Inspiration to Action: Fresh Mint & Chocolate Cookies

Do you ever get the urge to create? To make something new, tangible, created by your own two hands? I've had that urge lately and I can't shake it. Usually running--specifically preparing for my half-marathon this weekend, eek!--helps me feel productive and energized, but this week not even that is satiating me. I want to make something. I've been brainstorming about a lot of projects (hopefully I'll have some to share with you soon!), but I also thought, why not take some of my daily web inspiration and put it into action? I'm thinking of creating a weekly post from this--one where I take some source of inspiration from around the web and do something with it, create something out of it--not just look at it wistfully from behind my computer screen.

So I started kind of small today, with a baking project. As I mentioned before, I recently planted a balcony herb garden with mint, cilantro, and thyme. I've always dreamed of picking fresh herbs from my own garden and using them to cook, so I decided it was time to actually do so. I'm more of a baker than a cook, as I think I've said before, so I went for some cookies (my all-time, cannot-pass-them-up-no-matter-what-the-circumstances, favorite dessert). I found this fresh mint and chocolate cookie recipe via Casa Veneracion and got so excited, I bolted out the door to go buy the missing ingredients I needed to make the cookies right away.

(Quick side note: I forgot to buy eggs and didn't want to run out again, when I got to thinking that there has to be a way to substitute eggs in baking recipes (there are vegan cookies, after all). Turns out there is: I mashed half a banana and added it as I would an egg and voila! No noticeable difference in the result and a lot healthier, too. Love it.)

The mint was happy to finally get picked and put to use. I know. I asked it.

My chocolately minty delicious dessert. I have to say, it felt great to make them, especially with my own, homegrown mint. (And let's face it, even better to eat them.) Looking forward to sharing more homemade creations with you each week!

Recipe via Casa Veneracion (originally from Eatpress). I used 4 tbsp of chopped mint, as suggested, and substituted half a banana, mashed, for 1 egg. All photos by Natalie.