chocolate chip cookies and my first 5k

i ran a 5k today. that's right. a 5k (more specifically, the get in gear). that's 3.1 miles. i finished in 29: 27 14. that's a big deal for me. i would like to thank the color pink and my sporty knee-high socks for my triumphant 5k. next up will be a half-marathon at the end of august, with a few more 5k's and 10k's thrown in for good measure between now and then.

i realize that it's a bit silly to have signed up to run 13 miles in august in minnesota. for those who are unfamiliar, august in minnesota is pretty much like august in florida. except we are further from the equator. those of us sick-minded enough to call minnesota 'home' like to pride ourselves on thriving in this the land of extremes. we survive weeks upon weeks in the doldrums of january where the high temperature never creeps above -20, and the snow falls so heavy and deep that you have to wear boots up to your thighs just to find your car. and the summers in minnesota are no treat either - humidity so thick that you can barely breathe and mosquitoes so big that they threaten to fly away with you. it's silly around here. it really is. but i love it. and apparently, so do a lot of other people. and a lot of us like to run for fun ("what the hell kind of fun is that?!") in this, the land of extremes. i guess we're all kind of into needless suffering.

but enough about that. i will be running 13 miles in august, and feel fantastic about my PR today. now, without further ado, back to the cookies!

to celebrate properly and fantastically finishing a 5k, one must have chocolate chip cookies. but not just any chocolate chip cookies. these are, quite possibly, the world's most perfect chocolate chip cookie. and you can trust me on this, as i consider myself a bit of a chocolate chip cookie expert.

the recipe is adapted very slightly from the side of a bag of bob's red mill whole wheat pastry flour. i have dubbed these "shut up you damn hippie" cookies because they are a tad alternative to the traditional cookie, maybe a bit rebelious, a touch organic and flighty, but oh so over-the-top happy that you just can't help but love 'em. enjoy!


recipe: shut up you d*mn hippie chocolate chip cookies

you will need:
1/2 cup earth balance margarine (if you don't have earth balance, use butter. don't use any other margarine. just don't.)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cup turbinado sugar (also known as raw sugar. you can use the white stuff, but i personally wouldn't recommend it. do you know what's in that shit? you don't? look it up.)
2/3 cup "milk" (almond, soy, rice, etc. cow will work, but i just threw up thinking about it.)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups ww pastry flour (ww = whole wheat)
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips or chunks (i chopped up a few bars of ghiradelli, because i ran a 5k today and garden variety semi-sweet morsels just were not going to cut it. sorry, nestle semi-sweet morsels.)

in the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the margarine and oil with the sugar until fluffy. yes, fluffy. picture the tail of a fluffy kitty and make it look like that. then pour in the milk and vanilla and continue creaming until combined.

meanwhile, place all the dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in a bowl. whisk to combine.

add half the dry ingredients to the wet and combine gently. don't over mix. add the other half and combine gently. again, i tell you, do not over mix. then pour in the chocolate chunks or chips and combine until all is mixed together. DO NOT OVER MIX.

now here's the fun part. take the bowl off of the stand mixer, cover with saran wrap and put it in the fridge for twenty minutes. that's right. twenty minutes.

<tick tock>

time's up! crank your oven to 350 and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. trust me. it's just easier. dollop (i LOVE that word) the dough in heaping tablespoons onto the cookie sheet, but do not place too close together. they will spread. bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.

holy, crap, YUM.

regarding these cookies, the badger says "i hate hippies. but i love these cookies."