Soft and ADDICTIVE peanut butter choc chip oatmeal cookies

This foot injury has been really affecting my day-to-day life. Duh!

My morning run/bike is replaced now with limping and hopping to the kitchen taking my first dose of pain killer of the day... My climbing/yoga at night is now called vegging in the couch with a kindle or with some brainless show running on netflix. I keep telling myself, it'll be over soon and everything is OK and life is still good but it's hard... considering how restless I am, it's hard!!

So I go into the kitchen and get my bake on... somehow the smell of cookies/butter is strangely soothing and my dirty little secret is, I don't even like eating sweets all that much. I mean I like sweets, mostly Asian sweets, such as mochi or anything stuffed with red bean paste... but cookies or cakes just usually don't sound all that great to me. But that doesn't affect my love in making them... especially making them for Casey and seeing his boyish smile on his face when he has them.

Last night, I came upon a recipe on BrownEyedBaker... oatmeal, chocolate chips and peanut butter... need I say more? I'm making them! Of course, with a little bit "healthy" twist.

Adapted from BrownEyedBaker

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 15 BIG what we call PAPA cookies and 12 BAOBAO cookies

Dry:
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour (yes, I sneak it in anywhere I can)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Wet:
1 ounce unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 ounces canned pumpkin
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1/4cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine.
3. While the mixer is running, whisk together all the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon.
4. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined.
5. Use a large cookie scoop (I used 1/8 cup measure) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Dip the scoop in water in between dough to make it come out more easily.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool on a rack and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

The verdict: Casey had about 10 of them and kept saying... there is no way you did your usual "healthy substitution" trick because they taste sinfully good. Ohh well, what can I say? :)

Back on the injury thing... I've started a weight lifting routine (Yes, you can call something a routine when you've done it twice :P) loosely based on this. I need to get more weights and a pull-up bar (only have a couple of 5lbs from a century ago and they make me feel so too "girly" :P) I did day 1 (Chest & Triceps) and day two Day 2( Back & Biceps) yesterday morning and last night (skipped some because there are just no at-home-free-weight alternatives) and day four (Shoulders & Abs) this morning. Yes, I'm impatient like that and can never follow a plan just as it is... maybe that's why I'm always injured? :P No that's not even funny to joke about right now!

Good news, I biked to work today!! Biking is actually so very gentle on your foot!! :D