when it rains it pours. that's how the past couple weeks have felt, from car troubles, to personal and interpersonal disappointments, to feeling the pressures of work, to disgusting plumbing problems. i'm sure i'm not the only one who feels the weight of being overwhelmed by the ebb and flow of life, and believe me, i am fully aware that the feelings i'm talking about are super minor compared to a lot of other issues out there in universe. that being said, i tend to put myself under a lot of pressure, and hold myself to certain standards, especially when it comes to relationships, both personal and professional, leaving my brain feeling really full and overworked at times. my husband does a great job at listening and finding ways to put things into perspective. while out celebrating 6 months of marriage the other night, out of nowhere he looked at me with his deep, penetrable eyes and said, life is good. i could have cried, in times when i am feeling the weight of life i totally over complicate and analyze things. but this guy, with all his wisdom, uttered 3 little words that made it all a little less suffocating. so, despite the day's hardships life, overall, is just really f*@%)!^ good. here's to enjoying the the life you have and the one's you love.

speaking of life's goods: cookies! i was totally inspired by One Part Plant's Jessica Murnane's cute new e-book, A Year Of Cookies! which has really great recipes from Baked, Laura Wright of The First Mess, Julie Lee of Julie's Kitchen and many others. so, i set out to make an oatmeal cookie of my dreams. i'm not a big fan of the usual chewy oatmeal cookie studded with raisins or perhaps other dried fruit. to me, cookies are best when sweet and crunchy, and all that remains after your first bite is a lick of salt on your lips. also, cookies of my dreams regularly contain nuts, it's a rule. i wanted to incorporate something toasted and nutty and thought the hazelnut meal would suite that need perfectly. and generally when i think of hazelnuts in a sweet sense, i think chocolate. so, naturally, chocolate dunked cookies were in order this go round. hope you enjoy : )

chocolate dipped, oatmeal-hazelnut cookies

| gluten free + dairy free |

makes 20 small cookies or about 10 large

ingredients

3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed (for hazelnut meal and sprinkling - directions below)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 teaspoon + a pinch fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar
1 free-range egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand is my go-to)
1 teaspoon coconut oil

instructions

for the hazelnut meal

in a food processor, pulse 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of the toasted hazelnuts until you are left with hazelnut meal - you don't want to pulse them too long or you will be left with hazelnut butter. remove the meal from the food processor and set aside.
add remaining hazelnuts to the processor and pulse until roughly chopped. set aside for later

make the cookies

preheat oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
in a large bowl whisk the rolled oats, hazelnut meal, brown rice flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon until combined. in another large bowl, whisk the melted coconut oil with the sugar until dissolved. add the egg and vanilla and beat mixture until combined. add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a spatula until combined
using your hands, form small balls of dough (about 1/2 tablespoon), place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. place cookies in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. remove from fridge, and place in oven; bake for 13-15 minutes, rotating halfway through, until edges of cookies are slightly brown and crisp. remove from oven and transfer to cooling racks. let cookies cool completely

chocolate dip

while cookies are cooling, place chocolate chips in a double boiler or heatproof bowl over simmering water; stir the chocolate until melted. remove from heat and mix in the coconut oil; transfer to a small bowl or cup
one at a time, dip half the cookies into the chocolate and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. allow the chocolate to solidify at room temperature before eating
cookies will stay fresh for up to 4 days on at room temp covered with a piece of parchment paper

enjoy!