rainy days & cookies

I was all set to do a “Throwback Thursday” themed post, and then I remembered: Oh no…wait…it’s only Wednesday. And it’s a rainy nasty Wednesday at that. The above picture describes exactly how I feel upon that realization. With a side of this:

“Really, week? Really? It’s only Wednesday? It’s not really Thursday evening and we’re not really on the brink of Friday? !@#$&%#()@#($@!@!$#(#!@#. Eyebrow.”

I suppose this is a good segue to discuss that I’m finally all caught up on The Bachelor. (Spoiler-ish ahead!) I can’t really remember the last time I was rooting for multiple contestants at once, but up until this past week, I really liked AshLee. But then I started wondering (alongside Sean, I guess) if she maybe is borderline crazy. However, that said, I was pretty impressed by her stare-down, ice-cold, dagger-eyes exit. You go, girl. Hold it together in that minivan. Stay classy. No Kacie B “lying on the floor” drama there. Nicely done.

As of now, I’m equally rooting for Lindsay & Catherine. Do we really have to wait two weeks? I mean, does anyone really like the Girls Tell All episode? I know I don’t.

In other news, my friend Caitlin has asked me for some good dairy-free recipes, in particular desserts. As a former vegan, I suppose I am the resident guru amongst my friends. I thought this would be a good excuse to post one of my favorite dairy-free cookie recipes, which includes two of my all-time favorite dessert pairings:

Chocolate, duh, and:

Crack cocaine, I mean, peanut butter. Boyfriend and I have a bit of a disagreement when it comes to peanut butter- he prefers the smooth kind, but I think super chunky is the way to go. I suppose the silver lining to this is that we each don’t really have to worry about the other finishing our respective jars of peanut butter, but I think we equally consume about a jar every week or so. I put it in everything – oatmeal, smoothies, pancakes, desserts, snacks, whatever. Peanut butter and chili? Probably good. Peanut butter and pizza? Who knows. Stranger things have happened.

And can we all agree that there’s really only one reason to make cookies?

Whenever I eat raw cookie dough, I hear a faint echo of my Mom’s voice in the back of my head warning me about raw eggs, but here’s what I have to say to that:

Anyway, it’s recipe time! Enjoy, all you dairy free lovers:

You will need…

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup creamy (or chunky if you’re risky) peanut butter (you should use salted)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp almond milk
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (make sure they are 100% chocolate with no added dairy)

Method…

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment.
2. Whisk together egg and vegan butter. Add peanut butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond milk. Beat until smooth and creamy.
3. Sift together all the dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet, a little at a time, and mix until thoroughly combined. 
4. Fold in the chocolate chips. 
5. Drop in rounded teaspoonfulls onto the cookie sheets. Bake in the preheated oven approx 12-14 minutes. Remove, and let cool before enjoying!

Reader Question: What is your favorite type of cookie?