Reflections and Cashew Cookie Revamp

My father passed away at the end of 2009. His death was a shock to my system and for a really long time I couldn't wrap my head around it.  From the moment I got the phone call, I began to relive some of the moments I shared with him, all the while trying not to break down and cry. 

 My father had a thirst for knowledge. He read books on tax law, general business and accounting procedures to stay up to date in his profession. To increase his vocabulary, he would read pages from the dictionary and always carried a pocket-sized dictionary and thesaurus in his briefcase.  He would read magazines and the newspaper from front to back and would make note of articles on current events that he wanted us kids to read. He would even take the time to point out and clip newspaper articles that were relevant to our professions: health care for my sister, business and taxes for my brother, and education for me. My dad knew I was fond of cute animals and the like, so whenever he saw something like that in the paper, he would be sure to save it for me.

A few days after the funeral, we began to sort through the paper work in my dad's office.  We came across a few things that really surprised me. In my father's wallet were little pieces of paper with inspiring quotes and prayers that he had collected over the years from cards and newspapers.  It was only after he left this world, that I realized I shared this passion of quote and poetry collecting with my father!

Throughout high school I would decorate my school agenda with poems and quotes that resonated with me. For those five years (back then high school in Ontario was from grade 9-13), anytime I, or my friends were bored or needed some inspiration, we flipped through my agenda.  I wish I had known back then, what I know now about my father and his quote clipping habits. Maybe we could have traded a few quotes with each other.

The recipe that I'm going to share with you is something I know my father would have loved eating since he was fond of nuts!  This cookie is a revamped version of my cashew butter cookies that I made a while back. 

Cashew Cookie Revamp

1 16 ounce jar of natural cashew butter with the natural oils

2 tsp baking powder
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp cocoa powder
Dash of instant espresso powder
Whole cashews or any nut for decorating (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix in all of the ingredients in the order presented above, except the whole cashews. Using a small cookie scoop (1 1/8"), scoop out the cookie dough and place it on a parchment-lined cookie sheet a few inches apart. Place a whole cashew on top of the cookie and press down gently. In my picture, you can see there are a few almonds on top....I started using almonds until I realized that I had cashews in the fridge!

Bake for exactly 10 minutes (use a timer!) and remove and cool for at least 10 minutes. DO NOT TOUCH them until at least 10 minutes are up, otherwise they will fall apart.