Chocolate Chip Cookies/Cookie Sandwiches done the Babycakes way!

I know I've been on kind of a Babycakes kick, but what can I say?  Her recipes are delicious!  I have never been to the actual bakery in NYC, but I plan on it the next time I'm in the city.  Now, I know I've done a recipe before on chocolate chip cookies from the same author, but this is a different recipe from that one.  This is from her first Babycakes book.  It makes a crispier, larger cookie, which you can use as a cookie sandwich with your leftover frosting, like I did.  They were incredible, and a hazard to have in my apartment.  That being said, I am now back on my strict diet.  I have been so bad this summer with my diet, but for me summer is the most difficult time to pass up desserts.  There's desserts at barbeques, there's ice cream everywhere, especially at the shore.  It's difficult to pass up ice cream.  Anyway back to the recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups evaporated cane juice a.k.a. vegan sugar
• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla, and evaporated cane juice.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda, and xanthan gum.  Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed.

Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.  Using a melon baller, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 inch apart.

Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread.  Bake the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes.  The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.

Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before storing or frosting them.  Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes 36 cookies.  Enjoy! 

Oatmeal Cookies (done the Babycakes way)

I've been on kind of a baking kick lately, and one afternoon I was craving cookies, so I baked some oatmeal raisin cookies.  This recipe comes from Babycakes Covers the Classics, so since it's Babycakes, it's going to be gluten free and vegan.  I didn't have gluten free oats, so I just used regular oats.  They turned out great, but once I put them into the cookie jar, they fell apart, so they are a little cakey. 

I also found out some news, a lot of my family might have a gluten intolerance.  My cousin found out her son has Celiac's and my mom has Crohn's, which is a close relative to Celiac's.  A good portion of my mom's side of the family has had stomach problems, and just passing it off as, "well, it runs in the family..."  So now that I have found out this not-so-surprising news, I'm going to try and go gluten free for a month to see how I feel.  I usually thought it was the milk in the cheese from pasta, so I would always avoid anything with too much cheese in it at Italian restaurants or big gatherings.  We shall see the results of this experiment.  Sorry for rambling, now onto the recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
• 1 cup vegan sugar
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats
• 1/4 cup ground flax meal
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, oats, flax meal, cinnamon, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.

Add the coconut (or canola) oil, applesauce, and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.

Add the raisins and stir until evenly distributed.  Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto he prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 8 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 7 minutes more, or until golden brown.

Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before serving.  Enjoy! 

Almond Biscotti

Last post was about pistachio biscotti from Better Homes and Gardens, today's recipe is from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.  I found this recipe easier to make, and I think it came out better too.  I do love the lemony flavor from the pistachio ones, and I probably could have added it to this, but I really didn't want them to turn out bad, especially when they were for a friend.  Instead of lemon or orange zest, almond extract was used instead.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup almond slivers
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, almond extract, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed.

Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Stir in almonds.  Place dough on lightly floured surface.  Gently knead 2 to 3 minutes or until dough holds together and almonds are evenly distributed.

Divide dough in half.  One one side of ungreased cookie sheet, shape half of dough into 10 x 3 inch rectangle, rounding edges slightly.  Repeat with remaining dough on same cookie sheet.

Bake about 25 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.  Cool on cookie sheet 15 minutes;  move to cutting board.  Cut each rectangle crosswise into 1/2 inch slices, using a serrated knife.

Place slices, cut sides down, on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake about 15 minutes or until crisp and light brown.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack;  cool.  Cool cookie sheet 5 minutes;  repeat with remaining slices.  Enjoy! 

Pistachio Biscotti

Hey everybody, sorry for the long wait, but life happens.  While Tom and I were away for a vacation in late June/early July, my friend from Suburbia Roller Derby, Philbotomy, looked over our cats for the week.  I paid him with pistachio and almond  biscotti.  This first recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens Anyone Can Bake book (I think it was the first baking book I ever bought).  I found this recipe to be a little more difficult than the recipe I will post next.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolk
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel (optional, but I suggest you use it)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease one large cookie sheet, set aside.  In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Place eggs and yolks in the well;  stir into the flour mixture.  Add butter and lemon peel.  Stir until dough starts to form a ball.  Stir in pistachios.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface;  divide dough into thirds.

