Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

{ tap tap tap }
Is this thing on?
Testing 1-2-3
{ clears throat }

Ahem!  So, uh, yeah.  It's been a minute since I last popped up here.  A year to be exact.  Oh, I've lurked around here occasionally, checking to see if anyone is doing any clicking in my absence.  But, posting?  With new recipes?  Obviously, no.  And now that I've finally (finally!) summoned up the bravery, I'm still trying to remember where all the buttons and links are in here.  AWOL blogger problems, no?

Let's see... Where did I leave off?  Oh yes, I had surgery (which turned out just fine, btw), and my parents were coming to visit a few weeks later.  They got all settled in, and then we sprang the news on them - we were eloping!  While they were here!  Yep, Bo and I decided to elope and threw the whole thing together within a month.  All my parents had to do was take me dress shopping and help make my wedding cake.

Recipe Rewind: Coconut Macaroons

Happy Friday!  I'm so ready for this week to be over.  Not that it's been a particularly grueling week; it's actually been relatively breezy compared to most.  But I'm just feeling rundown, and I definitely need a couple of days to stare out windows and read books and get my sock drawer organized.  Things to get me feeling centered and right with the world.  Oh, and I may or may not be baking a 3-layer cake tonight for Bo's Mom's birthday.  Shhhh... it's a surprise cake!  Baking surprise birthday cakes definitely gets me feeling right with the world.  And just so that we can all help her celebrate, I'll post the recipe next week (Italian Cream Cake, folks) along with some photos.  Hurrah for birthdays, am I right?

Cookie Dough Bites

And then, there were cookies for her.

That's right.  My turn!  Which means, some funky recipe that's swapped out sugar for something crazy.  You know me by now, yes?

Once again, Pinterest has delivered something fantastic and fun.  It's absolutely my new favorite recipe, and I've made it no fewer than four times over the past ten days.  Oh, yes, I have.  It honest-to-goodness tastes like cookie dough, and the texture is a bit chewy like a granola bar.  It takes 10 minutes to whip up, and doesn't require any oven time.  You may eat the entire batch while you're standing there at the counter.  Or maybe that's just me.

Fancy Sandies

Guess who's got a working fridge again?!  Meeeeeeee!!  That's right.  Bo found the horribly expensive part, ordered it, and got it installed on Saturday.  I now have a fridge stocked with perishables.  Hurrah for almond milk and eggs!!  (It's the little things, no?)

Sugar Cookie Bars

Oh boy.

So this is what I threw in the trash on Sunday.

I know.  It doesn't look half bad.  So let me explain...

Let's first talk about pan sizes and baking times.  We all can pretty much bet that if you spread a bowl of cake batter into a 9x13" pan it's going to take longer to bake and bake up taller than if you spread that exact same bowl of cake batter in a 13x18" pan.  Right?  A wider pan means the batter will spread more thinly, turn out shorter, and take less time to bake.  Ok.  So now that we're on the same page -

No Sugar Coconut Pecan Cookies

Hi!  My name is Sara!  I used to post fairly regularly on this little blog here and then a bunch of life happened, and I straight-up disappeared on you.  Whoops.

Every have one of those months?  Where everything extra you've been successfully juggling for forever suddenly seems like way too much, and you sit down and say "WHOA" and put the brakes on everything except for the most essential?  Yeah, I'm just now recovering from one of those.  My house is still a crazy mess, but my laundry is all caught up!  And I grocery shopped this weekend!  Baby steps, people, baby steps.

Pecan Sandies for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Bo has declared these to be "the best cookies in the whole world."  Every time he snags a cookie from the container, he says those exact words.  So we've got it on good authority that these little guys are yummy and perfect.

But why ask him?  I mean, I am kind of a cookie queen, am I not?  Well, today's recipe is a new one for me on so many levels.  It's my first time making these cookies, my first time eating these cookies, and my first time seeing what these cookies are even supposed to look like.  Yeah.

And while I'm being honest here, I'll admit that I'd always assumed that Pecan Sandies were named after some woman named Sandy, back in the 1950s.  You should've seen Bo's face when I told him that part.  He laaaaaughed at me and then said it had something to do with the sandy cookie texture.  Turns out he's right!  (I totally googled it last night.)

These cookies have a deliciously buttery, crisp texture and the hint of roasted pecans is such a perfect match.  They're the best kind of crumbly cookie, but the addition of a Dove milk chocolate Promise just puts these cookies at the top of the list.  Bo's list, that is.  I'm still a tried and true chocolate chip cookie fan.

