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Monday, June 16, 2008

Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies



My first semester of nursing school has almost come to a close. Two days of final exams ahead, and then we will be on the road, heading home to Louisiana for 10 days of relaxing, fishing, and getting lost in New Orleans for the millionth time (ok, only if I'm driving...). Is there just a special tolerance for school, stress, and all-night studying sessions possessed only by 18 year olds, which, naturally, has long abandoned me, or is this particular round of final exams that much more stressful than my first degree and graduate school? My normal philosophical, nonchalant, zen-calm self had vanished with alarming regularity during this past few weeks of exam preparation, leaving me with a perplexing resemblance to insanity. Two weeks ago, as I was pouring a cup of coffee into a travel mug and preparing to begin my usual pre-dawn drive to class, I recalled that I had failed to take the trash can curb-side for the weekly morning pick-up - and soon found myself running frantically, clad in slippers and scrubs, down the street in pursuit of the trash-truck. The trash pick-up guy merely looked at me with silent curiosity, and signaled his driver to return to our home and relieve me of the large trash can that, yes, I was trying to drag down the street with me. I walked back into our house, attempting to regain my composure and wondering if I really had turned into the crazy lady at last... just in time to discover that Fritz, our big orange cat, had capsized my morning bowl of yogurt and was happily mushing it about on the floor with all four paws.

I cleaned up the yogurt. I remembered to change out of my slippers and into a more appropriate pair of shoes. I reminded myself that all this chaos, exhaustion, stress, and studying will soon be over. Soon, I will catch my breath and laugh about all of this. Soon, I will be in Zach's parents' kitchen, baking one too many batches of cookies...

and then, before I know it, another semester will begin... and, hopefully, the next time I turn into the crazy lady in the front yard, I will simply stop, take a deep breath, laugh, and remember that I've survived this before...



Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 T light vegan margarine
5 T applesauce
7 oz. Dutch process dark cocoa
2 cups raw sugar
2/3 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tsp vanilla

~ Preheat oven to 350°.
~ Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
~ Melt the vegan margarine and applesauce in a large saucepan over medium heat.
~ Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder raw sugar.
~ Add the sour cream and vanilla, stirring to combine.
~ Add the flour mixture, stirring until moist and just combined.
~ Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
~ Bake or 8 to 10 minutes - until almost set. Cool on the baking sheets for 2 to 3 minutes or until firm, then remove the cookies from pans and cool the rest of the way on wire racks - or enjoy warm...


8 comments:

  1. DAMN those cookies look heavenly - yum!!

    Best of luck with your exams!!

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  2. Oh, that brings back memories of studying! (And a bit of a laugh). Best of luck with all the exams--I'm sure you'll ace them! And then the zen will return. . . :)

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  3. My daughter, 32, just finished nursing school and is about to start her career. She has two kids, 6 and 7, and had plenty of chaos while going to school. Now she is excited about her new job--newborns and pediatrics--and soon you will be there, too. Enjoy your vacation and good luck.

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  4. Those cookies sound good! Have a great time in Louisiana.

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  5. Have you ever used carob in place of chocolate?
    I know many people avoid carob, but I find that the trick is to find the right brand and then you'll really see that carob can be (almost) as good as chocolate.

    The brand I use is from Holy Food Imports,
    which comes from Israel, so it does have an excellent and unique taste.

    ReplyDelete