Shape each portion into a 14-inch log.  Place logs about 3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet;  flatten logs slightly until about 1 1/2 inches wide.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until firm and light brown.  Remove from oven and place cookie sheet on a wire rack;  let cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer logs to cutting board.  Using a serrated knife, cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices.  Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Turn cookies over, bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until crisp and golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. 

Some came out crumbly, but they still tasted delicious!  Enjoy!

Thin Mints done the Babycakes way

I have always been a fan of all things mint, especially with chocolate, and the Girl Scouts' Thin Mint cookies fit that category.  This recipe was very easy to make, but I feel like the cookies turned out too minty.  I don't know if there was a typo in my Babycakes Covers the Classics cookbook or not, but there was too much mint extract added.  Other than that, the cookies turned out really well.  A lot of my husband's co-workers really enjoyed them. 

Here's what you'll need for the cookies and the topping:

• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
• 1 cup sugar (If you want to keep it vegan buy "evaporated cane juice")
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup arrowroot
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil or canola oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons mint extract (I would use less, maybe 1 1/2 tablespoons)

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Next, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.  Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.  Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Gently flatten each mound of dough, smoothing the edges with your fingers.  

Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 7 minutes more.  Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the chocolate chips and mint extract in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.  Stir until the chocolate chips are just melted.  Do not overcook.  Remove from heat.  Dunk the top of each cookie into the melted chocolate or spread it over them (I found the latter easier).  Refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes on a platter, or until the chocolate sets.

Enjoy!

Mexican Chocolate Cookies (for Cinco de Mayo)

So I originally made these cookies on May 4 as a snack to eat with my friend while he drove us to a CT Roller Derby bout.  They needed help at the last minute, so I volunteered to go as well.  However, after the cookies came out of the oven and I had left the kitchen, I heard this bang of pans hit the floor.  I don't know how or why my cookie sheets fell but I was extremely angry since they were now unedible.  I was going to make them again on Sunday but I was out all day and really didn't want to bake at 10:00 p.m. 

So yesterday is when they were finally made, and they turned out delicious!  The recipe comes from my Cookinglight Everyday Baking book.  It was an easy and quick recipe and I highly recommend them.  They have an extra kick in them that goes well with the chocolate.  I can't stop eating them and even though I saved some for my friend, he might not get them tomorrow. 

Here's what you'll need:

• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 
• 3.3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash of freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of ground red pepper
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth.  Cool to room temperature.

Weigh or spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife.  Combine the flour and the next 5 ingredients stirring with a whisk. 

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended, about 5 minutes.  Add in the egg and beat well.  Add the cooled chocolate and vanilla and beat just until blended.  Add flour mixture and beat just until moist.

Drop dough a tablespoon at a time onto a coated cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until almost set.  Remove from oven and cool for 2 minutes on pans.  Then cool completely on wire rack. 

Enjoy!

Toasted Coconut-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Last week I made these cookies for a very small road trip my friends from derby and I were taking to help out with a neighboring league.  The trip was only a couple of hours, but who doesn't want to snack on cookies with chocolate and coconut in them?  These were extremely easy and quick to make.  They also came out of my CookingLight Everday Baking book.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used light)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

 First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange the coconut in a single layer in a small metal baking pan.  Bake for 7 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring once.  Set aside to cool.

Weight or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup;  level with a knife.  Combine flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl;  beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.

Beat in vanilla and egg.  Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined.  Stir in toasted coconut and chocolate.

Drop dough by level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown.  Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Enjoy!

Spice Cookie Bars (Penzeys')

Wow it's been so long since I blogged! I have been very busy at work.  I was in charge of the annual holiday event, which went great.  Also our after school program ended on the 21st;  and the holidays are always busy for us all.  My job ended today, so I start the new year off without a job, but that's alright because I'm going back to school full time to get a certificate at my local community college.