Wishing You Heart Smiles,

          

Pecan Sandies
adapted from Allrecipes

1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. (100g) sugar
1/2 c. (109g) brown sugar
1 c. (115g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. (512g) flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
2 c. roasted, chopped pecans
48 Dove chocolate hearts, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, sugar, brown sugar, and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a separate bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, 1/4 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the pecans.  Dough will be a little sticky.

Chill the dough for an hour, then scoop dough into balls and place 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Keep remaining dough refrigerated. Bake cookies for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Press chocolate hearts into centers of cookies, and remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.  Makes 4 dozen.

         

Food Rule 5, No Sugar Oat Cookies, and a Giveaway!

(Giveaway details at the bottom of this post)

Good mooooooorning!

So.  After yesterday's chatter about these mysterious and vague "Food Rules," I bet you're ready for something to sink your teeth into - both literally and figuratively.  Behold!  Our first Food Rule:

Over the past few months, I've been trying to eliminate excess sugar from my diet.  And that includes the Splenda I once loved with all my heart.  I've been reading too many scary things about artificial sweeteners, and if it's such a hotly debated topic in the nutrition world, I really ought not to be eating it.  But, I can't bear the thought of using real sugar and adding all those calories back into my diet.  So I did the one thing that seemed to make the most sense: I started teaching my taste buds to be ok with foods that are less sweet.  Yep.  The same way I taught my taste buds to be ok with vegetables (and then like them and then crave them and then actually love them way more than the other things on my dinner plate).  I started with ditching the sugar in my morning coffee.  Then I started digging through my pantry to see if sweeteners were sneaking onto the labels in my other foods.  Did you know that a lot of canned soups have sugar?  And that whole/real/natural fruit popsicles have sugar, fructose, and corn syrup at the top of their ingredient lists?!  It's crazy town!

After really sticking to it (I'm a baker after all, and my favorite food is cake with frosting!), I discovered some things about sugar: When I don't eat it, I'm a lot nicer.  Like, a lot nicer.  And my skin looks better.  And I don't find myself filled with an overwhelming urge to cram forkfuls of dessert into my face, like before.  I'm not doing some crazy diet or counting carbs or using a new-fangled substitute.  I'm teaching my taste buds to like foods that aren't dialed up to Holy Sugary Sweet Explosion.

Today's cookie recipe definitely fits the bill!  I mean, it's got "No Sugar" straight up in the title, even.  And if you look at the ingredient list, there is also no dairy, no gluten, and only a scant amount of added fat.  The cookies bake up similar to a chewy bar, and I really, truly love them.  When Bo first took a bite, he was expecting a sugary blast similar to my regular cookie recipes.  But after I told him, "Dude, there's only fruit sugar in those things and almost zero fat," he paused to consider them and then promptly ate 4 cookies before I could yell at him to save some for me.  I love that these cookies have an ingredient list I feel zero guilt about, and they're a perfect little snack to keep the tummy grumblies at bay.

Enjoy!


p.s.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway!  Details at the very bottom of this post!

         

No Sugar Oat Cookies
adapted from Blueberry Girl

1 1/2 c. (128g) regular rolled oats
1 c. (60g) unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 c. (30g) almond meal
1/2 c. (60g) nuts, finely chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. (60g) dried fruit (I used blueberries and raisins)
4 (425g total) ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together oats, coconut flakes, almond meal, nuts, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir in dried fruit, making sure that the pieces do not stick together.

In a separate medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, oil, and vanilla.  Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Press batter into cookie cutters and space 1" apart onto parchment paper.  (Or use a cookie scoop and flatten the balls to make them evenly thick.)  Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges and bottoms are golden brown.  Store in airtight container.  Makes about 20 cookies.

        

Ingredient Lineup:

GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate kicking off this Food Rules series, I'm sponsoring a giveaway!

What the winner will get:

- A copy of Michael Pollan's newly illustrated "Food Rules: An Eater's Manual"

- 2 bottles of my homemade vanilla extract

- 1 "Cookies for Kids Cancer" cookie spatula

There are three different ways you can enter.  That means that each person can enter up to 3 times!

1.  Post a comment here telling me one area in your food world where you're thinking of cutting back on sugar or sweeteners.  (Or post a comment telling me that cutting sweeteners is for the birds and that you really just want the pretty book, the pretty vanilla, and the pretty spatula.)

