Creating friendships in our global mountain bike community can take time, but there is a patented way to speed things along. Be the rider who brings freshly homemade cookies on a group ride. Like packing an extra tube or beer for friends who forget theirs, loading your pack with cookies will endear you to everyone. Here’s a recipe for some calorie-rich goodness that you can whip up the night before your next group ride.
This “3 Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies” recipe, found on the Food52 baking blog, was sent over by a dear friend who always manages to find the best baking options for everyone’s dietary needs. It’s gluten-free, vegan, and excludes many of the known food allergens. If your ride partners are allergic to oats, tahini, or salt, well — super sorry.
Now, let’s whip them up. According to the recipe, you will need the following ingredient amounts, however experimenting and adding your favorite dried fruit or chocolate bits is highly encouraged. These measurements will yield roughly sixteen small cookies, so maybe double everything if you plan to ride all day.
- 1 1/2 cups (149g) rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (160g) of light brown sugar (or sub cane sugar as you prefer)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (possibly a little more if adding chocolate chips)
- 3/4 cup (188g) of well-stirred tahini (sub natural peanut butter if you prefer)
- 2 tablespoons of cold water
First, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (177° Celsius) and prep a pair of baking sheets. Next, combine the three dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them together with your hands. If you use brown sugar, make sure to break up all of the larger clumps so that they spread evenly throughout the mix. I haven’t been able to locate brown sugar in Italy, so I used natural cane sugar. The added molasses in brown sugar would definitely help these stick together. Next, add the tahini and water and mix thoroughly until all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed.
With your one big blob of cookie coalesced, scoop out the amount you want each cookie to include and plop it on the baking sheet. The recipe could make 16 small cookies, or two giant ones. I squished mine into roughly the shape of my hip-pack pockets for easy packing. These cookies will not expand on the sheet as they bake, so squeeze them into the shape and size you want before sliding them into the oven.
Finally, bake each batch for roughly 12 minutes, rotating the cooking sheet 180° halfway through. When they’re done, the bottom edges should be slightly darker than the rest of the cookie. They will come out of the oven in a fragile state, so make sure to let them cool thoroughly before stuffing your pockets.
From there you can go spread the joy of home-baked goodness on the trail. Enjoy!
