chocolate dipped, oatmeal-hazelnut cookies /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

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!

birthdays and tiny layer cakes /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

there's been quite a lot to celebrate for this past week: first, my sister-n-law's birthday, and then my brother's.  they made the trek all the way from LA to celebrate with their east coast fam, and we couldn't have been happier to have them.  time and space seem to get in the way of sharing moments with those two, especially when seeing each other requires a 6 hour plane ride and coordinated schedules.  no matter what though there are always laughs, stories to be told, stories to share, and a general feeling of being full with family.  until next time!

my brother and his wife's birthday overlapped somewhat with the 1st birthday of this here blog.  and although this space has oddly felt like home to me, it's everyone i've had the pleasure of meeting and having connections and conversations with that has been the best treat so far.  it's a fun little world i find myself in each day, and i'm super happy to share in it with so many smart and talented ladies (and men!), so in celebration of birthdays and a bright new year ahead, here are mini layer cakes!  

this was my first attempt frosting mini cakes and there was a lot of trial and error.  here are some lessons i learned: 1.) unless you enjoy mild forms of torture, do not use a large off-set spatula to frost MINI cakes! 2.) using a small butter knife to frost is best  3.) mini cakes are mini, so hold them in your hand while you frost the sides (i realized this halfway through, ugh). and lastly, that large off-set spatula will actually be quite handy for transferring your tiny cakes to say, a cake stand or platter - at least it was good for something!  xo

mini mocha + vanilla bean layer cakes

| gluten free + dairy free |

i made 2 cakes with 3 layers and the other 4 with 2 layers, ending up with 6 cakes (confusing much!?).  if you choose to make 2-layer cakes you will end up with 7 mini cakes 

cakes adapted from Cannelle Et Vanille

  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 3 organic free range eggs
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup olive oil (light if possible)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

frosting slightly adapted from Oh, Ladycakes

  • 1 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (i use Spectrum Organic)
  • 2 tablespoons almond milk
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon decaffeinated espresso powder
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped 

instructions

  • preheat oven to 350° and line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper.  grease each pan with a coat of olive oil or coconut oil, set aside
  • in a large bowl, mix brown rice flour, almond flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda and salt.   in another large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, applesauce, olive oil and vanilla. pour into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly
  • divide batter between the 2 pans and bake for 30 minutes, until a baking tester comes out clean.  let the cake cool completely before frosting it

(while cake is cooling) make the frosting 

  • divide the cup of shortening between two bowls.  add 1 tablespoon of almond milk to each, mix with a hand mixer on high(i used one beater for vanilla and the other for the mocha frosting).  divide the powdered sugar between the bowls and slowly whisk to incorporate.  divide the scraped vanilla bean between each bowl and mix.  to make the mocha frosting, add the cocoa and espresso powder to one bowl, and mix and adjust to your liking (my husband said i could have added more espresso)

assemble the cakes

  • (prepare a flat work surface with parchment paper.  (i used a baking sheet lined with parchment until i was ready to serve the cakes.) use a round, 2-inch cookie cutter and cut out 7 circles from each cake pan.  using a small offset spatula, or butter knife, spread a thin layer on the sides of each layer of cake to coat the crumbs.  let it rest for a few minutes in the refrigerator before frosting it again.  once the frosting has set, coat a thicker layer of frosting on the sides and top of each cake.  layer your cakes and blend the frosting together, so as not to see where the top and bottom of the cake layers meet.  cover with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to serve.  allow the cakes 1 hour to come to room temperature

enjoy!

green shakshuka w/ smoky socca /  by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

the other day i was up at some crazy hour in the morning thinking about this cute, wobbly old table i had purchased a few years ago.  the table made a brief appearance here in our new(er) apartment, but was sent to my parents basement - or as we call it, storage - for a day when we have a large enough place to fit cute, non-essential furniture.  anyway, the other day i was thinking that i missed that table's cheerful turquoise hue, and its random chips of paint.  i told my dad that i was thinking of a way to utilize the table and asked if there was a way to trim the legs and make a tray.  my dad, being a pretty smart (and rad) guy, transformed this once not so very functional piece of furniture into not only a large serving tray, but was also able to save other parts of the dismantled table for wall shelves!  the tray now sits comfortably on our ottoman in the living room, and makes a pretty backdrop for photographs ;)

on to this shakshuka.  like most people i eat a red shakshuka, and sometimes a reddish-green shakshuka.  that was until i ate green shakshuka at my most favorite restaurant, jack's wife freda.  the base of their green sauce is tomatillos, green peppers, cilantro, onion and garlic.  the shakshuka here is a riff off of theirs.  not knowing exactly how they prepare it, i took to making it how i would prepare a regular red shakshuka and frank and i love it!  the sauce isn't as sweet and i definitely make it spicier when it's green, and i LOVE the taste of the cilantro mixed with the heartiness of kale!  and whenever there's a runny egg in town be sure that there's a piece of bread around to sop up all its runny, yellow yolk goodness! enter: socca. essentially a flatbread, and super easy to make, plus, you can add virtually any spice or herb to it and make it to your liking.  some of my favorite additions include: tons of garlic and herbs, za'atar, and smoked paprika! 

green shakshuka w/ smoky socca 

serves 2

ingredients

  • 8 medium tomatillos (~1 pound), trimmed and cut in half
  • 5 large lacinto kale leaves, ribs removed
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed (i added some seeds for spice)
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 3 large free range eggs
  • olive oil, for sauteing  

smoky socca

  • 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  •  1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

directions

make the socca

  • in a medium bowl, whisk the garbanzo bean flour, salt and smoked paprika.  add the warm water while whisking.  add 2 tablespoons olive oil and minced garlic, whisk to combine.  cover mixture with plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour - or up to 12 hours
  • place a 12" cast iron skillet (or oven safe baking dish of same size) in oven and preheat to 450° 
  • once heated, remove from oven and add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan; swirl to cover the surface and edges.  give the socca batter one more whisk and add to hot skillet, return to oven and bake for about 13-15 minutes.  turn oven to broil and bake until edges and top of socca bread are lightly browned and crisp - about 3-5 minutes
  • carefully transfer the bread to a large plate or pizza pan and cut into wedges.  serve hot

make the shakshuka

  • combine halved tomatillos, kale, 3/4 cup cilantro, cumin and salt in a food processor, and pulse until contents are blended.  set aside
  • heat a 10" skillet over medium heat, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onions until soft and translucent - about 3 minutes.  add the garlic and saute until garlic is soft and fragrant - about 2 minutes.  add the tomatillo mixture and bring sauce to a light simmer.  cook over medium-low heat for about 12-15 minutes, until half the liquid has cooked off
  • make divots in the sauce for the eggs.  one at a time, crack the eggs into a small bowl and gently transfer to the green sauce.  repeat with remaining eggs.  cook eggs until whites have set (i generally use a cover to speed this process up) about 6-8 minutes.    
  • garnish with leftover cilantro and serve with the socca...enjoy!