A warm and soft oatmeal cookie, just barely cooked, over the top of warm peaches. Add a little vanilla ice cream melting into the cookie and it's the just right combination of flavors, textures and temperatures! A perfect ending to any summer dinner!
Corona virus has impacted so much of all our lives these days. We've all stayed home at least a little more, but mostly a lot more. Work has shifted. Errands have decreased. Plans with friends and family have been cancelled or never even made. Trips cancelled. Just a lot of things not happening that we love and now miss.
Despite all the things that we can't do right now, this week I've been thinking about all the good things that have come from this time.
My roommate and I have been home a lot these past few months and I think I've learned a lot about myself by spending so much time with someone who is so kind and so supportive of me. Prior to living here, some of my living situations have been more difficult. I felt the need to do everything I could to prove that mattered in our house that I was somehow valuable in the atmosphere of our home. I was cooking, cleaning, doing yard work, trying to repair things, and just do whatever I could to make our home better. I was consistently spending hours each week doing these things, all while trying to simultaneously take up as little space as possible. It's a difficult thing to feel like you don't belong somewhere and you constantly have to either prove yourself or be as small as possible.
Fast forward to now, and my life is significantly different. I don't feel afraid of how my roommate will respond. I don't worry about needing to pull back and not be around when she's home. I'm not constantly worried about her being frustrated that I didn't make the right dinner or it wasn't made the moment she got home. Actually, we make dinner together. We talk about what we both want. We both give and take. I can voice what I want. In fact, if I don't say what I want or if I don't know what I want, she actively tries to help me figure out what I want and what is important to me.
Over the past few months, I have seen how much it has changed my life to be around someone who is encouraging, supportive, and who values me. I feel myself wanting to try new things, and seeing how I feel more confident and more capable. I am seeing a change in myself, trusting that I am someone who is worthwhile and really has something to contribute. I am trying new things and setting new goals.
Despite the difficulty of covid and it's consequences, I am extremely grateful for this time. I am comforted to know that there are good things that come from difficulty. We all can use a little more comfort in our lives. We all need people who love us, who support us, and who make our lives better. We all need people who help us feel comfortable in our own skin. And if we have to stay home a little more right now, hopefully we can be with those people. And hopefully we can be those people to the people we are with.
This dessert is a dessert of comfort. It's warm and cozy, sweet but not overly sweet. We ate it out of the pan, which is somehow a little more comforting as well. The slightly chewy cookie, just barely cooked, over the top of warm peaches. Add a little vanilla ice cream melting into the cookie. It's the just right combination of flavors, textures and temperatures. So much goodness in every bite!
3 peaches
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup almonds, chopped or slivered
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
In an 8-inch oven safe frying pan, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir. Add peaches and stir. Let cook for 6-8 minutes until the liquid starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Set aside.
Cream 3/4 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar in medium bowl. Mix in eggs and remaining vanilla. Add flours, oats, soda and salt and mix. Stir in almonds and chocolate chips.
Drop cookie dough by the spoonful over the top of peaches. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes, or until dough is set and starting to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Place a few scoops of vanilla ice cream on top of the cookie and enjoy!
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