Family Loved Recipe- Double Chocolate Muffins

Today I'm linking up with MamaKat and the prompt is "Share a recipe that everyone in your family loves." Well there's a lot that my family love and it took me a long time to decide which recipe I would feature here. I was going to give you a different recipe but I didn't get around to getting it from my mother so I'm giving you one of the ones that I have found so hasn't been a favorite as long, but still is a favorite, not just in my family but with everyone else I have shared it with. The recipe today is double chocolate muffins and I got this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction which is one of my favorite recipe websites. I HIGHLY encourage your to visit her website and check out her delicious array of recipes. :) She has many healthier recipes like this one that don't taste healthy at all!

Double Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 cup sugar (I've used the Truvia baking blend with great results)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt, plain or vanilla)
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips, plus a few more for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425˚ and spray a 12 count muffin pan. It is not recommended to use liners. Combine the applesauce, sugar, greek yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract. Sift together the flours, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and be careful not to over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips. Place batter evenly in muffin tin. Bake for 5 minutes at 425˚ and then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature down to 375˚ and continue to bake for 13 more minutes. If a toothpick does not come out clean, bake for 2 minutes longer. Once done, remove from oven and allow to cool for three minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling. 

Source: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/04/17/skinny-double-chocolate-chip-muffins/

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Recipe- Pumpkin Baked French Toast

I know you're beginning to notice a new trend...a trend where I am pretty much only posting recipes anymore. It's because they're GOOD! And perhaps I'm too busy or too lazy to write you out a real blog post...
Today I bring you what I practically lived off of last week. I had it for breakfast every day and if I could I ate it at lunch or dinner also. I really REALLY loved it and it is probably best that it is gone now. Today I bring you pumpkin baked French toast!

Pumpkin Baked French Toast

Ingredients
3 1/2 C cubed bread of choice
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a little extra cinnamon)
3 T sugar or sweetener of choice
1 1/4 C milk
1 Cup yogurt (the original recipe called for tofu or yogurt but I'll die before I use tofu and obviously I live by greek yogurt so...)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Directions
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except bread and stir well. Grease an 8X8 baking pan and pour  the cubed bread into the pan. Cover evenly with wet mixture and then cover the entire dish with a lid or saran rap and refrigerator overnight. The next morning, preheat oven to 400 F and bake 30-35 min. Top with maple syrup or eat plain (it is actually very delicious plain). I enjoyed it both hot and cold.
NOTE: You may need to adjust milk and bread proportions depending on the type of bread you use.
Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie.

I know you all are worried about seeing my cup of coffee in the picture but we've had this conversation before. I like coffee AND tea. Actually I've really gotten into a tea drinking mood recently so you may see some more tea inspired blog posts around here soon.
Have a great day and don't forget to like my blog on Facebook! :)

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Favorite Food Blogs/Websites

I just got done with my second nursing test. I'm SO tired! Whenever I have a test I go to bed early and wake up about four so I can do some last minute refreshing before the test. So right now I'm running on coffee and post-test adrenaline. Today I give you a very lazy post because I have no time because I'm in nursing school (in case you hadn't noticed).

Y'all know I love to cook... especially bake... cookies cakes, brownies... yum! I just thought I'd share a few favorite food blogs/websites so you can enjoy finding some great recipes too! :)

Sally's Baking Addiction
Probably my favorite baking blog right now. I get a lot of my "healthy" recipes from there. However, when it comes to Sally, her healthy recipes don't taste healthy. Love it! :) Don't be fooled though, there are plenty of unhealthy recipes on her blog too. :) I got my healthy brownie recipe from there and my Mediterranean dip recipe.

Ambitious Kitchen
Another new favorite food blog. It has a variety of different kinds of recipes some healthy some not so (but absolutely delicious).

Food Gawker
This is kind of a recipe center. If I can't find a recipe for something I'm looking for on my other go to food blogs I go to food gawker and search and I always can find at least one recipe for what I'm looking for. Most all of my other recipes I have found there.

Picky Palate
Another great food blog I was introduced to by my cousin. I got my gingersnap cookie recipe from this blog.

Annie's Eats
This is the food blog from which I got my pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe which is a absolutely amazing. :)

Do you have any favorite food blogs?

