Chris told me recently that "It's not quite dessert unless there's chocolate in it." Is there any question as to why I adore him?
So I was all set to make some sort of chocolatey dessert to surprise him with after a long, hard day of work, when I found that I was out of chocolate chips (gasp!). And cocoa & cacao powder (double gasp!). How had I let this slip? Actually, this was not a shock as this is the sort of thing I do all the time. Lets say it's part of my charm.
I remembered that Chris sometimes likes oatmeal raisin cookies, and I hadn't made them in ages, so I decided to go that route. Raisins aren't my favorite things in the world, and though I had some, I just didn't feel like using them. I had purchased some figs that morning because they were on sale and I had plans of making this salad, but decided on a whim that they would be better in these cookies than raisins.
I pulled out my trusty old oatmeal raisin cookie recipe and made some adjustments which included trading all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour, brown sugar for brown rice and maple syrups, and cinnamon and ginger for cardamom and cloves. I folded in my chopped figs (In the batch shown, I just quartered the figs, though in my next batch, I cut them into smaller chunks. Either way is fine, but I recommend the latter) and I had a very hard time not eating all of this cookie dough straight from the bowl. Eating way too much cookie dough could also be attributed to being part of my charm. I restrained this time, however, because I wanted Chris to come home to a gorgeous plate of oatmeal fig cookies so we could test his dessert theory.
Not only did these cookies, though chocolateless, prove to be worthy of being called "dessert," but they had Chris exclaiming, between mouthfuls, "What is IN these?". He was taken by how soft, chewy, and fragrant these cookies were. The juice from the fresh figs seeps into the cookie making them very soft and moist. Because of how aromatic the cardamom and cloves are, every bite you take is not just tasted by the tongue, but the nose as well.
If you are like Chris, and a firm believer that desserts require chocolate, I urge you to challenge that theory with these cookies. If you don't think desserts require chocolate, then you're likely to love these even more.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
- 2/3 cup gluten-free flour mix, such as Bob’s Red Mill (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup fresh figs, stems trimmed and chopped into chunks
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, egg replacer, baking soda, salt, cloves, cardamom and oats together until thoroughly combined.
- In a smaller bowl, mix together the brown rice and maple syrups with the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together. Fold in the fig segments. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Once the cookie dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheets, keeping in mind that these cookies will spread out (so don’t crowd them together).
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until cookies have firmed and are golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
There once was a guy named Chris
who got the Disney cops pissed
They threw him in jail
and his wife got him bailed
but the whole story is truly a dish
I know what you’re thinking…
but only DCA has drinking!
he made some kids cry?
he said the Peter Pan boats don’t actually fly?
Maybe he stole some great loot
like The Witch’s apple or Buzz’s Andy-marked boot
Did he sneak backstage?
it puts Cast Members in a rage!
The truth is Chris thought it’d be extremely funny
To ask every single person he met “Where the heck is BUGS BUNNY?!??!”
Photography by Chris Miller
Somer
I was all excited by the title of this post because I have dried figs in my pantry waiting to be used. But the fresh figs my dear... OH MY! And would you believe I don't have any cardamom in my spice cupboard? I fully intend to remedy that situation today.
LOVE the poem, and the actual story of Chris' arrest even more. Banished from the happiest place on earth for a year for his shenanigans! Bwahaha!
keepinitkind
Cardamom is a must-have in our kitchen and these cookies would not be the same without it!
Isn't Beth's poem a riot? Only Chris could get banished from Disneyland while on a church field trip. The first time I heard this story, I just about died from laughing. 🙂
Beth
Oh my goodness- this totally made my week! Thanks you guys!(and thanks Chris for being such a "deviant", haha.)
What a weird coincidence....my husband is exactly the same when it comes to chocolate! He scoffs at all the fruity, non-chocolate desserts on a restaurant menu.
keepinitkind
No, thank YOU, Beth! We both got a huge kick out of your poem- you are so creative!
