Holiday Weekend and Chocolate Chip Malt Cookies

I am writing this today as a 38 year old!  Saturday was my birthday and it might have been just about the best one I've ever had!  I felt celebrated, special and so very thankful for my family and friends.  It was a full day - a perfect day!  It started out with a morning jog with Debbie.  We had a nice run with great conversation, as always.  Then I cooked a big breakfast for my family and headed out to have my hair cut and colored (a three hour affair that involved some conversation, magazine reading, a little dozing off....) - it was fabulous! 

{SIDE NOTE:  I do want to take a moment to plug my salon.  I have been going to Joyce at Allie J Salon for over 10 years - she has gone from one stylist working in a salon to now owning her own salon, Allie J Salon.  They have recently moved into their own space on Hammond Drive in the Lowe's shopping center.  They are professional, fun, and you feel pampered whether you're there for a hair cut or color or everything.  I have been having my hair highlighted for years now, and it's always healthy and vibrant... So, if you're looking for a new salon or hair dresser, please call Allie J Salon!  404-256-1192.  I have sent several friends there over the years and they are now as loyal to Joyce as I am!}

After my hair appointment, it was off to kids' sports and then out to dinner with my main squeeze.  What a lovely day. 

Matt and the kids bought me a Vita Mix blender for my birthday - total splurge.  Holy moly is this thing AWESOME!  It's a high powered (commercial grade) blender.  You can throw anything into it and it makes it drinkable.  You can make smoothies, salad dressings, soups, pasta sauces, etc. in this thing.  Hopefully I'll be posting some fabulous smoothie recipes soon!  This morning, we had a smoothie with blackberries, raspberries, orange, spinach and a little almond milk.  Talk about healthy!  I'm excited to make some good protein filled smoothies for the kids before school this week!  And just yesterday, I made the most delicious broccoli pesto... will be sharing that one soon.

Allison, my wonderful sister-in-law, gave me a new cookbook.  Oh, cookbooks, I read them cover to cover as if they are a good and juicy novel.  I can tell you from one read-through of Weelicious, my new cookbook, it's a keeper.  I can't wait to make some of the dishes in this cookbook.  I've already read through it twice and am so excited to put my hands on so many of the recipes!

Being that it was a holiday weekend - both in the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. and in the name of my birthday, I have not adhered to my Paleo Diet so well.  It began on Thursday.  Let me back up for a minute.  Atlantans can attest... last week was one rainy week - a very soggy week, one could say.  Day after day of rain and clouds - and more rain... On Thursday, I thought it would be nice for the kids to come home to some chocolate chip malt cookies.  These are my favorite homemade cookies - incredibly easy to make - and just different enough with the malt powder to taste extra special.  Years and years ago while watching the Food Network, I watched someone make these and I copied everything down on a piece of paper.  I thought I blogged about them before but couldn't find them when I did a search (yes, this affirms the fact that I am not a very organized person - this blog is just off the cuff.. no rhyme, reason or organization - I have no idea at any given time if I have blogged about this or that, or not...).  And let me preface this by saying that while making these cookies, I was inflicting major torture on myself - because this was nowhere close to the Paleo Diet.  I was feeling very sorry for myself throughout every step of this process.  Read on....

First I mixed the eggs, butter, vanilla and sugars together.  Yum. 

Then I sifted the flour, baking soda and salt together - and added that to the egg mixture - with the malt powder (special ingredient that takes these cookies from normal chocolate chip cookies to something really quite extraordinary).  Drop by little rounded teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.

 

This is the point when I broke free from Paleo.  I released the no carb chains and dipped my finger into the bowl after I put the cute little teaspoonfuls out on the cookie sheet.  Normally, I would have scraped the bowl and licked the spoon.  Brooke took care of that for me :).

 

 

They spread out very thin and very flat when they bake for 10 minutes:

I let them cool just a little bit before removing them from the cookie sheet.  If you remove them too soon while they're still piping hot, they will fall apart. 

 

Click here for the recipe. 

Champ and our cute neighbor friend, Demi, enjoyed a few cookies and then Champ walked her home in the rain with an umbrella so she wouldn't get wet (she lives 2 houses over; otherwise, I would have driven her :) ).

Next time you're in the mood to make cookies, these are so super deliciously good!  And you know what's really good?  The next day when you're about to enjoy one, pop a couple in the microwave for 15 seconds - oh, they will melt IN your mouth - and the flavor is so rich and delicious that one or two cookies will satisfy your sweet craving!