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Recipe- Refrigerator Oatmeal

Today I am sharing with you my new favorite food! Refrigerator oatmeal! It's healthy, it's got greek yogurt in it (which is always a plus in my book), and there are so many different flavors you can make. I found these recipes from The Yummy Life. In this blog post I am only including the flavors I've tried but there are many more on the website. Also, all of the original recipes called for chia seeds but as that is not something in my normal collection of ingredients I just skipped them. Because chia seeds do absorb some of the liquid you might want to cut down on the milk.

Mocha Refrigerator Oats

1/3 Cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

2 tsps honey or other sweetener

1 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp espresso powder (I used cappuccino powder as that is what I had on hand)

Raspberry Vanilla Refrigerator Oats

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tsps honey or other sweetener

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup raspberries sliced in half. 

Pumpkin Pie Refrigerator Oats

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsps maple syrup or other sweetener

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Banana Chocolate Refrigerator Oats

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 T cocoa powder

1 tsp honey or other sweetener

1/2 banana 

Banana Peanut Butter Refrigerator Oats

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 T peanut butter (or substitute PB2)

1 tsp honey or other sweetener

1/2 banana

Directions for all

Mix all ingredients together and place covered in the refrigerator overnight. Take out the next morning and enjoy cold or if you so desire heat up for a minute (I've never tried them heated). Can keep up to three days in refrigerator or a month in the freezer. 

ENJOY!!!

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Desserts... You Can't Go Wrong!

Today I just wanted to share a couple of my favorite desserts that have both peanut butter and chocolate in them and therefore are absolutely delicious. The peanut butter marshmallow brownies are especially good and I got a purple ribbon on them on them at the county fair. You'll notice in both of the recipes there is coffee involved in them and that is because it helps bring out the flavor of the chocolate... you will not actually taste any coffee flavor. 

So here are the recipes! :)

Chocolate Cake 

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 cup strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. 

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. 

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired. 

Yields: One 9X13 pan or two 9 inch round baking pans

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/black-magic-cake/

Chocolate Peanut Butter Icing (for Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients

1/3 cup softened butter

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

4-5 T milk

Directions

In a bowl, cream butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Stir in powdered sugar, cocoa, salt and enough milk to achieve a spreading consistency. 

Yields- 1 1/2 cups... enough to go over a 9X13 cake though a double batch would make the cake doubly delicious. :)

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Brownies

Ingredients

For the Brownies

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp espresso powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 butter 

7 oz dark or semi sweet chocolate

For the Peanut Butter Marshmallow Mixture

1/2 cup butter

1 (11 oz) bag of butterscotch chips

1 cup peanut butter

3 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Directions

For the Brownies

Preheat oven to 350˚. In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla on high for at least ten minutes. A meringue like consistency is needed. 

In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and chocolate and microwave on high for thirty seconds. Stir and repeat until chocolate has completely melted and is smooth.

With mixer running, slowly add the chocolate. Then add the flour mixture until just combined. 

Pour into a greased 9X13 pan Bake for 25 minutes or until is matte and a bit cracked. Don't over bake... the brownies will set as they cool. Allow the brownies to cool 10-15 minutes before topping with the peanut butter marshmallow mixture.

For the Peanut Butter Marshmallow Mixture

Melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter together (in double boiler or microwave). Add marshmallows and stir. 

Pour mixture on top of brownies and evenly spread over them. Allow to come to room temperature before putting them in the refrigerator to firm them up. 

Cut into squares and serve. 

Yields: One 9X13 pan... about twenty brownies.

http://culinary-cool.blogspot.ca/2013/05/peanut-butter-marshmallow-brownies.html

Try these recipes out... hopefully you'll love them as much as my family and I do. :)

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Recipe- Creamy Avocado Pasta

It's like having guacamole on pasta, which is probably healthier than having it on chips. I really enjoyed it (I mean come on, guacamole on pasta!) and so did everyone else that ate it. I can't wait to try it again! What's great about it is the avocado sauce replaces the normally fatteningly delicious alfredo sauce giving a far healthier alternative that still tastes amazing.
I did make some changes. The original recipe doesn't call for any meat but the person I got it from added shrimp. I am not a shrimp fan so I used a couple cubed and boiled chicken breasts instead. I also didn't bake the tomatoes. I don't like extra dishes or extra time. That's just me. I also omitted the pine nuts as we didn't have any and I'm not that crazy about them either.
So here's the original recipe, change as you will.

