neverhomemaker: cookie dough

Showing posts with label cookie dough. Show all posts

100 Calorie Cookie Dough Bites

>> Tuesday, April 28, 2015

I could eat cookie dough for hours (forever?). In fact, I’ve been snacking on quite a bit of it after creating my new favorite cookie recipe of all time, Maple Pecan Oatmeal Chocolate Chippers. But all that sugar, all that fat, all that dessert-y type stuff, I know it’s not good for me, especially in high doses.

Not surprising: I’ve been struggling with sugar and food in general due to stress. Now that I have a few months to really focus on myself, I’ve decided to start by keeping a food diary for a short period of time. I’m not into long-range calorie-counting. In fact, it makes me crazy and isn’t good when you consider my disordered past. But I do think the exercise of writing eats down can be a good one to just see a.) what you’re eating in general and b.) how much of it you’re consuming versus activity, etc.

So, this is how these 100 calorie cookie dough bites came to be. I won’t go nuts and call them “healthy” -- they contain less than 2 grams of protein per serving -- however, they are somewhat toned down from the ingredients in my usual cookie recipes. And they’re portioned out . . . versus the hugely rounded gobs I usually spoon into my mouth. It’s something in the right direction.

100-CALORIE COOKIE DOUGH BITES

What you’ll need . . .

2 cups GF rolled oats
2 tablespoons coconut flour
3 tablespoons Earth Balance
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons flax meal
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method . . .

In your food processor, pulse oats into flour and mix with the coconut flour. Set aside in a large bowl.
Put the Earth Balance, coconut oil, maple syrup, and flax meal in the food processor. Pulse into well incorporated.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a spatula until everything is moistened.
Fold in the pecans and chocolate chips. Then portion out by tablespoonfuls onto a plate.
Place in the fridge to firm up, then store there for the week.

// This recipe makes 18-20 tablespoon-sized balls. Between 95-105 calories.

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Maple Pecan Oatmeal Chocolate Chippers

>> Monday, April 13, 2015

What a mouthful! Oh, and the name is pretty intense, too. I’ve been getting back to eating my fair share of fruits and veggies, but baking has always been a sort of therapy of mine. So, I decided to take a fresh set of eyes to my old favorite cookie recipe -- Pecan Chocolate Chippers -- and make a few modifications to take it over the edge into nirvana.

If I ever open a cafe, these cookies will surely make the menu:

MAPLE PECAN OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS

Makes 24 large cookies. Consider making a half batch.

What you’ll need . . .

1 cup Earth Balance
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup Sugar In The Raw
2 tablespoons flax meal + 2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups white + whole wheat flour*
1/2 - 1 cup rolled oats, uncooked
1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch (or two) sea salt
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method . . .

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with coconut oil or Earth Balance and set aside. NOTE: I have been using my Wilton Muffin Top Pan for most cookie baking lately. I highly recommend trying your cookies in one!
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the Earth Balance, maple syrup, and sugar until light and fluffy. You’ll want to do this on high for several minutes to achieve the right consistency. (See my old post for a photo of “fluffy.”)
Then add in the flax, water, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
Add the flour, oats (however much you like -- I usually do 3/4 cup), baking soda, and salt. Mix on low until dough comes together. * You’ll want to first add 2 cups of flour, add the rest of the ingredients, and then slowly add the 1/2 cup. It depends on how tightly your flour is packed, etc. -- dough shouldn’t be too wet or too dry.
Then add in the pecans and chocolate chips and continue mixing until everything is combined.
Scoop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto your pan. Then flatten slightly before baking. Alternatively, you can scoop heaping tablespoons onto your baking sheets to prevent crowding, yielding more like 40 cookies per batch. I’ll admit that I haven’t made this recipe on a normal baking pan, so proceed with caution if you’re making the BIG cookies.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Shorter bake time for smaller cookies, longer bake time for the big guys. Cookies are done when they are lightly browned at edges. Then remove from oven and let sit in pan for 5 minutes before gently transferring to a cooling rack.

The hardest part?

Not eating the dough.

Oops.

Enjoy!

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Cookie Dough Balls + Thoughts

>> Wednesday, March 18, 2015

A lot of my energy chunk recipes incorporate either raisins or dates into the mix. I can’t handle even looking at either of those ingredients right now (ugh), so I decided to come up with a tasty treat recipe that’s packed with other good stuff. Eat these guys instead of dessert or while you’re on the run. They’re tasty with breakfast or whenever you need a quick pick-me-up.

