Graduation + Hardly Cookies

Well, graduation weekend has come and gone. While it took me a day to recover from everything, it was a very nice weekend.  My dad flew into Pullman on Thursday, and he helped me with various Hort Club tasks on Thursday and Friday, before attending the Holiday Party with me. 

On Saturday morning Michael showed up outside my apartment at 4 am after driving all the way up from Northern California. I donned my cap, gown, stole, medal, and Dean's List cord, and walked through the ceremony to get my WSU red diploma cover. Sitting there in my voluminous black gown it became a bit more real that I'm graduating and leaving this place. Today, however, I still can't believe that on Friday I'll have to turn in my keys, say goodbye to everyone, pack my little car and head for home.

To celebrate we had dinner at The Black Cypress, one of Pullman's newest restaurants, which I'd never been to before. I enjoyed my pasta while everyone else enjoyed steak, pork chops, or seafood.

Mom, Mel, Grandma, Michael and I had breakfast at Old European on Sunday before they got into their respective vehicles and headed for home. Michael didn't make it back until 6:00 on Monday morning, with a final at 8:00!  Luckily, he's rather brilliant and still did well enough on the exam!

After entertaining family all weekend, it was quiet and calm when they all left my apartment. I decided to whip up a batch of cookies to further relax myself, but to me one can hardly call them cookies.

Each time I make these I add a little more of my favorite ingredients. This time the recipe (based on one from ohsheglows) was as follows:
Hardly Cookies (no added sugar, no butter, is it really a cookie!?)
Wet:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbl olive oil

Dry:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup coconut
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbl hemp seeds
1 tbl chia seeds
1/3 cup chocolate chips (I really should use mini ones)

First combine wet ingredients, then mix dry ingredients well, and combine the two.

Form into small balls, about a tablespoon of dough each, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 14 minutes. The bottoms will get golden brown, or just plain brown if you leave them too long, but the rest of the cookie remains moist and chewy.
This has become my go-to snack when getting home from campus in the evenings, and one that I easily take with me to class.