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My name is Gracie. I'm a twenty-something recent college grad on a mission to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life...while having fun along the way!

Feel free to contact me at gracie@girlmeetslife.com



chocolate hazelnut oatmeal cookies.

I’ve mentioned before how I’m not chocolate’s biggest fan. However, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I live in a world where I’m the minority in this category. So, how does a girl like me satisfy my chocolate-loving friends for the holidays while still being able to enjoy the treats myself?

Well, based on my exceptions when it comes to enjoying chocolate, I was quite sure I’d happily consume a chocolate treat that was a) paired with some sort of nut butter flavor and b) served in cookie form.

I was right.

Chocolate Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookies (yields 18-20 cookies)

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ingredients:

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 tbsp chocolate hazelnut butter, softened (I used Justin’s)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 cups oats

directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter, chocolate hazelnut butter, and sugar. Beat in the egg.

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  • Add flour mixture to wet mixture and combine, followed by adding the oats. Result will be a thick batter.

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  • Use a melon scooper or tablespoon to form 18-20 golf-ball-sized cookies. Flatten with the back of a spoon.

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  • Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
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Seriously. To. Die.

These aren’t incredibly chocolately, but they definitely have a more decadent flavor than your average oatmeal cookie.

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Be sure not to over-bake these, as you want to maintain the ever important ooey-gooey cookie center.

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Holiday cookie experiment part one – CHECK!

  • What’s your favorite holiday cookie?
November 7th, 2010, 9:46 am | good eats | 31 comments

M.A.C giveaway.

Hello sweets of mine!

Twas a busy day in this life I’ve met, but a giveaway is better than a blog post anyway, right? :)

Click here to enter. Good luck!

xoxo G

  • Do you practice the same makeup routine every day, or do you like to switch it up?
November 6th, 2010, 7:26 pm | videos | 13 comments

bow love.

Since I was about 17, I’ve had this strange obsession with bows. I just love the look of bows; they’re cute, girly, and youthful.

Over the years I’ve accumulated quite the collection of bow paraphernalia.

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I even happen to have a bow permanently etched into my skin…commonly known as a tattoo.

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To be quite honest - I don’t love this tattoo. In fact, if I could go back in time, I probably wouldn’t have gotten any tattoos. But, I’m at least glad that this particular tattoo holds a pretty significant meaning.

Make that two significant meanings.

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The first reason for getting this tattoo is part of why I love bows in general. You see, as a child, I sincerely did not want to grow up. Thinking about growing up and leaving my parents was one of the most depressing things to imagine.

Thankfully I’ve grown out of that, but now bows symbolize that youth that I forever want to hold on to. No matter how old I get, I want to always have that joy, spontaneity, and purity that I had as a child. So, in addition to it just being cute and girly, that’s why I initially chose a bow for my wrist tattoo.

The second meaning that my bow tattoo holds is one that came along over a year after getting it. Ever since I first got the tattoo, people would ask if it was the breast cancer ribbon. I always answered “no” with a tinge of annoyance that they couldn’t see the clear difference between the ribbon and my bow tattoo.

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I never realized that there would soon be a day where I would answer - well yes, sort of.

In 2007, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. If you’re a regular reader of GML, you know that my mom is my absolute best friend, so clearly this wasn’t the best of news. Thankfully she is fully recovered and in remission.

Although I’ll never forget how thankful I am that my mom beat cancer, my tattoo serves as that constant reminder. Now when people ask if my tattoo is a symbolic of breast cancer, I feel blessed to share the news that momma G is alive and well. Oh, and the fact that I may or may not have a mild case of failure to launch.

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So there you have it. My beauty/fashion/symbolic-of-something-bigger obsession.

What’s yours?

November 5th, 2010, 7:55 am | favorite things | 30 comments
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