orange you glad it's Spring?

Happy Spring everyone! Yes, I realize it was officially Spring at the time of my last post, but now it actually FEELS like Spring outside. And I, along with my creative juices, just love it. This weekend I pondered about what a chocolate chip cookie would think about having orange and oats injected into it. I decided it was a fabulous idea and that I was going to guesstimate the inclusion of these ingredients without looking up a recipe online. This is the story of the Chocolate Chip, Oat and Orange Cookie.

I'm a firm believer that no good idea can be successfully executed without a good breakfast. Which is why I was excited to start my Sunday with a breakfast of waffles and sausage made my by thoughtful fiancé. It's hard to go wrong when the trio of George Foreman, Hungry Jack and Aunt Jemima are in the kitchen with you.

This was all I needed to kick off a very productive Sunday. Mmmm pancakes, sausage and coffee...yes, I ate three waffles. No judgment please.

Later that day, I was set on adding orange and oats to my plain old mini-chocolate chip cookies. The oranges on my counter were begging to be zested, although I passed on the one sporting an inked smiley face (courtesy of the fiancé). Just the smell of the orange zest made me happy and I decided that the zest alone would add a nice flavor without being overpowering like an orange extract or juice might be.

The cookie recipe started out like the normal chocolate chip variety, but ended with a cup full of oats and a tablespoon of orange zest.

Ten minutes later, my fingers were crossed and my nostrils smelled a chocolate covered orange aroma. Much to my delight, these cookies tasted exactly like they smelled. Sweet cookie dough filled with chocolate chips and oats for texture with a little punch of orange in every bite.

See punch of orange below.

Welcome Spring! Next weekend will be filled with the fruits of paradise...