Somehow, after days and days of floods, New England has broken open into one gigantic green bud. There are a few crocus here and there that managed to stick around with all the rain, but for the most part everything is waking up to Spring again. You can hear birds chirping as if they're sighing - chirp chirp ahhhhhh. It's a lovely day.
To make cookies. Ok, I have to admit, I was a little thrown off with this recipe. Who makes cookies in April, I thought? But then I remembered all the moms and dads who have children on spring break, and how they're probably running around houses right now driving their parents crazy because they've eaten a few too many Peeps over the last week and may or may not have an amphibian in their pocket. Parenthood. Chirp chirp ahhhhhh.
I only had Tuesday night to bake the cookies, after a yoga class and as all my other projects were getting finished up. It was absolutely lovely, too - cool enough to keep the windows open, light a candle, replace the television for some chill music. My fiance stretched out on the couch to do some reading, and while the cookies were baking, I found a way to join him. It was probably the most perfect evening we've had in a while, in my opinion. Somehow I credit the Barefoot Contessa for that one.
I made a few changes to this recipe. For one, I replaced the pecans for roasted walnuts, I used Heath toffee chips instead of raisins, and finally, I replaced the white flour with WW flour and a half cup of flax.
The texture of these cookies is off the charts. They're chewy and gooey while retaining an exterior that holds up to being packed in lunches, man-handled by children. The toffee melts and leaves in the cookies a syrupy crater that is framed by whole oats and deliciously fragrant walnuts. These cookies are perfect, they're divine, they are swoon worthy.
The full recipe is here, and I want to thank all the other Barefoot Bloggers who baked along with me this weekend.
Namaste.
