if only in our dreams: s'more cookies

A friend and I have been playing a game lately. Ok, by game I mean day-dreaming, and by friend I mean a certain kind of Angel (wink!). The game is inspired by a recent string of unfortunate relationships and is called "let's-talk-about-how-great-our-future-husbands-are." Oh, you know this game? Then you know that this post might not be for the easily offended or women's rights activists - but you can be sure that even they have thought the same things at some point, even if only in their dreams. With that said, I give you our "ideal man" - discovered in a lighthearted conversation after the aforementioned Angel's most recent heartbreak.

Cautionary note: This conversation was mostly in jest, and not all statements reflect the true feelings of myself (M) and my friend (F). But a girl can dream. Also, if you bump into this boat-shoe-wearing, black-Amex-carrying, thoughtful dog-lover, please let me know. Immediately.

M: Someone tell our someday husbands to hurry the eff up before we smack them

F: Seriously. My friends boyfriends and husbands buy them gifts and take them to dinner

F: And pay for the WHOLE meal

F: Not "meet you there and split the bill." What was I THINKING?

M: I'm sure our future husbands will like to pay for us. After all, it's joint-checking

F: Yes! Lets see... what else do they do

F: They buy flowers for birthdays and anniversaries

F: I will cry the next time a man buys me flowers I will be so happy

M: Hmmm... they wear suits that are tailored

M: And walk on the street side of the sidewalk

M: And get into cabs first so that we don't have to slide over in a skirt

F: And they like a nice fancy dinner out

F: They wear great cologne

M: They work out and care about being healthy

F: They also don't care if we gain a few lbs because they think we're beautiful

M: Even in the morning

M: They play us guitar

F: They have great families who we love and who love us

M: Yes! Their Mom loves us!

F: They also like dogs, a lot

M: They love dogs

F: They love our dogs

M: And they like taking trips

F: And they are spontaneous

F: BUT they do make plans in advance, because our time is precious

M: They buy us soy milk even though they like regular milk

M: And come cheer us at races in the park

F: Yes! Even if it's early in the morning

F: And they are nice to our friends

M: And our friends love them

M: Because they also don't put up with our BS - they are smart and have strong opinions

F: But are always willing to hear ours

M: Because they are democrats and they like a healthy debate

F: They are handy and outdoorsey

M: And can fix or repair anything like cars and broken toilets

F: Yes, they are very manly, but they don't burp and they have great table manners

M: And they own a pair of boat shoes, and maybe a boat to go with them

M: And they wear glasses sometimes, because they're hot

F: In an intellectual way. Yes - exactly!

F: Hmmm.. we might need twin brothers

M: I like our husbands

F: Me too

M: They sound dreamy

If you're still reading and don't think we're complete snobs (we're not, I swear), you'll probably agree that our future husbands sound like great guys. Can't wait to meet them some day.

In the meantime, I found a recipe that seemed a bit more achievable than finding Mr. Right. Since you know I love S'mores, this recipe got me excited enough to stay up late on Thursday night to bake.

I was skeptical after eating the first one out of the oven - it didn't really taste like a S'more and I started thinking the recipe's claim that whole wheat flour added a graham cracker flavor was false. They were good, but not S'more-good. So I stuffed them in a big zip lock and packed them with my fleece and merino wool base layers for this weekends trip upstate.

After a long drive from Manhattan to Gardiner NY, we broke into the cookies while watching "Up" on DVD (umm, no one told me it was sad!) and whoa. Total graham crackery goodness! I guess these cookies just needed a day for the flavors to come together (that, or eating tablespoons of cookie dough while baking them altered my palate on Thursday). Half of the bag was gone in no time and the yellowhouse guys gave them two enthusiastic thumbs up. Plus, with 100% whole wheat flour they can't be that bad for you, right?

Oh, I forgot to add something to my husband wish list: he loves my baked goods.

Whole Wheat S'more Cookies

Bon Appetit

The only caveat I have to this recipe is that I highly recommend taking Bon App's advice to leave an open bag of marshmallows overnight so that they become stale. It will make them much easier to bake as the stale marshmallows will hold their shape. I was impatient and used fresh marshmallows and I had some pretty big melting issues.

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk (I didn't have any, so used 1/2 cup water and they came out just fine)

1 tbsp. dark molasses

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I had semi-sweet)

1 cup mini marshmallows

3/4 cup coursely chopped walnuts (left these out as well)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, molasses, and vanilla extract in medium bowl; whisk in butter. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until dough is evenly moistened. Stir in chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts.

Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until golden brown, dry to touch, but still slightly soft, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool (cookies will firm up).

Tip: If you're out of buttermilk and have regular milk on hand (I didn't), use 1/2 cup milk soured with 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.