And they come together fast!

COOKIE DOUGH BALLS

What you’ll need . . .

1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup almonds or other nuts
1/4 cup peanut butter*
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons flax meal
Handful unsweetened coconut flakes
Pinch salt
Handful chocolate chips

* I’m sure other nut butters and substitutes would work great too. Maybe Nutella?

Method . . .

Place rolled oats (uncooked, of course) and almonds in your food processor and blend until smooth (almost like a flour).
Then add the rest of the ingredients -- except the chocolate chips -- and pulse until well combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips. If you’d like your mix less wet, consider adding more oats or coconut flakes to taste.
Spoon in heaping tablespoonfuls into your palm and roll into balls.
Store in an airtight container in your fridge for a week or more.

Ada climbed up on our footstool and took some photos of these bites with her Kidizoom Camera. We got it for her a couple months ago because she was starting to show an interest in photography (hmmm, I wonder where she get that from?). Anyway, it’s adorable to see her frame out her shot and excitedly look at the images she gathers throughout the day.

Click!

I’ll admit it feels somewhat disingenuous to post a recipe right now. But I don’t know what else I should be doing. It’s hard to deal with what’s going on while home alone most days, but I don’t really think I’d feel much differently otherwise. I mean, it’s universally difficult no matter what. I have had a lot of support from friends and family, and I’m so grateful for the love from this community. So, I’ve been throwing myself into taxes and freelance stuff while also allowing myself time to plan the next steps and mourn. I keep wondering what the right thing is I should be doing or feeling.

I’m sort of astounded at all the things I’ve dealt with in the last several years. I’ve blogged about most of them, which I’m sure can make this space seem like a drag (sorry) -- but it’s LIFE. Not always the life I imagined living. Sure, we’ve dealt with our fair share of stuff that not many people we know can relate to, but still. I’ve been learning more to take it all day by day, though it’s not always possible.

I get down on myself every now and again for having some anxiety and being negative (realistic to a fault?), but when I look at everything I’ve experienced, I realize I need to give myself a pass on some of it. Why wouldn’t I feel this way sometimes? Is there even a “normal” way to deal with some of these situations? And I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share the play-by-play of all that’s going on now, but I’m so glad I did. It’s been helpful to know that so many have gone through it and come out the other side. I hope my own experience can help someone else not feel so alone.

While I don’t always cope in the most textbook perfect sort of ways, I’m learning everyday that I’m stronger than I think I am.

More soon.

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Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

>> Wednesday, August 13, 2014

You see . . . Pinterest wasn't a thing when I started blogging many (many) years ago. I get aggravated at how food blogging (and everything else, it seems) has become this ever-escalating let's-see-who-can-come-up-with-the-craziest X, Y, or Z. In other ways, however, I get struck by genius at every turn. Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, Pinterest gives me inspiration, even for the foods I share on my own blog because sometimes I like to push the limits.

So, I'm two weeks too late for this to officially be a birthday cake. Still, I wanted to whisk up something delicious for dessert to celebrate the big 3-1. And I took two existing recipes on this site and used this stuffed cupcake recipe (thanks for sharing, Tyler + Pinterest gods) as my inspiration.

Sprinkles = optional, but highly recommended.

(VEGAN) COOKIE DOUGH STUFFED CUPCAKES
with a chunky peanut butter + coconut "fudge" frosting

What you'll need . . .

1 recipe-ful of Half Dozen Chocolate Chippers (do not bake, leave out baking powder)
The cupcake batter from the Big Hunk O'Love Cupcakes recipe*
The Frosting from the Big Hunk O'Love Cupcakes recipe

* These peanut butter + chocolate + banana stuffed cupcakes are delicious too! You should try them! As a note: I used CHUNKY peanut butter in the frosting this time around.

Method . . .

Make your cookie dough and then spoon out into 12 equal sized balls. Freeze for a couple hours until hardened.
In the meantime, make your cupcake batter. If you're waiting for everything to freeze, place it in the fridge while you wait. Just be sure to take it out 20 minutes or so before baking.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners, then fill each 2/3 full + otherwise evenly distribute cupcake batter.
Place one frozen cookie dough ball into each cupcake, then place in the oven for 10 minutes. Then rotate 180 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Until toothpick inserted into the cupcake (not the cookie dough) comes out clean.
Take cupcakes out of the oven to cool completely before frosting.
Then spread frosting and decorate however you wish. I like to keep my cupcakes in the refrigerator, which makes the frosting turn into that refrigerator fudge consistency. Do whatever you like. It's your party!

