Gotta love Saturdays?

Happy Saturday!



I just loved reading all of  your pizza suggestions! It seems I am not the only one that has a love of homemade pizza :)



This morning I woke up to sunny skies. Perfect running weather ? so what did I do?



     

  

Laced up my sneakers and hit the pavement!



5km later, I had well and truly started my day off wonderfully. I actually wish I had taken my camera. The morning sun was melting the overnight frost resulting in some pretty spectacular ?steaming? of the local oval as I ran past. There were even kangaroos on the oval having a morning feed, making the sight even more special and surreal.



So?..time to tackle my to do list?



Starting with some secret syrup making?







 Date syrup!



15 dates, blended with water and lemon juice to make a sticky syrup.







To be used in some baking, and to top my breakfast oatmeal during the week!







Followed by some cookie baking?



Coco-nana date cookies







These cookies were super easy to make.







It was simply a matter of adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.







Then dropping teaspoons of the mix onto a lined tray.







Followed by some oven stalking?.







And then enjoying a few cookies while fresh out of the oven and still warm.



       



These cookies were so moreish, and almost cake like in texture. Kinda like a banana bread in cookie form if you will. The date syrup added a subtle sweetness to cookies, without the need to add sugar, although I think some chopped dried fruit (apricots or sultanas?) would also work well.



Coco-nana date cookies (makes 14 to 16)



Ingredients

1.5 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup almond oil
1/4 cup date syrup
1 cup oats
2/3 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup shredded coconut
Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Mix banana, oil and syrup.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well.
Drop heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto a lined tray.
Bake for 18 minutes then cool on a wire rack.
So, with the running and the baking, and some afternoon DVD watching, Saturday slowly but surely slipped away from me. Can?t say I am complaining though?..was a perfect way to spend a Saturday!



I also made a little progress on my to do list?.

Bake some cookies
Make a new 'secret' syrup that I am keen to try
Go to 1 or 2 yoga classes
Seek some sunshine for a run
Plan our weekly meals and go grocery shopping (*confession - this is actually one of my favourite parts of the week...)
Dinner with friends (maybe) ?> postponed.
Yum cha with friends
Start organising the 100000s of photos I have stored on my computer and update our photo albums
Do my filing and prepare for tax time (*confession - this is most certainly not going to be one of my favourite parts of the week...)
But obviously not enough! Ah well, there is always Sunday?



What about you? What is your favourite cookie?



Happy baking :)