Olive oil and chocolate chip cookies and sucker punches

God saw you getting tired,
And a cure was not to be,
So He put His arms around you
And whispered “Come to Me”.
With tearful eyes we watched you,
and saw you pass away.
Although we loved you dearly,
We could not make you stay.
A Golden Heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes the best.

I warn you now, this is going to be a sad post.  Someone very dear to our family passed away yesterday.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, gone.

One minute you're exchanging emails, sending presents, making plans, then all of a sudden they simply aren't there anymore.  There will be no reply to that email you sent.  You can never say your grateful thank you for that parcel which only just arrived.  Hopes held and plans made, all of a sudden have no meaning.

We still can't wrap our head around the reality that a person so vibrant, so hard working, so generous, so larger than life, so sarcastically hilarious, so loving, so thoughtful and just so alive is no longer here.  It's totally surreal.  When you can still recall their last phone call to you, read their last email, see so clearly their face in your mind.

My father passed in 2005 and I have lost other people I care about before.  So you'd think I'd be prepared for the sadness, pain and loss that comes when someone else you care for deeply passes away.  But nope, it really does sucker punch you. Right. In. The. Gut.

I made these Olive Oil & Chocolate Chip Cookies to send down to the family.  I baked them with love, with tears flowing down my face and with the hope that something sweet would help just a little with the bitterness of their massive loss.

Please know we are grieving with you.  Our thoughts and constant prayers are with you.  Although we can only imagine what you are going through, we know what a special person he was and what a void his passing leaves in so many lives.

The recipe had been sitting there in my recipe book for yonks just waiting for a time when I would need quick and easy cookies to throw together. And I was super impressed with the results.  Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they were really tasty and so so easy to bang together.  You couldn't even tell this cookie didn't have any butter in it. 

{I can't believe it's not buttah}

 

They took a wee while to brown up and didn't go as golden as my usual choccie chip recipe (with butter rather than olive oil) but since it is pretty much a healthy cookie, I'll overlook it's slight pastiness.

Olive Oil and Chocolate Chip Cookies

tweaked from How to eat a cupcake.

makes around 3 dozen

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 eggs (or 2 large ones)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
230g chocolate buds or chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 180oC.  Line two baking trays with baking paper.

2. Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

3. Ina big bowl, beat eggs till frothy.  Add olive oil and vanilla and beat until completely mixed.  Add sugars and mix thoroughly.

4.  Slowly add in flour mixture a little at a time and mix in with a knife.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Roll into tablespoon sized balls and place 1 inch apart on the baking tray.  Flatten a tiny bit with a fork or just with your fingers.

5.  Bake for 16 - 18 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Allow to cool a little on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  They're pretty awesome just out of the oven so do try not to eat them all before you pack them away!

Dedicated to Robert.  

Rest in peace.  

Still can't believe you're gone. You will be missed so much by so many.  

We will cherish our memories of you always.