// YUM

This recipe makes 12 large cupcakes for a fraction of the cost they'd be at the bakery. No, really. I can't believe how much a good cupcake costs these days. I'd much rather make my own. And if you really strip this recipe/process down, you'll see it's is far less daunting than it seems.

I promise.

What sweet or savory treat did you eat to celebrate your birthday this year?

And be sure to check out another amazingly fun (never)homemaker hybrid recipe -- Half Dozen Chocolate + Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies. Might be one of my favorites . . . ever.

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

>> Monday, February 17, 2014

It's a big, scary day over here, so I'm just popping in to give you guys a quick recipe I made over the weekend. As I mentioned last week, I'm trying my best to save desserts and booze for special occasions and the weekends. Well, reason to indulge came sooner than I thought with Valentine's Day, so I tried making a treat that was both rich and, at least somewhat, nutritive.

Check 'em out:

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BITES
vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, too!

What you'll need . . .

1/4 cup Earth Balance
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oat flour*
1/2 cup almond meal/flour*
Handful dark chocolate chips

* For this recipe, I used homemade pulsed rolled oats (GF from Bob's Red Mill) for flour, but store-bought almond meal/flour. You could also pulse raw almonds for your own almond meal at home. Consistency will vary depending on store-bought/homemade, so add a little at a time for best results.

Method . . .

Cream together the Earth Balance, water, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy.
Then mix in the flours and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Scoop by heaping tablespoonful onto a plate or wax paper and then refrigerate.
Note: You can add more/less of the flour to achieve your desired consistency. Oat flour tends to soak up more moisture as time goes on, so keep that in mind.

// INDULGE?

I entered this recipe into MyFitnessPal and divided it into 12 servings (12 heaping tablespoons) and came out to around 110 calories per cookie dough ball. 10 grams of carbs, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein, 49 mg of salt, and 5 grams of sugar. Now, compared to the cookie dough I used to make, it's not that different calorically.

However, it's lower in carbs, higher in nutrition and healthy fats, and has much less of a glycemic spike than it would with refined sugar and white flour. I could definitely do myself a huge favor and just stop eating sugar altogether, but I know the all or nothing approach doesn't work well for me. So, I'll focus on the gradual instead -- on portion sizes and adding in good stuff, like almond meal -- which is a fat-fighting food, where I can.

So, there's this question of indulging.
Not specifically in these treats, because I've already eaten many, but in general.

Though I don't appreciate Anthony Bourdain's disdain toward vegetarians and vegans, I do enjoy his writing, and recently came across this quote: "Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” -- As much as I try to eat healthfully and cut out "bad" stuff, I continually strive to strike a balance between enjoyment of my favorite foods and better health from the rest. Sometimes the two overlap, sometimes not.

What are your thoughts?

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Cookie Dough Crumblers and Giveaway

>> Monday, June 18, 2012

* * * Giveaway Now Closed * * *

Congrats to Jen (California Meets New Jersey) who writes: "Well if I made it past putting it together and not eating the whole bowl...I like to make my own ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies!"

You all know about my struggles with sugar. Things are looking up, which I'll write about another day, but I must say that Lindsay (Love and Olive Oil) is responsible for a sort of relapse.

A brand new collection of her recipes came out on June 5th in a book called The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook (Quirk Books). It's absolutely teeming with dessert ideas that feature -- you guessed it -- cookie dough.

To celebrate, Quirk Books has asked several food bloggers across the web to go crazy with her concept and create their own masterpieces. With cookie dough. Please. You had me at hello.

Thing is, I eat cookie dough so frequently, I could really only think to share my extremely basic (and quite embarrassing) guilty pleasure. This is my favorite way to eat it.

Obviously that wouldn't earn me any points. So, I went back to the drawing board. Cookie dough cheesecake? It's been done. Cookie dough tirimisu -- also done! Surely there's got to be SOMEthing unique and new!

What about COOKIE DOUGH BABY FOOD?!

OK. No babies were harmed in the execution of that joke. It was purely photographic. The babe ate carrots last night.

Anyway, I decided to keep it basic . . . with a twist. These cookie dough crumblers are bite-sized, salty, crunchy, chewy, and topped with chocolate-peanut butter.

