" cookies and made Tina’s Banana Oatmeal Chip Cookies!
I didn’t have any flax, so I used chia. I didn’t have agave, so I used honey. I also used coconut oil instead of canola. OH, and I added 1/4 a tsp of kosher salt, which I recommend because it was detectable and delicious.
And I halved the recipe, because who needs two dozen cookies calling for them day and night!? One dozen will do just fine.
Scharffen Berger makes the best chocolate chunks!!
My dozen turned into 8.5 cookies, some of which were pretty small! Maybe I do need two dozen 
Afternoon snack (plus one more hot off the pan)
‘Cause every good cookie could use a little frosting
We hosted Karen for dinner tonight and made Succotash with Millet.
I searched high and low for dried big butter beans at Whole Foods and couldn’t find any! I really wanted big dried ones to soak and cook, but all I found was a measly can so I decided to figure something else out. Much to my surprise, I forgot that we had gotten some fresh beans at the market in some gross looking shells – and there were big buttery beans inside! We just had to shell them to get to them.
The Succotash was a sauté of carrots (which went in first because they take the longest to cook), beans (second), organic chicken bratwurst (third), and canned corn + peppers, and celery (last). They were all cooked in Garlic Gold oil and season simply with black pepper.
Served with millet cooked with Creole seasoning!
While we cooked, Matt brought me some his Pumpkin Beer to try – fresh out of the keg!!
I am a tough critic when it comes to beer, ESPECIALLY pumpkin beer. I give his an A-. It’s got a bit of a yeasty aftertaste that I’m not crazy about, but you can detect the cinnamony aromas and it’s got a great body to it! Can’t wait to drink more than a thimbleful
For dessert, the cookies came out – what was left of them 
Karen liked them, but Matt said they were too "congealed" for his liking. He wanted buttery!
Man I love doing our budget. I’ve been putting off blogging to play in Mint and with my big old spreadsheet of financial planning. I love Excel so much!
You know what else I love? Reading in bed!! The Help is chugging along – still like it a lot!
{ 90 comments… read them below or add one }
i agree, great cookies have frosting! yum
and the creole seasoning on the millet sounds amazing…what an awesome combination!
Mmm. Those cookies look delicious. Sometimes, you just need to make cookies!
Those cookies look really good!!! I always make big batches and then freeze the extras. I’ll stick them in the microwave for a late night snack!
I always fall asleep when I read in bed. I need to make more time for reading though. I have The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo calling my name.
I fall asleep too. I have a long drive to work-have been listening to The Help on my ipod during the commute. I love audible.com! Also great for listening while cleaning-makes the time fly by!
Ahhh now I need cookies! Those look so good. I love chewy, hearty, oatmeal cookies. I actually think they are my favorite cookies. I need raisins in mine though. So how did the chia work out? What is the texture like in the cookie?
I also need to get millet. I’ve never tried it and I looove me some grains!
They were just like chia embedded in there
Yum I’ve made those cookies before and I love them! Tina is the best at throwing together yummy recipes
The pumpkin beer sounds great- I’ve never had pumpkin beer but am thinking I should try it being as I love anything pumpkin!
Those look insanely good!
Whenever I make awesome cookies, I just freeze 1/2 the batch. Then I can take them out 1 at a time or 5 at a time…whatever the day brings me.
Sometimes the freezer becomes a carb den
Mmmm those cookies look good! I had succotash for lunch today. It’s one of my favorites!
Those cookies look great! I always freeze extra cookies so they are there if I ever get a craving. Often times I forget about them and then find them when foraging for something else.
Love the idea for the nut butter frosting as well! Have a great night!
Those cookies look DEE lish.
Those cookies look really good — I baked muffins tonight. I love having a nice warm kitchen
I also make 1/2 batches (or even less) because I can’t have cookies in the house for longer than a day. I make smaller batches, keep a few for myself and give the rest away.
I have yet to have a pumpkin beer this year!
The cookie with the hazelnut butter looks delicious!
Mmm, tasty cookies! I love that hazelnut butter, too; such rich flavor!
You lucky gal! Getting to drink fresh beer
Have a great night!
Cookies are always tricky to satisfy everyones taste. They look delicious, as does dinner!
Kath! I read that you wanted something cookie like but healthy and minimal butter.
Well, the other day I made Chocolate Chip CHICKPEA Cookies. They are chewy, a little sweet and totally fixes a cookie craving.
Here’s my recipe: http://italktofood.blogspot.com/2010/09/confession-and-then-some-cookies.html
- Aubrey
I was totally in a baking mood tonight but was sucked into Glee instead. Ah well, that’s what the weekend’s for! I might need to bake these along with some pumpkin bread.
we had millet tonight for the first time ever ( truth behold,, I forgot to label my grains & attempted to make couscous for lunch ….lesson learned & mistake fixed = millet with dinner
yay for cookies!
