Decadent Rocky Road Cookies

I’m continually floored by God. You know, how he loves us and how he gives grace when we don’t deserve it and all of that. But also how he shows up in weird ways when we need him most. For example (cause you know there’s an example). He showed up in a few simple words from a close friend in text. He showed up when she said,

“And before I forget, I am really proud of you for getting where you are. You’re letting God lead and that’s so awesome. You are an inspiration to many–including me. Keep going my friend, you got this!”

And this, my friends, is how God floored me. Bcause if you had asked me that morning, before this text exchange, if I had actually “gotten” anywhere, the answer would have been a resounding NO.

If I’m being honest with you, I’ll tell you that I have felt about as stuck as stuck can be lately, like me “getting” anywhere is about as preposterous a thought as me being an athlete. Or a good dancer. Or a competent parker. Y’all, lately on this blog journey I’ve hit roadblock after roadblock after roadblock. They’re not worth going into here mostly because they’re very technical and boring, but when I tell you I have been discouraged, trust me that it’s an understatement. So when I pray for direction and try to hear God’s voice (which I do often), and I hear crickets instead I’m left wondering if I’m supposed to be doing this at all. If this is my purpose shouldn’t it be easy? Why do I feel like I’m backsliding? Why do I feel like I’m not getting anywhere? 

Did I really hear you right, God? Three years ago when I started this whole thing? Or was I dreaming? I’m really not even sure to this day.

So when I got this text, it felt like a joke, like I was misleading one of my best friends, a mentor, and a big sister figure at that. Because I haven’t gotten anywhere. I’m stuck. Flat out stuck.

But let me explain…..

It’s not necessarily like I haven’t gotten anywhere. I realize that. It’s more that lately, I’ve been quite stuck. I’ve been doing all the work and feeling like I’m on the precipice of the next step. I just honestly have no idea what that next step is. I’m definitely in the waiting. And it stinks.

You know the waiting, right? The part between the beginning of the dream where there is momentum and people are taking notice because it’s something new and you feel energy and enthusiasm, and the apex, the ending, the point that feels like where it clicks. This in-between part is called the waiting. And it’s where I am.

The waiting feels an awful lot like slogging through details and tasks, every day, with often not very much affirmation that you’re doing the right thing. The waiting sometimes feels like silence, when you’re cocking your ear to hear from God, asking Him to let you know if you’re still on the right path and hearing, well, nothing. The waiting is a lot of roadblocks, a lot of figuring it out on the fly, and a lot of tumbleweeds and dry, barren desert land stretching between you and your goal. The waiting feels like indecision and spurts and starts of brilliance. It’s moments when you think things are going to break, when you’re like “oh yes this is it!” Only it’s not it. False alarm. 

That is the waiting.

And we’ve all been here, I’m sure.

The waiting is just the in-between, the place where you’ve gotta do the work of slogging through details and repetition. It’s the daily processes that no one sees. It’s the little wins you celebrate by yourself because no one really knows what on earth you’re talking about when you share it. It’s little by little growth, evolution and direction. Contrary to the term, the waiting is actually quite active, not passive at all. It’s all a part of God’s plan, because as you’re being obedient and growing and moving in the right direction, but it’s the stuff that comes before the WINS and the victory and the culmination of it all. It’s a lot. And it’s often solitary and a little silent, too. 

These things, they’re the waiting. It has felt like hit after hit after hit these past few months (and let’s not even talk about quarantine and the big old suck fest that is). These are the hard things that feel like insurmountable obstacles when you’re just not sure you’re supposed to be doing this anymore. I was feeling defeated and just wondering if I should throw in the towel. I sat down with God and had a talk. 

Yes, like we’re old buddies who sit down over coffee. We had a regular Come to Jesus.

I asked Him to tell me if I was on the wrong path. If this isn’t where I’m supposed to be anymore, I absolutely 100% will close up shop. I’ve walked the wrong path before. I’ve gone against His will, tried to put a round peg in a square hole. And when I came out from under rubble of the life I burnt to the ground, I vowed I would never make that mistake again. So I sat and asked God to show me, to tell me if I’m on the wrong path. I would lay it down. 

And then this text came. 

It seems like such a small thing, a little text from a friend, doesn’t it? Like it would mean nothing.

