Sharing a kitchen with multiple people can get a little hectic. Each person has their own style that they have figured out and gradually tweaked over the years based on their experiences, their needs, and their goals. When you put two people in a kitchen, there’s definitely a learning curve as they figure out who excels in what, what methods should be adopted, discarded, or adapted. Entirely new techniques might be experimented with.
What I am finding is, no matter how many people’s kitchens I get used to and how many other cooks I begin to adapt my style to, I have to explore and find a new, unique balance of what works with new person. And no matter how much advice I follow or models I try to emulate, someone else’s partnership is never going to be a perfect model for my own.
Please enjoy these power cookies and join me in the effort of figuring out life as a 20’s something…
An eager hand reaching for a power cookie.
Power Cookies
From 101 Cookbooks
Makes 18 cookies (2 cookies = 1 serving for me)
2 cups rolled oats (not instant oats)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons ground anise
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
one 15-ounce can white kidney, great northern, or navy beans, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup sesame seeds
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees and place a rack in the top third. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Pulse the oats in a food processor (or blender) until they resemble a raggy flour. Transfer the oats to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the flour, aniseed, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest and salt.
Pulse the beans and olive oil in the food processor until they are creamy. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and pulse until smooth. Scrap down the sides of the bowl once or twice along the way.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until the ingredients start to come together. Sprinkle the dates across the top of the batter and stir until everything just comes together.
Place the sesames seeds in a bowl. Make each cookie with a scant 1/4 cup scoop of dough. Roll each scoop of dough into a ball then coat it with sesame seeds. Set each ball on the prepared baking sheet and with the palm of your hand flatten the dough just a bit (see photo). Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving at least an inch or so between each cookie – they’ll spread a bit, but not much. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the sesame seeds around the bottom start to get golden.
Sweet Spatulas 