Strawberry Fields Forever (And Espresso Chip Cookies)

Today was one of those days that I wish I could bottle up and savor for a long, long time.  We spent the morning at our new organic farm CSA, picking our own strawberries, walking through the fields of herbs and lettuce that will arrive in our boxed share tomorrow (can't wait!), playing on the small playground, walking on the trails of the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Reserve (where the CSA is located and leases land), visiting the nature center and butterfly house, eating a picnic under the trees, listening to a chorus of a thousand birds.

Then I went for a 5.5 mile run--still sucking wind a little with my new med, but made it nonetheless, came back and tore up the waist-high weeds from the raised bed garden so we can finally plant my winter squash, caking myself with dirt, biked to Borders with Ian to get his free book (for reading ten), came back and played with puzzles, and baked espresso chocolate chip cookies for a barbecue with friends tomorrow.

These are the sort of cookies you could eat with a cup of tea (or coffee) for breakfast, or now, enjoying the cool evening breeze of late spring.


Espresso Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup nondairy milk [I used soymilk]
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablepoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together non-dairy milk, oil, flax seeds, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Sift in flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add quick-cooking oats and chocolate chips and stir until all ingredients are moistened.  This batter is very runny  ... I added about 1/2 c. more flour at this point, and the cookies came out a bit cakey, but they will turn out OK (chewy) if you just leave the batter as is.

Drop generous tablespoons of dough about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets.  Bake for 14 minutes, until cookies are slightly puffed and the edges appear dry.

Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes , then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Store in a loosely covered container.