Archive for ‘Dessert’

May 6th, 2013

Chocolate Coconut Almond Meal Cookies

by Lauren

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Chris and I saw Billy Elliot on Broadway this weekend and loved it. I couldn’t believe what an amazingly talented dancer this little twelve year old was. Is everyone on Broadway this amazing? Perhaps I’m out of the Broadway loop.

It gave me a whole new outlook on dedication though. This kid has given up a “normal” childhood to follow his dream. What a sacrifice. It sure is paying off though, he was incredible. His dancing and singing were as good as any adult in the show who had been practicing their whole lives.

Who knew a twelve year old could give you such a kick in the pants. A new level of chasing down what you want and diving in head first.

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That had nothing to do with cookies, I just wanted to fill you in on some LYK musings of late.

With all the almond milk we’ve been making we have loads of almond meal left over.

I’d been searching for something to use it on and these cookies were the without-a-doubt winner. I’m some what of a chocolate/coconut combo addict.

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While this is not an original recipe, I felt compelled to share it with you because it was that good.

After an epic fail with a lemon tart this weekend I didn’t have the guts to try and transform another recipe that requires baking.

Give these a try this week. They are really quick, healthy(ish), delicious, and a great way to put a smile on some family, friends or coworkers faces.

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This recipe is by Minimalist Baker and adapted from the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook.

I just couldn’t resist.

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From the Little Yellow Kitchen,

Lauren

April 26th, 2013

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Chrissy

Bold claim, I know. But these cookies are the business.

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From a young age I loved baking chocolate chip cookies. If I’m being honest, it was probably more of an obsession…but who needs to know that.

And I wasn’t a fat kid, if you were wondering, based on the last comment. Who knows how I dodge that one, but maybe it had something to do with the variety of sports I played.

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At the age of 10, the recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip bag was ingrained into my memory, so I could bake them on a whim whenever I felt like it. I just had to be sure that there was some softened butter conveniently lying around on the counter.

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Sheesh. Just check out that melty, chocolaty goodness. It’s pure heaven biting into one of these, fresh from the oven.

Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies_LYK1When I finally got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas, I felt that it further honed my baking skills and recipe repertoire (you know with Pop Tarts, mini doughnuts and bite-sized brownies). The only drawback, was that this miniature oven made like 1 medium-sized cookie or 4 little cookie nibbles and I had 5 other siblings.

You do the math.

I would be baking baby cookies with a light bulb for HOURS if I didn’t realize the real oven was the way to go when it came to chocolate chip cookies. Baking anything with a light bulb just sounds like slave labor, because it is.

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With years of cookie baking under my belt, I’ve tried a variety of recipes–dozens and dozens of recipes—but I am confident in saying that this one suits my fancy.

These have the perfect amount of chocolate chips. They are chewy but not too under-baked and doughy. They are slightly cakey and hold their shape, rather than turning into a crispy pancake in the oven.

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Sidenote: the crispy pancake cookie, in my opinion, is the absolute worst kind, because they look so flat and sad. Also, when you try to take them off the sheet they are all baked together and crumbly. Which means that you automatically have to eat them up right away, since you can’t let those precious cookie pieces go to waste, and you don’t want there to be evidence of the ugly cookie disaster that just went down.

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But these little beauties, they are perfect in every way. Follow this recipe, and you’ll have no shame in baking these up for friends, or perhaps bringing them along when meeting the parents for the first time (don’t worry, it went over very well Smile ).

Just watch yourself, because you may have mad riots coming your way when the last cookie has found the bottom of someone’s belly.

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Enjoy these tasty morsels, fresh from the oven, with a glass of milk, or even a week later if they are stored in an airtight container.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe!

Makes about 3 dozen, medium-sized cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light-brown sugar (I used half dark and light brown sugars)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter with both sugars and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, for about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat on medium until well mixed, for another minute. Gradually, add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with a silpat or parchment paper. *We use a 1 ½-Tbsp sized cookie scoop and they make perfect medium-sized cookies.

Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, about 9 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. You can store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to about 1 week.

 

From the Little Yellow Kitchen,

Chrissy

April 22nd, 2013

Breakfast Cookies {Gluten-free}

by Chrissy

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Whoaaaa, say what?! There are really cookies that you can eat, for breakfast??

Yes. The glorious answer is, yes.

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When I was a kid, I used to hope, wish, and dream that I could eat cookies for breakfast (It might have had something to do with this commercial). I tried with all my might and with all my greatest persuasion skills, to try to convince my mom to buy Cookie Crisp, knowing full well that although those weren’t real cookies, they were the closest type of cookie that I could try to get my hands on in the morning.

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No matter how dedicated I was to this task, my mom wouldn’t budge. For the longest time, the only sugary cereals that were allowed in the pantry consisted of Raisin Bran (barf) and Honey Bunches of Oats. On very special occasions or for “dessert” we were able to have Apple Jacks. Not too shabby, but definitely no Lucky Charms or Cookie Crisp.

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All that time, I had always thought I was missing out on the good stuff. Well, it turns out I was just missing out on childhood obesity and early onset diabetes.

Yea, no thanks.

I was happy to stick with Cheerios, topped with sliced banana.

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Each cookie packs a good amount of fiber and energy to get your day going. And for all you Gluten-Free folks out there, these are fair game for you, too!

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These cookies store well, so go ahead and make a full batch for the week. You can also freeze the baked cookies and eat them in the near future. They are such great snacks and remind me of really tasty oatmeal, in baked form, that are easy to nibble on the run.

What more could you ask for? Really, though.

 

Breakfast Cookies {Gluten-free}

Print Recipe!

Adapted from Blommi.com

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats (2½ for flour, rest stays whole)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsps pure vanilla

1/3 cup turbinado sugar (or granulated)

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled

⅓ cup maple syrup

¼ cup almond milk

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, grind 2½ cups of the oats, until the consistency of flour. Add the baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the food processor and pulse a few more times to incorporate; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add lightly beaten eggs, vanilla, sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup and almond milk. Mix well, on medium speed, for about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix well, about 1 minute. Add the remaining unground oats, cranberries, pistachios, and shredded coconut. Stir until incorporated, evenly, scraping the sides, if needed.

Scoop about 2 tablespoon size balls of dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. (We use a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop.)

Bake for 14-15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack. Store at room temperature for about a week.

From the Little Yellow Kitchen,

Chrissy

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