I just need to say this once and then move on. Holy rain. We have been getting hammered with rain here in northeast Colorado. I was glad to hear that the river did crest finally today, so Rainbow Bridge won’t be flooded (my way home!).
This week has been flying by… I mean flying by! I have been so busy at work the last few days it is crazy. I know it gets this way this time of year. We gear up for summer promotions, including our biggest one of the year: Bobstock.
Bobstock is a two day music festival that one of our radio stations puts on in downtown Fort Morgan. In the past we have had acts like Blue Oyster Cult, Little River Band, and Foghat. This year we are bringing in Warrant and Lou Gramm the Voice of Foreigner.
Now, I don’t know if you like 80’s music or not, but I happen to LOVE 80’s music and I love Foreigner. I am super stoked to get to rock out to all those songs….. Feels like the First Time, Hot Blooded, Juke Box Hero, I Want To Know What Love Is… I could go on and on and on. Lou will be singing all of those.
This is the first year we are bringing in two national headliners, Warrant will headline on Friday, July 10th and Lou Gramm will headline Saturday, July 11th. It is an intense festival for our small town and especially for our small staff! It is a ton of work, but so much fun. We have 16 bands total this year, so basically music starting at 5:30pm on Friday night and continuing through 11:00pm on Saturday night.
Did I mention this festival is free?! Yes, we put this entire two-day concert event on and the public can come watch it for free. Bonus! Anyway…. we are under the 60-day mark for Bobstock so things are getting busy around the ol’ radio station. Fun stuff, but additional stuff.
Want to know what makes me happy besides Foreigner?! Chocolate chip cookies. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies make me even more happy! Throw some sea salt on top and boom. I’m in love.
These cookies really are good. I fed them to some people without telling them that they were healthy (they might have guessed simply because I made them), but they didn’t even notice that they were clean eating!
My favorite way to sweeten things like cookies and energy bites is to use dates and date paste. Dates are “nature’s candy”, so naturally sweet and yummy. I puree them in a food processor or single-serving blender to make a paste. Unsweetened applesauce also helps sweeten the cookies and of course, the chocolate chips!
I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips which are allergy-friendly chocolate chips. Enjoy Life has a bunch of products out there that are Paleo-friendly because they are dairy, nut, & soy free. They make cereals, cookies, granola bars, seed mixes, etc. The chocolate chips aren’t necessary healthy, so use them in moderation.
I topped these cookies with sea salt. Salt gets such a bad rap because of sodium, which is too bad because salt helps enhance the flavors of the foods you add it to. I do suggest keeping salt and/or sodium intake to a minimum. These cookies can be the exception! My recommendation is to not skip the sea salt for these cookies. I used flaked sea salt because I had it in the cupboard (thanks Mom!).
Also, shameless plug for Media Logic Radio…. mark your calendar for July 10th & 11th. Make sure you are in Fort Morgan, Colorado rockin’ out to Warrant and Lou Gramm the Voice of Foreigner. It’ll be a great time, I promise!
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup protein powder, vanilla or cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus additional for the tops of the cookies
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 1 egg + 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp butter extract
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Puree dates until smooth and paste-like.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the rolled oats, oat flour, protein powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
- In another medium mixing bowl combine the applesauce, eggs, butter extract, and date paste.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Stir in the pecans and chips.
- Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Measure about 1 tbsp of dough per cookie and drop on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
- These cookies can easily be made gluten free by using gluten free oats and oat flour. Try different mix-ins such as dried fruits or other nuts.