Except for me, it meant everything. See this friend, she knew me when I wasn’t on the right path. She walked me through the rebuilding and the backbreaking work of finding myself again. We’ve been through some stuff before, stuff you would never believe. I know her dirt, she knows mine. And these words from her, they carry weight because she matters so very much to me.

But they were also, in my mind, words from God. 

See, all of the backbreaking work, the indecision, the oh-my-gosh I freaking hate WordPress moments, they are totally worth it if one person is encouraged or feels inspired or has a “hey, ME TOO” moment when they leave this site or see a post on FB or follow my Insta. Every single moment of writer’s block and battling with a recipe 25 times before it’s perfect and waking up at 2 am because I HAVE to write something down so I don’t forget it matters if I’m helping people see that they matter, that they are valuable and that no matter how far you’ve gone or how big of a mess you’ve made of your life, God can still make beauty from your life. 

You can, in fact, make beauty from burnt toast.

And that’s why I do this. So here’s my encouragement to you.

God doesn’t leave you high and dry. But he doesn’t always answer the way you want him to. KEEP GOING. 

If you’re on the right path or you think you’re on the right path or you even have a .01% belief that you’re on the right path, KEEP GOING until you hear otherwise. (But keep asking, too).

God’s answers are sometimes weird and sometimes come from unexpected places, but if you’re listening, they do come.

Friends, follow your heart and your intuition and always, always remember to keep asking. Keep having come to Jesus conversations with, yes, Jesus. And keep searching, talking to both trusted friends and family AND God. If you’re consistently checking in with both, even if you do go astray for a bit, you’ll come back to the right path. I’m sure of it.

And last but not least, you never EVER know who you’re going to inspire or who is watching you and feeling encouraged by the steps you’re taking, even if they seem small and incremental to you. So keep going. You, my dear, are changing the world, one small step at a time. 

Decadent Rocky Road Cookies

So remember when I said that sometimes I have to give recipes 25 tries to get them right? Yeah. Not the case with these decadent rocky road cookies. These were a one and done masterpiece. I was chatting with a friend about baking and when she mentioned wanting some double chocolate cookies my mind went off to the races and I was all “oh yea, well I see your double chocolate and I raise you some marshmallows and pretzels, too.” And the rest, as they say, is history. 

Because later that afternoon these were coming out of the oven in all of their gooey deliciousness. I know standard Rocky Road uses peanuts, but I felt pretzels would give a better balance in a cookie, providing just enough salt to even out the sweetness. I was right but if you’re really a traditionalist and married to the nut, sub them out. I’m sure it will still be great.

To make these I used my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe as a base and updated accordingly, adding in cocoa powder and espresso (because, YUM) and throwing in the rocky road ingredients for good measure. A few notes, I think it’s important to use MINI chocolate chips in this recipe. They are a very rich cookie and if you’re biting into solid hunks of chocolate along with everything else going on, it might be too much. The mini chips give the perfect amount of chocolate without being all “IN YOUR FACE” with their chippiness. It’s also important to let these sit for at least 10 minutes before you take them off the tray. The marshmallows need to cool and harden slightly before you pull them off or they will cause the cookie to crumble. They’d still taste great, but they’d be a gooey mess so there’s that. I highly recommend trying to keep the marshmallows to the top of the cookie if possible, but know that’s kind of a pain and ain’t nobody got time to individually place them on the top.

Either way, these are a fun and unique take on a traditional cookie and got thumbs up all around both from my own family AND my friend. ENJOY!

Peace, love and the waiting,

Meg

Decadent Rocky Road Cookies

July 31, 2020

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 egg (room temp)
• 2 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 good quality cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup chopped pretzel bits

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Step 2 Cream together the butter and sugars.
• Step 3 Beat in vanilla and egg, mix until combined.
• Step 4 Add in flour, cocoa, espresso, salt and baking soda. Mix (start on low) until combined, scraping down the sides as you go.
• Step 5 Add in chocolate chips, pretzels and marshmallows. Stir by hand OR on low speed with the mixer until completely incorporated and evenly distributed.
• Step 6 Drop by heaping tablespoon full onto the baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes or until cooked through.
• Step 7 Let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to finish.

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