This recipe was made on Christmas morning and I got it from the Penzeys' store.  They are from a woman named Sally K. Field who just wanted to make a healthier snack for her kids when they came home from school, as opposed to brownies.  They turned out to be very yummy and were a hit with the family.

Here's what you'll need:
1 cup seedless raisins
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon (the recipe called for Penzeys' China Cinnamon, but I used their regular one)
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but pecans would work well too.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9"x13" pan and set aside.  Place the raisins and water in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Pour into a roomy bowl and add the vegetable oil, sugar and egg.

Mix well with an electric mixer.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.  Add to the raisin mixture and mix well.  Stir in the nuts, if using.  Press into the pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Let cool before cutting, and enjoy!

Chips Ahoy done the BabyCakes way

Last night I decided I wanted some chocolate chip cookies, instead of going out to the supermarket, I just made some.  This recipe is very easy and not very time consuming (just make sure you melt your coconut oil ahead of time).  This recipe came from my Babycakes Covers the Classics: Gluten Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles.  There is a chocolate chip cookie recipe in Erin's first Babycakes cookbook but I think these are much tastier, and softer on the inside.  They came out delicious.

Don't forget to measure everything out in dry measuring cups!

Here's what you'll need:
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1 cup vegan sugar
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1/4 cup arrowroot
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil or canola oil (I used unrefined coconut oil.)
6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips (My husband picked up carob chips by mistake but they still worked really well.)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, flax meal, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.

Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.  Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 7minutes more, or until the cookies are golden brown and firm.  Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes before eating.

The recipe says it makes 36 cookies, but I came out with 40something cookies.  Enjoy!

Thumbprint Jam Cookies

Hey everybody, sorry it's been a while.  Things have been busy at work and when I come home my husband has usually made dinner or is about to start dinner.  However, this past Wednesday I had off and since my husband, Tom, surprised me last week by giving me a new cook book I wanted to try baking one of the recipes.  The new cook book is called The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar Free Baking by Peter Reinhart & Denene Wallace.  Since I love to bake, I'm always looking for new recipes and new ways of baking.  This book doesn't use regular Gluten-Free Flour, but other alternative flours, like Pecan Flour, Coconut Flour, and Almond Flour.  So if you are allergic to nuts this book is not for you.  They also replace sugar with either Splenda (which I wouldn't recommend using since it's not natural) or Stevia (which is natural).  You can use Stevia Extract in the Raw or New Roots Stevia Sugar, or Splenda.  Splenda is a lot easier to find, it's at your local grocery store.  However, finding Stevia was a little more difficult.  I could have bought many many many boxes of it in those tiny small packages, but I wanted a large bag.  The only place I found it was at Walmart.  As for the New Roots Stevia, I think it's more expensive and I don't know where you can buy it, Amazon.com maybe? 

The first recipe I decided to try were these Thumbprint Jam Cookies, they were easy and came out delicious.

What you'll need:

2 1/2 cups (10 oz.) almond flour (I always weigh out my flour because I've noticed the end result is always better.)
1 cup (4 oz.) coconut flour
1 1/2 cups Splenda or Stevia Extract in the Raw, or 3/4 cup New Roots Stevia Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 salted butter or margarine, melted
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
About 6 tablespoons sugar-free jelly or jam (I didn't use sugar-free, I just used what I had lying around in the refridgerator.)

Position 2 oven racks in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly mist 2 baking sheets with spray oil, or line them with parchment paper or silicone mats and then lightly mist the surfaces with spray oil.

In medium bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, and salt and whisk until well mixed.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, and vanilla together.

Add the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon for 1 to 2 minutes to make a stiff, playdough-like dough.  The spoon should be able to stand straight up with out falling.

To form each cookie, scoop out 1 heaping tablespoon of dough and, using oiled hands (I put jojoba oil on mine), roll it into a ball, then press it gently between your palms to flatten it slightly.  Place the cookies on the prepared pans, spacing them 3 inches apart.  Press your thumb into the center of each cookie to make an indentation.  Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the jelly into each indentation.

Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate the pans.

Switch racks and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch.

Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the jam to cool.

Enjoy!