Creamy Avocado Pasta
Ingredients
10-12 smal Campari tomatoes, quartered (I eigthed them)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
4 servings Fettuccine noodles (about half a packet)
2 ripe avocados, seed and skin removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts
grated fresh parmesan (I used about 1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350˚.
Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Bake for an hour in the oven.
Cook fettuccine until al dente following the directions on the box.
In a food processor, combine remaining two tablespoons of olive oil, garlic cloves, lemon juice, and avocados. Pulse until the ingredients are smooth and creamy (I didn't have very ripe avocados so I ended up adding a little water to smooth it out).
Strain the pasta and combine with the avocado sauce in large bowl. Add tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts as well as salt and pepper to taste.
EAT!!!!

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

My Favorite Greek Yogurt Recipes

I am obsessed, I repeat OBSESSED, with greek yogurt. Ever since I started trying to lose weight I started eating greek yogurt. It's amazing. Then I learned about using it as a substitute in recipes for the oil/fat. Amazing! So here are some of my favorite recipes using greek yogurt... and the recipe folder is always growing. 

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Recipe makes one serving

-6 oz  Greek yogurt (I normally use plain but have used flavored in a pinch)

- 1 egg 


- 1/2 cup flour

- 1 tsp baking soda 


- 1 tsp vanilla extract 


- few dashes of salt 


- 1 tsp sugar or other sweetener (I normally don't use sweetener)

-1/4 cup milk (if too thick)

Mix ingredients together and fry delicious pancakes. OR Join me in microwaving pancakes.... another new OBSESSION!!! Just butter a plate and then pour batter on it (about half will cover a plate) and then microwave for a couple minutes. Obviously won't be crispy like a normal pancake but besides that much the same. There is no pan clean up, and no waiting for the stupid pancake to cook on both sides. It's amazing, trust me. I have pancakes most every day now.

Greek Yogurt Egg Salad

Recipe makes 2 servings.

You'll need: 

2 large eggs, hard boiled, chopped fine 

1/4 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt 

1 dill pickle spear, chopped fine 

1 tsp yellow mustard 

Salt, pepper, paprika, or other sesonings to taste 

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Serve on bread, in a pita, or a wrap. 

Yogurt Biscuits

2 1/4 cups commercial or homemade self-rising flour, divided 

****For those who don’t have self rising flour… i.e. me- Self-Rising Flour (Per 1 cup flour- ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp baking powder)*****

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain yogurt, divided

Butter, softened or melted, for finishing

****I added in milk because it was too thick, which I think was due to my using GREEK YOGURT*****

Directions

Preheat oven to 450˚

Combine 2 cups flour and salt. Set aside remaining 1/4 cup.

Add yogurt and knead into a dough. If to dry here is wear you would add milk... if too wet, add some flour.

On a floured surface pat out dough into a 1/2-1 inch thick round and then cut out biscuits. 

Place in buttered pan and bake for 10-14 minutes. 

Note- These are surprisingly delicious and you could scarcely tell they weren't the traditional biscuit.

Chicken Pasta Salad

Serves 6

8 oz whole wheat penne pasta

2 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast (doubled)

1 cup halved seedless red grapes

¼ cup walnut pieces

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup low fat plain greek yogurt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

⅛ tsp sea salt

Directions

Boil a large pot of water, adding a drizzle of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring once, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Strain the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, trim the fat off the chicken, if any, and cut it into small cubes. Fill a separate, medium pot with water, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken cubes (water should cover them), and boil for five to six minutes.

Drain both the pasta and the chicken. In a large bowl combine the pasta and the chicken with the remaiing ingredients, and mix well. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes before serving. 

                        

Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

I've already posted this recipe before here. I love these so much. :)

So those are some of my favorites. I have so many more Greek yogurt recipes that I can't wait to try. Are any of y'all obsessed with Greek yogurt too? Any favorite flavors or delicious recipes? Comment below! :)

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

"Healthy" Brownies

With trying to lose weight, I have been always on the lookout for some healthier recipes. One of these I will share today. Skinny Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies. These are excellent! They have a fudgy kind of texture, which is oh so good! The secret ingredient in these is greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has actually been in a lot of "healthier" recipes I have been trying out recently. This also has oatmeal in it instead of flour. So theoretically if you used gluten free oats, these brownies could be gluten free. They are pretty healthy but let me warn you, health can only go so far if you just keep eating them, and eating them, and eating them... they're that good. So here is the recipe!

