FLOURLESS Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thank you to Ana of BluebirdKisses for sharing this recipe!  I put my own touches to change it slightly.

FLOURLESS Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1.5 c  whole rolled oats processed into a powder 

1.5 c  almond flour

2 large eggs or 2 ripe bananas mashed until liquid

(I used eggs) 

1/2 c maple syrup

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup dark semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350.  Line baking trays with parchment paper.  

In separate bowls combing the dry and wet. 

Add all of the wet to dry and fold in.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop onto cookie sheet papers.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops are golden brown.  

ENJOY!

Thank you again Ana for this yummy treat.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies!

These are a no brainer.
As in… my child will even eat these sort of no brainer!
Soooooooo delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
Cookies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinammon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soft butter (not margarine)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup large oats (not the quick kind)
1 1/4 cup grated carrot

Icing
1/2 cup cream cheese
2 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla


DIRECTIONS:
In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinammon, ginger and nutmeg.
In a second bowl mix butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.  Mix with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until smooth.
Mix wet and dry ingredients lightly, then fold in carrots and oats.

For icing, mix butter and cream cheese and blend on high until smooth.
Add icing sugar and vanilla.

Preheat oven to 350.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Drop dough onto a cookie sheet spreading cookies approx. 2 inches apart.
Bake 11-14 minutes (until lightly golden brown).
Let cool to room temperature before adding icing.

Place a small amount of icing into a pastry bag (or ziploc baggie with the end snipped off - my preferred method, no mess).
Pipe a small (or large) amount of icing between two cookies making a sandwich.

CHOMP!
Seeeeeee… so yummy!

I may add raisins to the cookies another time, or of course chocolate chips.

Thanks to Annie's Eats for a version of this recipe.

Soft & Chewy Ginger Cookies

Sure to be a hit with the littles!
I'll thank my Mom for this recipe.

Soft & Chewy Ginger Cookies

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup white flour
2 tsp baking soda
pinch baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Mix butter, sugar, egg, molasses and vanilla.
In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
Add dry to wet in two portions.  Mix until smooth.
Cool dough for one hour.
Scoop into balls onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 325 for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly and enjoy.

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Zucchini Loaf

If my 3 year old will eat this anyone will (he isn't a cookie or sweets fan - not sure how he is my child?)
It is the perfect snack loaf for anyone.
CINNAMON SWIRL PUMPKIN ZUCCHINI LOAF

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin

1 cup melted butter

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 cup zucchini, shredded

Cinnamon Swirl:

1/3 c. sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Combine eggs and sugar in mixing bowl. Mix in pumpkin, butter and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Add to pumpkin mixture until mixed. Stir in zucchini.

Mix Cinnamon Swirl ingredients together.

Pour half of dough mixture into two greased and floured 9x5 in loaf pans or eight miniature loaf pans. Divide cinnamon swirl mixture evenly in pans and top with the rest of the dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bread tests done. 

Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Thank you to my pal Lindy for sharing with me.

Turtle Cookie Bars! OMGOODNESS!

SOOOOOOOOO YUMMY!

TURTLE COOKIE BARS

CRUST

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup soft butter

2nd LAYER

1 cup pecan halves

2/3 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup milk chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine crust ingredients, beat at medium speed until blended.

Pat mixture firmly into an ungreased 9x9 pan.
Arrange pecans over crust.
Combine 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Stir constantly cooking for 3 minutes.
Pour mixture over pecans.
Bake for 15-17 mins until golden and bubbly.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate. 
Let stand 2-3 minutes then gently swirl chocolate with a knife.
Let cool before cutting.

(I may have overloaded on chocolate "testing" while creating this... hence the blurry photo)

Picking battles...

Today we made huge messes.
I had to remind myself a few times to enjoy the moments.
I may or may not have plugged the vaccum during clean up.
It was AWESOME!
A wise woman (GRAMA) reminds me constantly to "pick my battles".
This little tid bit is an amazing bit of advice.  One I use every single day.

I had to remind myself a few times to

Honey Lemon Salad dressing.

My favorite dressing on the planet.
Easy, fast, light!
Delicious.
I find this best on salads with nuts and cheese (uhm hello, everything is better with cheese).
I found this gem in a tiny house style restaurant in Revelstoke BC.
Sadly the spot is no longer around, but I was smart enough to buy a recipe book there way back when.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.  I make large batches and am never disappointed.

Honey Lemon Salad Dressing
200 ml Honey
350 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
450 ml Canola Oil
15 ml Salt
5 ml White Pepper

Combine all ingredients, whisk together and store unused portion in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are by far THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES you will EVER have.
Classic.
Easy.
Fast.
Chewy.
Soft.
No fail.
Seriously beautiful cookies.
Give them a try and call yourself Martha freekin Stewart!
You will never need another recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
* 2 cups plus 2 tbsp flour
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 12 tbsp (one stick) melted, then cooled to warm BUTTER
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
* 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Adjust oven racks to middle positions.
Preheat to 325 degrees C.
Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients (excluding sugars) in a bowl and set aside.
Mix butter and sugars until combined.  Add egg and extra yolk and vanilla.
Add wet and dry and mix until just combined.  Add chocolate chips.
Roll into balls the size of a golf ball and spread evenly on your cookie sheet.
Place in the oven and rotate the cookie sheet 180 half way through.  I bake mine for 12 mins and rotate at the 6 minute mark.
Bake until slightly brown on the edges and let cool on a wire rack (11-14mins depending on your oven).
Don't overbake these babies! They are meant to be soft and chewy in the middle.

Thanks to Annie's Eats for this recipe.  I did some tweaking but am grateful for so many of her delicious ideas.

Cupcakes Galore!

While Andrew has "nappies" I allow myself the time to sit at my computer and do whatever I WANT TO DO for most of the nap.  I get lost in all kinds of blogs.
Today was a tough one as the wee Bean was fussy for 25 mins before finding snoozeville.  Scanning blogs helps me occupy my mind and let him find his own comfy sleep spot, something that is really really hard for me to do and not go in for cuddles.  Does this ever get easier?

Today I found an amazing CUPCAKE site.  Delic!
If you are like me and LOVE LOVE LOVE cupcakes and really LUV to bake, you'll be sure to check it out and give a few of the out of the ordinary ones a try... I'm going to start today with cupcake #4!  YUM!

This site had some really neat ideas and is worth checking out.
http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/

Old School Chocolate Cupcakes

I'm sharing my not so secret family recipe for chocolate cake/cupcakes.
They are dense and rich and full of all kinds of good calories and pretty much the easiest recipe on the planet. Topped with sweet butter cream and you have AMAZING!

Wacky Chocolate Cake
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
Mix above ingredients, form 3 wells & add:
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup CANOLA oil
2 tbsp vinegar
Pour 2 cups cold water over top and mix well.

Pour into a cake dish or cupcake tins and bake at 325-350 - 15 mins for cupcakes, 35 mins for cake (or use the good ol toothpick trick).
Mmmmmmmmmmm!