That Feeling in the Pit of your Stomach

I'm sure you're familiar with it.

Perhaps it strikes when you've just said something utterly awkward, bringing an exchange of light-hearted banter among friends to a complete and painful stop... or maybe it hits when you've just encountered the pivotal question on an exam, only to discover that it focuses on the one concept that you didn't review the night before.

For me, it happens when I'm baking. Whenever I open the oven door, my stomach does a perfect flip, and then proceeds to free-fall towards the floor.

I guess it's some kind of evolutionary defense mechanism- the mind communicating quite expressively to the body: "Don't do this again!" So it'd be logical to assume that my brain is telling me, for goodness sake, not to bake. I mean, ever! My survival depends on it!

Yet, for some reason I keep coming back to that imposing oven. In the last two weeks alone I've opened its monstrous metal door only to find rock-hard chocolate cocoa cookies, tasteless granola, and sickeningly sweet banana nut instant-oatmeal cookies (admittedly an experiment) in the warm cavity within.



So that's why you might not see too many baking recipes on this site. I think I'm more evolutionarily fit to prepare slow-cooked vegetables, green salads, hearty soups, and stir-fries of varying proportions rather than the mouthwatering fruit crisps, tarts, chocolate cakes, and flawless cookies that you'll find elsewhere.... but this also means that if a baked recipe does happen to show its face in this domain, it is either (a) foolproof and/or (b) pretty delicious.

I promise though, until that day when I can open the oven without my stomach fearfully fleeing the scene, I'll tip-toe surreptitiously into baking territory and save you from the struggle that ensues.

This particular recipe somehow worked for me- even with my usual tweaking of the recipe in lieu of missing ingredients (yes. I know. I believe this might be a reason for my blackened thumb in baking... but let's not go there yet!) It's from a beautiful blog called 3191 miles apart. I'll attach the link to the original recipe as well, since mine is a bit different.

Sesame Oatmeal Cookies

adapted from this recipe

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup melted earth balance butter*
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt (or try Trader Joe's "vanana" flavor- it's divine)
1/2 cup nuts, dried fruits, and/or chocolate (I used golden raisins and sunflower seeds)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

*this is soy butter... feel free to substitute canola oil (1/2 cup) or real melted butter (unsalted!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using butter, melt it in the microwave or heating oven

Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, oats, coconut, sesame seeds, nuts/raisins/chocolate, and cinnamon) in a bowl and stir until well-incorporated.

Combine the honey, melted butter, and yogurt in a bowl. Stir until well-incorporated.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until everything is mixed in- it'll be a pretty wet batter. Spoon onto a baking pan with a regular tablespoon. I like my cookies to be substantial so for me this recipe makes only about 9-12 cookies. Feel free to size them however you'd like.

Cook for 5-8 minutes, checking pretty often. They'll be done when the tops (and bottoms) are slightly browned.