2.  Post a link to this recipe on Facebook and come back here to leave a comment telling me you did that.

3.  Post a link to this recipe on Pinterest and come back here to leave a comment telling me you did that.
     (If you need a Pinterest invite, email me: skeddy @ gmail .com)
     

Drawing will take place this Friday, 1/6 at noon EST.  And I'll email the winner right away!

Fine print: Giveaway open to US shipping addresses only, so if you live somewhere else, you'll need to regift these prizes to a best pal living in the US.  This giveaway isn't sponsored by anyone or any company.  It's all out of my pocket and, as my Dad used to say - the goodness of my pea pickin' little heart.

Cookie Dough Dip

Stop.


Hold the show.


This dip is seriously scrumptious.  And it's way healthier than scooping out spoonfuls of regular cookie dough. (Not that I do that.) (Every single time I make cookies.)  And this dip is easier and faster to make too!


(And, psst - wanna know a secret?  Check out the ingredient list below.  You won't believe your eyeballs.  And then you'll accuse me of lying about how delicious this dip is.  But I promise you.  I cross my heart and pinky swear that it's super duper amazingly delicious.  I promise.)

         

Cookie Dough Dip
adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (250g)
pinch salt
scant 1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. nut butter (if you use peanut butter, it’ll have a very-slight “pb cookie dough” taste)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips, mini size is best
3 Tbsp. oats (or flaxmeal)
1-4 Tbsp. milk/nondairy milk (start with 1 Tbsp., and add more as needed)

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Oatmeal Raisin variation:  Use almond butter instead of peanut butter and add 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.  Swap raisins for the chocolate chips.

         {  Print or Email this recipe!  }        

Browned Butter Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats

Happy Halloween!!

If you manage to keep your hands out of your kids' candy tonight, make this your reward :)  It's a slightly fancier version of rice krispy treats - with browned butter, vanilla bean, and pumpkin pie spices.  Ohhhhh, yesssss.  And we already know how much I love browned butter (this much and also this much).  The pumpkin pie spices in this recipe are optional, but they add a hint of warmth and Fall to the taste, so I highly recommend including them.

And while we're here, did you know that I'm awful at making rice krispy treats?  Seriously, every batch I make turns out hard as a rock or flavorless or both.  Except for this one, hurrah!  I got to comparing recipes from the back of the marshmallow bag, the cereal box, and a couple online.  It's amazing how much different the amounts of cereal are.  This recipe I'm posting for you calls for nearly half the cereal of the other recipes.  Half!  So it's no wonder that it turned out perfectly gooey and soft and definitely full of flavor.  After all the cakes and cheesecakes and cake pops and candies, I'm so excited to have finally conquered what everyone else can make blindfolded! :)

Trick Or Treat!


p.s.  Browned butter.  There's really nothing else I need to say about this!

Browned Butter Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats
a mish mash of recipes from The Merry Gourmet and Cookies and Cups

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. cloves)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 10oz. bags marshmallows
9 c. crispy rice cereal

Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Add the butter to a large saucepan set over medium-low heat.  The butter will melt, then begin to bubble and foam. Eventually it will start to turn golden brown and smell nutty.  Be patient and watch carefully, it can go from brown to burned quickly. Once the butter is browned, add the vanilla bean paste, the spices, and the salt.  Then add all of the marshmallows and stir the mixture constantly until the marshmallows are completely melted.

Remove from heat and add the cereal, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to coat the cereal evenly with the marshmallow mixture. Spread the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Note:  If you halve this recipe, use an 8x8" pan.

Ingredient Lineup:

 Stages of Butter:

Melted, and starting to foam:

Starting to bubble:

Browned, with bits:

Stirring in the spices, vanilla, and marshmallows:

Cake-Mix Cookies

Most of the time I am a stickler for healthy eating. My kids get their 5 a day if you know what I mean. We talk about the value of food, what it does for you body and we spend more time in produce than any other section of the store.

But I like to make special treats for my kids. I want them to look back at their childhood and remember me in the kitchen with fresh baked cookies, the awesome desserts I make and that I never said no when they asked to lick the spoon.

Cake Mix Cookies
By Karen Tack
Parents Magazine April 2011

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
Colored sprinkles
1 can vanilla frosting
Food Coloring

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Combine the cake mix, egg, oil and buttermilk in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Shape 1-inch mounds of batter into balls and flatten slightly. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepare cookie sheets. Top with sprinkles.

Bake until cookies are golden and firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Divide the frosting among three bowls. Use a few drops of food coloring to tint frosting the desired shade. Sandwich cookies together with frosting.

What was the last special treat you had?