Healthy Brownies

Makes 12 (I got 16) brownies. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 
• 6 oz. low fat vanilla greek yogurt (could use fat free)
• 1/4 cup skim milk (or almond milk)
• 1 large egg (or 2 egg whites)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar (author of recipe says Splenda or other artificial sweeteners work as well)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 8×8 (I used 9X9) inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Place all of the ingredients except for the peanut butter into a blender or food processor. (Yes, a blender!) For easier blending, place the liquid ingredients into the blender first. Blend until mix is smooth and oats are ground up. You will have to stop the blender and scrape down the sides a few times.
3. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Batter will be thin. Microwave peanut butter for about 30 seconds. Drop melted peanut butter by spoonfuls onto the batter, swirling gently with a knife to create a marbled effect. (Try not to overmix!)
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan (It took me longer to bake them). Brownies will be extra fudgy, so be sure to wait until COMPLETELY cooled - I stuck mine in the refrigerator for 2 hours, which allowed them to be cut very easily. Cut into 12 squares and enjoy!

Recipe taken from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Healthy Cookies

With trying to be all health conscious one of the most important things for me has been getting a good breakfast in every day. The other day I found a recipe for Healthy cookies that had three ingredients: oats, bananas, and walnuts.  We had a banana that was about ready to go bad so I thought, why not?   These aren't gourmet cooking or anything, but they do taste pretty good.  They taste a lot like banana bread.  Since I only had one banana I made only eight. They took just a few minutes to mix up and then it was just the baking time.  Warm from the oven they are pretty good but I think they are just fine also a couple days later. Because of the banana they keep their moistness. They are perfect for breakfast as a lot of them can easily be made ahead and they keep well.  The best part is they really are healthy. There are about fifty calories apiece. I like to have three.... and then close the lid so I can't have anymore. Try them out you might find you like them.

Healthy Cookies- Makes 16
2 ripe bananas mashed
1 cup oats
1/4 cup crushed walnuts (I used pecans)
Mix together all ingredients and then place by tablespoon on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350˚ F for 15 min.
The author of the recipe suggested trying different ingredients like raisins, chocolate chips, cinnamon, or almonds.

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Mediterranean Dip

• 
  A new favorite recipe at home is a layered Mediterranean dip.  It combines so many great flavors and it is really pretty healthy too.  So far we haven't made it with banana peppers as they aren't in season right now but I can't wait to use them.  To all who aren't big fans of hummus, I am not either but I still like this.  Hope you enjoy it as much as my family and others have. :)
  

  
  

  Mediterranean Dip

  INGREDIENTS

  For the cilantro pesto:
  1½ cups fresh cilantro
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  1/3 cup olive oil, divided
  2 tbsp. pecans
  2 tbsp. pine nuts
  ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  To assemble the dip:
  Hummus
  Cilantro pesto (above)
  Cucumber, seeded and diced
  Red onion, diced
  Banana peppers, chopped
  Sliced olives (black or Kalamata)
  Crumbled feta cheese or parmesan cheese
  Oven-dried or Sun-dried Tomatoes

  
  
  
  
  To make the cilantro pesto, combine the cilantro, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, pecans, and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse repeatedly until a coarse paste forms.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  With the processor running, add the remaining olive oil in a steady stream and process until smooth.  Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.  (If storing for later use, drizzle with a thin film of olive oil, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pesto, and store in an airtight container.)
• To assemble the dip, spread a layer of hummus on a serving platter.  Spread the cilantro pesto over the top of the hummus.  Layer evenly with cucumber, red onion, banana peppers, olives, cheese, and oven-dried tomatoes as desired.   Serve with pita chips or vegetables for dipping.

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Everybody loves snickerdoodles (don't contradict me on that one).  Needless to say then, I love snickerdoodles too.  I like them perfectly soft, melt in your mouth.  Soooo good!  When I found a recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles of course I was intrigued.  I saved the recipe but never got around to making it until we were having an "everything pumpkin" dinner for halloween at work.  I remembered the recipe and knew it would be a perfect opportunity to try it out.  Let's just say that they are addictive, deliciously addictive.  They have a slightly different kind of texture that is really good and are a larger cookie.  I had a little trouble with the cooking time and ended up cooking them a couple minutes over the original cooking time but they still turned out fine.
If you're on a diet, you probably shouldn't make these.  You won't be able to stop eating them. :)

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Yield: about 3-4 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating:
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
Dash of allspice

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the pumpkin puree.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend.  Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball.  Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart.  Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly.  Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through.  Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  ENJOY

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Reliving a Nightmare: Chocolate Krinkles

"Do you want to help me relive a nightmare?" I asked my brother the other day.
He gave me a funny look.  "No.  What are you going to do?"
"I'm making chocolate krinkles," I replied.
My brother's eyes opened up wide and he said, "Really?!"