Yumm! I like your modifications. I might make these babies again tomorrow!
I love Excel! At one point last year when my husband and I were both doing data analysis on a daily basis we spent an entire hour talking about functions and formulas…then realized what had just happened and decided we were huge nerds! It was funny
Those cookies sound delicious! And with Justin’s chocolate hazelnut on top? Can’t beat that!
Nikki’s Healthy Cookies are absolutely the best.. I make little mini tbsp size cookies and keep a batch in the freezer. They’re unbelievable, and so minimalist.
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html
It was a cookie week for me too! That spread looks delicious, btw!
Those cookies look so good! They definitely look like they hit the “wholesome cookie” type you were looking for
ok, excuse my stupidity, but is the millet meant to be crunchy? I cooked and cooked and cooked some up yesterday but it never really softened….some grains exploded a la quinoa but beyond that….nada! Can anyone help me?! Thaaaaaaaaaaaaanks!
No – it’s soft! Did you add enough water?
I love that green shirt! Where did you get it??
Cookies look delicious and I’m now craving cookies myself. Thanks a lot
Hey Kath, I have noticed that you are substituting coconut oil often but wonder if you have any reservations about the very high amounts of saturated fats in that type of oil? I would love to know you “professional” thoughts on this
thanks!!
Not all saturated fats are created equal. Coconut oil is high in medium-chain triglycerides, which can be used for energy and absorbed directly into the blood stream.
Oh wow! I did not know that! Is this true of Palm oil also? I stopped eating my favorite cereal b/c I saw the saturated fat and thought it was bad news.
I think the same is true of palm oils…I believe I read that somewhere but you may have to look it up on a search engine.
Love the idea of those cookies. It really is just a bunch of real, good foods in cookie form with a sweet taste to them! Gotta love that:)
your cookies w/ the hazelnut butter looks AMAZING. oy. yum!!
can I ask where your adorable green striped shirt is from?? i just love it! thanks for taking the time to answer. much appreciated!
Old Navy!
Oooh everything looks delicious! I’ve looked at Mint as well but as far as I know, it’s only links into US banks.. booo. I could definitely use it though!
Teehee, I love that making cookies is rare for you whereas it’s something I do every week. And I always eat the two dozen myself in that week
Ahhh I love Justin’s chocolate nut butters. I no longer buy the jars, only the individual packets, because I would sit down on the sofa with the jar and a spoon. Ooops!!
Cookies! I have the baking itch, too, and I’m and I’m not much of a baker! Yummy
Cookies call me so often. Today, two bowls of ice cream covered in peanut butter called me. Ouch.
I made these Banana Bread Oat Bites a couple weeks ago. They are basically as real food/wholesome as you could possibly get. They were originally called cookies but I renamed them bites because they are not cookies (Matt prob. wouldn’t like them haha).
http://www.livelaugheat.com/2010/09/08/banana-bread-oat-bites/
cookies look too good,..
Oooh, these look so good! I was craving cookies today, but we are going out of town tomorrow so I can’t go about making a ton of cookies
I love just throwing cookie ingredients into a bowl, baking, and then seeing what happens. Most of the time, it works. Because, really, with sugar and all that goodness, what can be bad?
I love excel. I spend my days on it. SPreadsheets call to me all day long. It’s kind of sad, really.
those cookies look FAB.
I love Excel also (I used to be an accountant!) I call it my computer game.
Yummy cookies! More wholesome goodness
thanks for the link!
Heidi xo
Ooohh, now I really want to make those cookies!!!
Kath,
Unrelated to your post, but I have been browsing the ‘real weddings’ on theknot.com a lot because my boyfriend and I have been talking about marriage a lot and I am compiling ideas for our future wedding when he gets home from Afghanistan. Every time I read a ‘real wedding’ story, four more random ones pop up at the bottom of the page to choose next. Tonight I found yours in the random pile! I read your blog every day and I thought, “wow that is crazy!”
Yay!!!
True story: all I could think of was Sylvester the Cat saying “suffering Succotash”… it never really occurred to me *what* succotash is. Hello, Google…
I’m guessing the chia gave the cookies that “congealed” effect. I’d recommend the flax, or of course my Anytime Cookies. We eat ‘em for breakfast.
http://peasandthankyou.com/2009/11/04/what-time-is-it/
(sorry for the link…I couldn’t help myself. Plus there is a KERF sighting on the page and some very tiny Peas, sniff sniff.)
Tiny Peas!
I love real cookies like that. Somethings that healthy and hearty.
Everybody is making cookies, I should make some too
)
It’s been awhile since I’ve eaten a cookie….that needs to change!