That's funny that your husband is a chocolate fanatic too! I think Chris craves chocolate more than I do (which is a LOT)! 😉
Annie
Sounds like a great combo for cookies - beautiful big bites of fig in there! And chocolate...Chris is right. Gotta have chocolate. Congrats to Beth! Maybe Chris' experience at Disneyland has kept him on the straight and narrow all of these years ;-)!
keepinitkind
Thank you, Annie- these are likely the best oatmeal cookies I've ever made, but I just might throw a few chocolate chips in the next batch for Chris. 😉 I agree with you- his disney experience is probably why he never pursued a life of crime. 😛
Cadry
The cookies sound wonderful! I've subbed figs for raisins in the past in savory dishes, and I like how much more muted they are in flavor. They don't have the same "LOOK AT ME!' quality that raisins do.
Excellent pick on the contest! Beth's poem is so cute and totally cracked me up!
keepinitkind
hahaha! Yes, raisins are quite the little showboats. Figs could definitely be the new raisin! 😉
Melissa
These cookies are beautiful! And the real disneyland story is too funny. I am betting the disney police deal with more "teen hijinks" there than actual issues. 🙂
keepinitkind
Thank you, Melissa! I agree with you- they probably catch tons of teens doing crazy crap! 😉
Andrea
The cookies are filled with flavors I love — must be a sign that I should make some before all the fresh figs disappear.
Richa`
that is such a cool poem:) and the real story is funny too. a 13 yr old getting caught and 1 yr ban.. gasp:)
i ran out of nuts this week and i had planned to make some cheese.. i think i will use some coconut cream instead.:)
i love these cookies with the figs. till last year, between the 2 of us, we would not finish 2 bars of chocolate in the whole year. and this year, i am single handedly funding Theo chocolate;)
keepinitkind
Hahaha! I know what you mean- there are several companies that I'm beginning to think I should buy stock in because I send so much money their way. It is interesting how your tastes change, though, even as an adult. I love that you love chocolate now (more goodies for us!!!).
Isn't the poem fantastic! Beth is a clever gal! 🙂
Richa`
i dont think my husband appreciates the unpredictability of my tastes 😉 some weeks he looks at me like really another chocolate something for breakfast.. can u please make me some poha(savory oats);)
btw. i am still skipping around on 3 machines and that means free site testing for the blogs! Internet explorer(i think the older version) either shows mobile version of your posts or elongates all the pictures. it might just be a one off thing. just thought of letting you know.
keepinitkind
Weird. Let me know if it persists. :-/
And I'm sure your husband does appreciate your tastes- with your cooking, I bet he eats like a king! 🙂
Gabby @ the veggie nook
Want to ship me a big box packed full of these? I'd love you forever!! Pssh who are we kidding, I already do 🙂
keepinitkind
No. I actually I want you to move here so I can make a batch and be able to bring them to you right next door. I would do it (almost) everyday! Pretty please! No matter. I'll love you wherever you are living. 🙂
Shira
Gorgeous! I like your brand of charms Kristy 🙂 Sounds familiar! I am sure Chris was more than happy at the sight of these - especially baked just for him! Luck guy, I say! xo
keepinitkind
Thank you, Shira! I would have to agree with you- Chris is a lucky guy (but I'm a lucky, lucky gal too)! 😉 Take care! xo
Courtney Jones
Wow! These cookies look so so so yummy! I love oatmeal cookies. Great idea to use figs instead of raisins. Makes them seem extra fancy! *hehe*
keepinitkind
Well, I'm nothing if I'm not fancy. 😉 Thank you so much, Courtney.
Heather
First things first - these cookies look amazing and I bet they made your house smell even more amazing - I am thinking I could eat an entire plate of these beauties!
Secondly - WOW Disney Police are tough....banishment for a whole year for pod jumping 🙂 That Chris of yours is such a rebel! xo
Suzanne
Funny story! I'm going to make these cookies ASAP to use up the figs in my fridge!
Laura
I want to make these STAT! Any ideas on what I could use instead of the Ener-g Egg Replacer?
keepinitkind
I would replace it with 2 tablespoons of flaxmeal. 🙂
K
I just made these and cookie itself is great, but the cloves are VERY overwhelming. Next time I would use maybe 1/8 tsp of cloves, so that the cardamom and fig comes through. I used 2 tbsp flax meal instead of the egg replacer!
K
but you know what I might do? I might actually dip the bottoms in chocolate, or drizzle some over, just so that they DO have some chocolate in them 😉