Cookie Dough Bites + What I Learned From 28

Happy 2018! Over the last few weeks I went on a blog hiatus, which was incredibly relaxing and so necessary (highly recommend it). My Type-A brain doesn’t always want to shut down (ok, it never wants to)… but I feel rejuvenated, inspired, and SO excited for the year to come.

Tomorrow is my 29th birthday, which feels very strange to type out. You know when you were a kid and you couldn’t even imagine being the age you are now? We couldn’t waitto get older. I feel that there are two types of people in the world: those who love their birthday and those who hate it/would rather be 22 for life (no thanks).

You could probably guess that I fall into the first group. I’ve always loved birthdays, whether it’s my own or someone else’s. Maybe that’s because my family made a huge deal of them, but it just feels so dang special. It’s one day of the year! How could we not celebrate (and turn it into a birthday weekend/week/month)? It also helps that mine happens to coincide with the new calendar year, I love the extra fresh slate feeling.

There was the year we stayed at a hotel and swam in the pool all night long (all I ever wanted was a pool party). The year my mom took my best friends and I to NYC for the day (literal dream). Or the year I danced on a bar in Jamaica in broad daylight. It’s not that every single birthday was grandiose (one year my boyfriend sang to me from bed with the flu while I ate Thai takeout on the couch), but every single year I’ve felt excited to be a year older. To be wiser, in good health, and more in tune with”me” than before. (Watch me have a meltdown at 30, we’ll talk then). This year, I’ll be taking a second annual cabin weekend trip with my best girls where the attire is pajamas and the only plan is: do nothing.

Here’s what I learned from 28:

Some opportunities will look great on paper, but when your gut says no, the right answer is always no. You’re making room for something better.
Dating apps will always be weird.
Just because your day wasn’t terrible or incredibly exciting, that’s ok. There is beauty in the mundane. Some people could only wish for your “normal”.
The world can seem so scary and divided at times, but humans are inherently good.
Laughing is actually the cure for 95% of issues, I’m convinced.
The comparison trap is real. And it does absolutely no good.
Sunrises are magical. The end.
Being patient is really hard, especially for a Type A, Capricorn. Enjoy the process more.
No one really knows what they’re doing. The only difference is confidence.

Ok, I’m well aware that there are cookie dough bites on this screen and we haven’t even mentioned them yet. So here we are. I personally love dough more than cookies themselves, and would choose this flavor combo over most dessert options in life. The catch is: they’re made with beans. I know. Before you throw your phone and/or roll your eyes, trust me, these taste like the real deal. Having cookie dough on a daily basis has never been a better idea.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can garbanzo beans
4 TBSP maple syrup
3 TBSP almond butter
1 TBSP flax meal
1 TSP vanilla
2 TBSP almond meal
1 TBSP coconut flour (optional if too sticky)
mini chocolate chips (as many as you please!)
¼ TSP salt

CHOCOLATE SHELL:
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup cacao powder
2 TSP maple syrup
pinch salt

TO MAKE:

Mix everything (besides choc chips) into a food processor until smooth. 3-4 minutes. Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll into balls and freeze on a sheet tray for 30 min.

Melt chocolate ingredients over low heat or using a double boiler. Turn heat off and pour into a bowl.

Dip balls into chocolate and lay back on sheet pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Freeze for 30 minutes before eating. Store in air tight container in the fridge, for up to one month.