What’s an Occasion(al) Cookie, you ask?

First off, thanks for raising your hand. So polite.

An Occasion(al) Cookie is for those times in your life when you need a distraction or two dozen. It’s when you want your apartment to smell like happiness and butter and sugar. And maybe a hug.

Hugs have smells.

An Occasion(al) Cookie is to be eaten in moderation. It’s not a cookie that defies all nature to be healthy. It’s not a cookie that’s out to prove that cookies don’t have to be cookies.

Sometimes cookies should be cookies.

An Occasion(al) Cookie is equal parts giant chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, enveloped in maple brown sugar oatmeal, and gluten-free because there’s no way I can make something that’s entirely normal.

Let’s be real.

And until they’re all gone, an Occasion(al) Cookie should be kept in your purse at all times, in a plastic sandwich bag (as if anyone needs to tell you to keep sandwich-bagged cookies in your purse). You might end up wanting to make a friend somewhere at some point one day – it’s a crazy thought, I know, but go with it – and new friends like crazy girls who keep the best tasting, best looking homemade cookies sandwich-bagged in their purse. That’s just science talking.

So when you come upon a situation and you’re not sure how to proceed, pull out some Garbanzo Bean Flour or whatever wacky flour-of-the-month you keep in your freezer (normal) and make some of the most ridiculously delicious cookies with a weird name you’ll ever make. They’re not guaranteed to make everything better but I’m pretty positive they’re going to make everything better. I feel happier/full of cookies already.

Just maybe don’t make it a habit.

Occasion(al) Cookies

makes 26 cookies…precisely.

Adapted from Picky Palate

Occasion(al) Ingredients:

288g garbanzo bean flour (2 and 2/5th cup = real awk looking)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup light brown sugar

12 packets truvia

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

150g peanut butter chips

150g bittersweet chocolate chips

4 packets instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal (feel free to substitute with 2 cups plain rolled oats but I think the added sugar is pretty great)

Ocassion(al) Directions:

Line some baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them somewhere you can find them.

Combine your flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Sift, whisk, or run it through a food processor. Just make it nice and combine-y. In another smaller bowl, unleash your packets of instant oatmeal and whisk a bit so the sugar is incorporated.

Cream your butter and sugars in an electric mixer for a good while – 3 minutes or so – until the consistency is light brown and nice and whipped. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla extract. Slowly beat in your dry ingredient mixture. Mix in peanut butter and chocolate chips by hand. Mix in your instant oatmeal with a big ol wooden spoon. Set your oven to 375. Toss your cookie dough in the freezer until the oven is ready.

If you make your cookies into 1 1/2″ balls or so, you should get a little more than 2 dozen cookies. Roll your cookie dough balls and set them on the parchment paper-ed baking sheet. Keep it to 6 cookies per sheet because they’ll grow. Press the balls down to about 1/2″ disks. Stick in the oven for 10-11 minutes. When the edges are golden brown, your Occasion(al) Cookies are ready to make your day better.