January 2014
I have a guilty pleasure, and it starts with, “And who am I? That’s one secret I’ll never tell … You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Girl.” I fought it at first. One episode into the dramatic lives of New York’s Upper Eastsiders, and I swore I had had enough. I fought it hard, but my inner gossip won. Multiple episode binges later, I’m sitting at the hairstylist’s divulging my love of Chuck Bass’s bravado, Dorota’s devotion, the brevity of “S” and “B,” and for the love of all that is sacred- those dresses and parties!!! Gossip Girl had clearly cemented itself as a guilty pleasure.
However, in that same hairstylist’s chair, I rattled off the laundry list of justifications for watching a show which quickly escalates into a teen soap opera with better lighting and locations.
1. Living vicariously stretches the imagination.
2. The show references a lot of high culture from art, to fashion, to music.
3. I dig the music featured in the show.
4. I now know what Louboutins are. Though clearly behind the curve, that acquired knowledge seems like a rite of passage. Now if only I owned a pair.
5. The actors’ names alone are quite elegant- Penn Badgley, Leighton Meester. I find different names interesting and inspiring in their own right.
If you’re going to have a guilty pleasure, might as well find a way [or five] to justify it, right?
Tucked nicely in my collection of guilty pleasures is my belief that each day should hold a sweet indulgence. To be fair, I was reared on daily dessert offerings, and my bones were fortified with ice cream in addition to garden fresh veggies. Instilled though it was, this belief in sweets leads to its own set of justifications.
If I’m going to eat sweets, I might as well make them more than sweet nothings. Whole grains and oats blur the line between dessert cookie and wholesome granola bar, but chunks of chocolate satisfy the desire for a sweet indulgence.
The slightly misguided moral of this blog post? Go ahead and justify your guilty pleasures.
Coconut, Pistachio & Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) + 6 Tablespoons organic, unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup organic evaporated cane sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed organic brown sugar
2 organic eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, optional
3 cups organic rolled oats
1 cup organic semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup roasted pistachios
1 cup unsweetened, coconut flakes
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets and set aside.
Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, then add to the butter mixture and beat until combined.
Stir in oats, chocolate chips, pistachios and coconut.
Scoop dough into rounded tablespoons and place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until done (crisper edges and gooey centers)
Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.
Bon Appétit!
-Quelcy