These look yum yum. Great pics + post.
The cookie improvisations sound delish! I’m now in the mood for baking cookies this weekend (not sure if that’s good or not!)
The succotash looks very, very good (I’ll use a vegan sausage from Trader Joe’s) and I have some millet on hand. Looks like you’ve give me a weekend meal and dessert plan! Thanks!
Mmmmm cookies. Dreena Burton’s Super Charge Me Cookies would definitely satiate your craving for healthier cookies – they’re a go-to of mine! I recently made (and will post in a few weeks) caramel apple granola cookies, which are like a cross between caramel apples, oatmeal cookies, and granola bars. No butter (applesauce instead), a low amount of sweetener, dried apples, peanuts… yummy!
hahahha… I spent a day doing financial too. I tried with Mint.com but it didn’t recover all the transactions from my credit card no matter how much times I tried, so I gave up. I use Number (mac) and It’s sooooo much better than excel. I’ll post about it!
hahah. you’ve got to be kidding me! i should have checked your blog last night — my husband needed to make cookies to bring into work. he was debating what to make over and over. then he said “let’s make banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!” so he tooled around in the kitchen for a while . . . and though our recipe has no flour, baking soda, baking powder, agave, flax, etc. — they look EXACTLY the same!!!! anyway, we’ll be posting our recipe soon, too. it’s like the simplified version of this one. just thought that was funny
great minds really DO think alike!
That do
sometimes i also crave wholesome cookies, but when you want the real thing (ie butter), nothing else will do:-)
Those cookies look good…I never even saw them on Tina’s blog before. LOL!
I am in need of help. Do I get a Le Pliage large tote bag or a medium one? I want something that is “big” but is a purse. Any thoughts?
I’m not sure what that is!?
It is the large Longchamp tote bag
Those cookies look great, and so does the succotash! I wish I liked butter peas/beans, though. Those and lima beans are the only bean type food I don’t like…weird.
I love butter beans! You love doing your budget? I hate doing it, to the point that I just ignore it. Any tips on how to make it “fun”?
You gotta get a fun spreadsheet going and plan it all out.
Agreed. I find it can be pretty fun to budget, and to check out all my spending.
I love spreading a little Nutella on peanut butter cookies…just makes ‘em a little better, doesn’t it?
I just finished The Help! It was pretty good! Enjoy it!
Those cookies look amazing. I made brownies and blondies this past weekend for a party and then pumpkin ginger date muffins (WHICH ARE ON MY BLOG!) but now I need to make some kind of COOKIES!!!
I almost made a very similar dish for dinner last night, but my MIL gifted us with some delicious stewed tomatoes (which have a lot more to them than just tomatoes), so that became our dinner instead. I’m fine being flexible when it means an easier dinner
Our dinner was very similar! Carrots, green beans, apples, chicken sausage, butternut squash and I added a touch of agave syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg. YUM! It was delicious and I’m sure your’s was too!
I’m glad somebody else loves spreadsheets as much as I do
Of course, I hate following what I put in them…I just like making them 
Beautiful looking cookies! I love versatile recipes like this when you can use substitutions.
If you’re looking for a great wholesome oatmeal cookie, Angela from Ohsheglows has the most amazing vegan oatmeal cookie recipe! Most of the fat is derived from toasted walnuts; they really are some of the best cookies (vegan or not) that I’ve had.
I’m very interested in Mint! Have you been using it for a while??
Yeah, it’s fabulous. It’s best for searching for old things. Like a deposit or the amounts of water bills throughout the year. Also looking at the pie chart of trends is great.
Wow. Those cookies look so good! I’ve been searching for Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut butter, but I have yet to find it at our grocery store…I mean, they have it, but it’s always sold out when I get there!
I’ve been wanting to bake cookies like that too! I think I have most of the ingredients for the famous Super Charge me ….but maybe I’ll consider some other recipes!
Cute shirt!
Is ground flaxseed ok or does it need to be flaxMEAL? Just curi. Gonna make for the hubs tonight, woohoo!
Ground flax and flaxmeal are the same! Perhaps the meal is a finer ground, but you can def. use ground flax in the recipe
Those cookies look amazing! Tina’s recipes rock. Even if you make a bunch of changes.
‘am gonna have to try that recipe…looks good especially with that frosting!
Your cookies look ‘perfect’…absolutely incredible and so chewy…the Justin’s Nut Butter is the best way to top off any dessert…I’m addicted to all of his fabulous nut butters.
Enjoy your weekend, Kath!
I make some pretty mean oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! They are the only things my boyfriend will eat oatmeal in! He hates oatmeal (weirdo).
Tried ‘em. So easy and twice as tasty as they are easy! Thanks for posting!