So what was it about a simple recipe for CHOCOLATE cookies that could have anything do with a nightmare?  A lot.  Several years ago, when I was probably about ten years old, my younger brother and I decided to make cookies, chocolate krinkles to be exact.  I assume we had our parents permission, because getting into trouble wasn't part of the nightmare.  Like the geniuses we were, we decided to make a double recipe of an already humongous recipe.  Fatal mistake number one.  So we mixed up this immense recipe of chocolate deliciousness and proceeded to make probably about two hundred cookies (that is a rough but not exaggerated estimate).  Being just kids, of course we ate tons of the dough as we formed the cookie dough into cookies and then rolled them in powdered sugar.  Fatal mistake numbers two AND three.   Never, let your kids use powdered sugar when cooking, it makes a mess and if you eat a lot of cookie dough, later on down the road you are going to feel sick.  Somehow, we also managed to dirty the most dishes possible.  Fatal mistake number four. Apparently little children also have the tendency to drop cookie dough on the floor.  Fatal mistake number five.  I am sure you can tell by now that the fatal mistakes were rather piling up.  By the time we were done the floor, and the table we were working at were covered in powdered sugar and cookie batter.  My brother and I both felt sick from eating so much cookie dough as well as the baked cookies.  Nevertheless, we had to clean up the kitchen.  Due to the amount of cookie dough on the floor, we had to mop as well as do all of the dishes.    After we were done, we both swore never again to make those treacherous cookies.

And we never did.... until a couple days ago.

Thankfully I am far wiser and I avoided all of the fatal mistakes.  It helps when you have a vivid memory implanted in your mind of all that went the first time.  Due to these unforgettable memories, I made no fatal mistakes.  I also had the good sense to make a quarter of the amount that my brother and I made so many years ago (and that is the amount for the recipe I have below).  They are a very delicious chocolate cookie that have a little crunch on the outside but are soft in the middle.  Just how I like them.  Anyways, it was chocolate, a very hard to mess up ingredient. :)

If you have the courage, make some, they really are delicious.

Chocolate Krinkles
1 1/4 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup powdered sugar (to roll cookies in)
Mix together first three ingredients and then add eggs one at a time, mixing well.  Add vanilla and dry ingredients.  Mix well and chill.  Drop teaspoons of dough in powdered sugar and roll into a ball (careful not to make to big).  Bake in 350˚ oven for 8-10 minutes.  Don't overbake.  Makes about fifty cookies.

Enjoy and remember to make NO fatal mistakes. :)


Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies

Earlier this year my cousin gave me the names of a few food blogs that she had found good recipes from.  I was able to find several good recipes that I tried and one of them was for these chocolate gingersnap cookies.  The idea of combining ginger and chocolate sounded weird at first but I tried it anyways.  The end product was absolutely delicious!  The are nice and soft and the flavor is really great. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I did. :)

Soft Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies

2 sticks softened butter

1 Cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 Cup molasses

1 egg

1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour

1/2 Cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Roasted Saigon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Roasted Ground ginger

1/2 Cup sugar to roll cookies in

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   In stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Slowly add in molasses and egg until well combined.

2.  In a separate mixing bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Slowly add to wet ingredients, beat on low until just combined.

3.  With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into sugar then place onto silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Press each cookie with the palm of your hand to about 1/2 inch thick.  Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove and let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.  Now, time to eat!

4-5 dozen cookies 

Note- Dough will be quite sticky.

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

A recipe for chocolate chip cookies is an important part in every cookbook.  There are a lot of good recipes out there.  Some like them crisp, some like them soft.  Some like them with nuts, or perhaps with oatmeal too.  There are a lot of different ways to make chocolate chip cookies.  I found this recipe via FoodGawker and absolutely loved it.  This makes a pretty much perfect chocolate chip cookie.  It is perfectly soft and chewy, which is how I like them.  This one doesn't have nuts or any other goodies but is just simiply a choclate chip cookie.  I have another recipe that does have nuts, oatmeal, and cocoanut that I love also but that, perhaps, is for another blog post.  I hope you enjoy these delicious cookies. :)

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients: 

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 c. brown sugar 

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

1 egg 

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

2 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

5.  Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.  Makes approximately 3 dozen. 

http://kelseysappleaday.blogspot.com/2011/08/best-ever-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.