Oregon Transplant: Zucchini Cookies

If you're alive and have a pulse, you've likely seen these Zucchini Cookies floating around on FaceBook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. This is an extremely popular recipe right now, and seeing how it's zucchini season, I just had to give it a whirl. And I'm glad I did! These aren't your mama's Zucchini Cookies. They taste more like an oatmeal spice cookie than the traditional fare. Soft, moist, and deliciously spice-y from the cinnamon and nutmeg. I gobbled up these cookies with and without the frosting.

A couple of tips- I didn't want my cookies to fall apart due to moisture, so I shredded my zucchini and let it sit in a colander for an hour or two before making the cookies. Just to let some of the water drain. Also, these cookies do not spread. I was able to bake 12 to a cookie sheet. Unless you want little round ball cookies, you might want to press them down a smidge after putting them on the cookie sheet. The dough is pretty crumbly when you are done, so I chilled mine in the fridge for about an hour before rolling the dough. Although the dough was crumbly, the dough remained in balls after rolling them. I baked mine just until they were brown around the edges. You know me and overdone cookies :) I ended up with chewy, moist cookies. So yummy.

So, funny story. The hubby had decided that the screen protector on my iPhone needed to be replaced. After cleaning the phone, and then replacing the screen, he left the phone sitting on the counter. It was an odd night where he was working, which means we would be talking on the phone sometime later that night. When that time came and the hubby called, my screen wouldn't light up. It was just dark. I couldn't get the screen to come on. When I finally did get the screen to come on, I got scrolling black lines. Never a good sign. After some finagling, I got the screen on and was able to call the hubby. He advised me to turn the phone off and he would look at it in the morning.

I had a bad feeling...

The next morning, the hubby examined the phone and was definitely reluctant to tell me that he thought the screen was broken. After my sullen reaction and some time spent on the phone with Apple, we up and decided to drive to Lexington. Only a 2 hour drive on a random Tuesday. We went on the off chance that whatever happened to my phone was covered under warranty and they would replace it for free. And guess what?

It sure was! Apple replaced my phone for free! I was only phone-less for less than 24 hours. Pretty darn good if you ask me. The hubby and I stopped by Whole Foods while we were in town, which I was stoked for. We scored a major haul, leaving with fish, lots of specialty cheese and pasta, condiments I can't find in my area, some snacks, and the absolute best find of the day, cheese rinds. Yep, you read that right. Cheese rinds. They were selling Parmigiano Reggiano rinds in their own containers! About 8 cheese rinds for $5. Normally, each rind is attached to $11 piece of cheese so you can see how much money I saved to get my rinds! I was soooooo excited.

After the excitement of my rind-find, we decided to celebrate. We stopped in a little pub called Saul Good. We were really impressed with this bar. The decor was strange upon walking in, so we weren't sure what to expect. The dining room looked like a fancy ballroom with chandeliers, yet everyone in the restaurant was wearing jeans and t-shirts. The patrons all wore jeans and t-shirts. The menu was bar food. We were intrigued, and decided to stay. It was definitely worth staying for! Local craft beer to wash down Chicken and Waffles and a Blue Cheese Burger. Everything was quality, and really not like the standard frozen food the restaurants around our area sell. For such an impromptu day, it felt festive. A date day instead of night, if you will.

A brand-new FREE iPhone, gourmet ingredients to play with for the blog, dinner and drinks with the partner in crime, and a beautiful, scenic drive in from the country. Yeah, it was a good day :)

And just like that, we are on the cusp of another weekend. How does that happen? This summer has been hectic. I've been running around like a crazy person trying to get everything done most days. It makes me wonder how people with jobs and kids get everything done. It's just me, the hubby, 2 dogs, and 1 job between the 2 of us, and I still don't have enough time to do everything I want to do. I really admire those of you that do it all. Supermoms. I don't know how you do it.

On that note, I'm leaving you :)

Happy Thursday!

Ingredients (makes 3 dozen cookies):

Cookies-

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup shortening

1 egg

1 cup zucchini, shredded

1 1/2 cups quick oats

Frosting-

1/2 cup butter, softened

3-4 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp vanilla creamer

Garnish- nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour through nutmeg. Whisk to combine.

2. Cut in shortening. Add egg and mix well. Fold in zucchini and oats with a spatula. Place dough in fridge. Chill for 20-30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 375º. Coat 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray. Remove dough from fridge.

4. Using a 1-tbsp cookie scoop, drop 12 cookies onto cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven 7-10 minutes, or until edges are just brown. Remove from the oven, and cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

5. To make the frosting, combine butter, sugar, and creamer in a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium-high until frosting is creamy and fluffy. Spread unto cookies, dust cookies with nutmeg (if using). Store in an airtight container.

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