Home   >   Food   >   oatmeal chocolate coconut toffee cookies. you’re not too busy for that.

Oatmeal chocolate coconut toffee cookies. You're not too busy for that.

By on June 11, 2013

“How You doin’?”

Remember when Joey from Friends used to ask that question? The blushes from the unsuspecting women, the eye rolls from his friends!

Think back to the last time you ran into someone you know, on the street. If it’s someone you don’t see often, chances are when you ask them how they are doing, they will answer “busy, you?” And your reply will mimic theirs. “Yeah, we’re super busy too”. Not just busy, but super busy.

A couple of months ago, I would have started writing by saying, “So, I was crazy busy last week which was why I didn’t write a post”.

But that was before I read this blog from The New York Times. I don’t think I can paraphrase the article well enough; really you should go and read it. In a nutshell, we wear “busy” like a badge of honor, and to be anything less than busy would imply we’re not doing our part. But honestly, go and read it. The next time someone replies “busy” to your inquiry, you might just roll your eyes, like Rachel, Phoebe and Monica.

So why didn’t I write last week? It’s pretty simple. I didn’t have inspiration. Which is interesting considering the kind of week we had.

You have no idea how much you take water for granted until you don’t have it. Or, almost worse, you’ve got it but can’t drink it.

Last week, after a routine maintenance check at one of our local pumping/purifying stations, most of the island of Montreal was put under a boil-water advisory. This means that you are not to consume the water that flows from your tap until it has been boiled for at least a minute. For most of the city, this was precautionary. Long story short, it lasted about 36 hours. No one got sick from drinking the water. This is important because one of the biggest criticisms was the lack of promptness on behalf of the city to roll out the information. By the time my municipality was under the advisory I had already drank a liter (33 ounces) of water. From my tap.

All of this to say, it was interesting to see how we take our water for granted. It did prompt a healthy and interesting conversation with my little people, who also don’t think much about the fact that we can simply turn on the tap and immediately drink the water that comes out.

For thirty-six hours all this city could talk about was water. A welcoming change from the weather. And water is a bit like yawning, the more you talk about it, the more your body needs it. I have never felt so thirsty. And people were hoarding it. Grocery stores sold out of bottled water within hours of the advisory.

To add insult to injury, during the advisory we had a lot of rain. Torrential downpours at one point. Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink.

I ended my crazy busy week at our cottage, where not only did it rain a lot more, but we actually received snow. Yup, at the end of May. And just like that, this Montrealer is back to talking about the weather.

 

oatmeal chocolate coconut toffee cookies

 

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) toffee bits (Heath or Skor)
1 cup sweetened coconut

Use a very large bowl as there are a lot of ingredients, and this recipe makes a lot of cookies, about 4 dozen.

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

Beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended.

Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; beat until blended.

Stir in oats, chocolate chips, toffee bits and coconut, with spoon.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Cool 1 minute; remove to wire rack.

 

P.S. This is an old Hershey’s recipe. I can’t find the name of the cookbook because I am busy packing to move.

 

Julie of By The Recipe says this about her food writing:

I’m not sure which came first: my sweet tooth, or my desire to bake.  Before I was a wife and a mother, I was a baker.  I love to bake.

Before kids, I wasn’t much of a cook. After kids, my cooking abilities improved, I guess because I needed to feed my family. Over the years I have come to enjoy cooking, almost as much as baking.  But let’s be honest, the best part of baking and cooking are the accolades of a great mouthful of food. That inspires me.

When I cook, I cook by the recipe. Almost always.

About simply...woman!

We encourage spreading the message of knowledge and wisdom. We appreciate and thank our featured partners for their articles. All information provided on Simply…Woman online magazine is for reference only; the content is based on the authors’ experiences and therefore is not intended as a substitute to the services of a fully qualified professional. Although every reasonable effort is made to present current and accurate information, Simply…Woman makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information.