You could probably list out many options for desserts and I would still pick Shortbread cookies as my all time favorite cookie! Apparently shortbread cookies originated from Scotland and was considered a “luxury” food for the wealthy. I can definitely see why! Just imagine the most buttery, melt-in-your mouth cookie, and there you have it – the shortbread cookie!
The great thing about these is that the ingredients are simple and accessible (thank goodness!) and they are super, duper fast!
As a brand new gluten free, vegan, paleo baker, this is one of the easiest, foolproof desserts I have made!
Lately, my sister and I have really been thinking a lot about reaching out to people and looking beyond our own selves. Sometimes life just gets hectic with school, with pressures, with conflicting priorities, but i think this quote by one of the 12 apostles (leaders of our church) in our church really saids it all,
“[There is an] eternal principle that we are happier and more fulfilled when we act and serve for what we give, not for what we get.”
(Dallin H. Oaks, “Unselfish Service,” Ensign, May 2009, 93-96.)
As I’ve been reflecting on what the purpose of this blog is, I’ve really come to the decision that I simply need to reach out to share my talent with others. The only reason why I love cooking and baking is the fact that it brings people together. Who doesn’t like good food? I remember being back home from my mission, happily reunited with my sister and spending countless hours in the kitchen making up for the 18 months we missed. I missed spending time with her a lot. It was a great time to bond, but even greater opportunity to see the smiles on people’s faces as they enjoyed good food. My mum even commented on how “much joy” we brought back to the house. I would say that is the power and beauty of food!
Zoe and I spend a little time every morning before school reading our scriptures like we did on our missions. I realize spending that extra time with god can be really therapeutic. As we both thought about how we can make our lives a little more enriched, we came to the conclusion that we simply needed to spend more time in the kitchen again baking, cooking up a storm for people around us.
So #1 : We made shortbread cookies for our dear friend who’s birthday we missed because of class. We also gave some to others we thought of who might be lonely this valentines day
#2 We also took out a little time to make dinner for another great friend who was having a stressful week! We took dinner to her at the library and spent an hour just chatting and enjoying good General Tso’s cauliflower bake and Korean chicken rice cake stir-fry.
That’s when I recognized how true the words in that quote by Elder Oaks (one of our church leaders shared). Service can fill a part of you that nothing else can replace – and it simply brings you joy. It really doesn’t require much except for simple, thoughtful actions.
So what is something you can do to serve other people today?
- 2 cups almond flour (meal)
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (can use honey, but maple syrup gives it a better flavor)
- 1 Bar of Good quality milk/semisweet/dark chocolate (make sure its dairy free, vegan or soy are for those with allergies
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a spatula until well mixed.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Take it out and shape into long ovals/balls. You can pretty much make them any shape or size (we preferred to make them thicker).
- Place them carefully onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 7- 8 minutes, depending on thickness and size. (You want to make sure that they are cooked but still soft inside).
- Break the chocolate bar in a bowl and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
- Allow them to cool completely. Use a fork to drizzle the chocolate carefully on the cooled shortbread. You can even dip the cookies into shortbread if you like, but we prefer it looking like this! (don't they look so elegant?)
- Fridge the cookies, or let them set OR you could serve immediately.
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