COOKIE DOUGH CRUMBLERS

What you'll need for the cookie dough:

1/2 cup Earth Balance or butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons light coconut milk (or other milk/substitute)
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Pinch salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For the pretzel base:

Pretzels, enough to make at least 3/4 to 1 cup when processed
2 to 4 tablespoons melted Earth Balance or butter

For the chocolate:

1/3 to 1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon Earth Balance

Method . . .

Cream together the Earth Balance, brown sugar, cane sugar, vanilla extract, and coconut milk. Beat until light and fluffy. Then add in the flour, salt, and chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Set aside.
Lightly butter the cups of a mini muffin tin and set aside.
In a food processor, pulse your pretzels until they are into little bits. Then add in the melted Earth Balance. More EB means less crumble. Though, I used 2 tablespoons and think mine are almost too crumbly. It's up to you!
Press equal amounts of pretzel mixture into the cups of your tin. Make sure you have a little left over for sprinkling at the end, though you will have a bit that comes off when you pop them out of the tins.
Then press equal amounts of cookie dough into each tin. You may have some left over. Eat it promptly. (Well, that's what I did. You can also store it in the fridge for the week.)
I covered my tin and placed it in the freezer for an hour to chill. Then I gently popped each bite out using my fingers and placed on some tin foil. I would have used wax paper, but I was out.
Then melt the chocolate, peanut butter, and Earth Balance together. I did it in the microwave, but stove works, too. Spoon this mixture over each bite and then sprinkle with excess pretzel. Let chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Or eat right away for a gooey experience.

Don't mind if I do!

And the book again is The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook by Lindsay Landis. I've had my copy for maybe a month and it's already well worn.

GIVEAWAY: If you'd like to win a copy of the book, just leave a comment below -- by midnight EST by Thursday, June 21, with some way to contact you -- with how you'd use the cookie dough. Winner will be announced Friday morning.

And to check out scenes from Stephen's first father's day, visit Writing Chapter Three. We'll be back with more weekend happenings later in the day.

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Day 1

>> Friday, April 13, 2012

The first step is always admitting you have a problem. Right? Well, that's what I did on Wednesday night after eating tablespoonful after heaping tablespoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough (from this delicious recipe). I had made a quarter batch. Probably a cup in all. And I couldn't stop myself from eating almost all of it in one sitting.

I looked at Stephen and said: "I'm seriously addicted to sugar. I need help."

This wasn't the first episode. I've been trying for weeks, no, months to lessen my sugar consumption. The day always starts out great. A bowl of oatmeal with fruit or some eggs and wheat toast. A lunchtime quinoa salad or hummus wrap. Healthy snacks, too. But at some point during the afternoon, I find myself utterly consumed by cravings. Not for just one cookie or piece of candy. But for a deluge of the stuff.

I try all the usual methods . . .

Drinking a glass of water to see if I'm simply dehydrated
Doing something -- like cleaning -- to distract myself
Snacking on something healthy, like carrots, instead
Attempting to sleep more at night or take naps to keep energy levels stable
Eating more throughout the day -- maybe I just need more calories?

When all else fails, I try eating just one dessert. Which turns into two. Ultimately three. And so on. I ~~think~~ know during my pregnancy, I let myself slide into some bad eating habits. Generally -- and still now -- I eat very well. I get my vegetables and fruits in and choose whole grains over processed crap. But in the final months of my pregnancy, I let myself eat more and more of the stuff I was craving. My weight gain was spot-on in the lower numbers of the normal range, so I thought all was well.

Those 4 pounds I lost last month? Yeah. After Easter, I'm carrying two of them around my mid-section. But make no mistake -- my motivation isn't entirely weight-related. I've never actually found myself completely addicted to sugar. Like entirely unable to stop eating it. Yesterday I tried my very best to just eat a small portion . . . and then at 9PM, I found myself mixing together another half batch of cookies. Eating several. Feeling awful physically and mentally about it.

I was nearly shaking.

So, what to do? You'd think being a breastfeeding mother would be enough to guilt me into better eating habits for the health of my child. Like with all other addictions, I need to do it for myself foremost. Today is a new day, and despite the fact that I've been telling myself that at the dawn of all days for the past several weeks, somehow this time it's different.

Last night I truly felt like I hit bottom. I mean, 9PM and I am pouring sugar into my mixer? Ridiculous.

Admittedly, it's difficult to have a food blog because I so much enjoy creating tasty recipes -- especially for baking. Like the Chevron Peanut Butter Cookie Bars. (Those didn't last long.) But I think -- at least for a short while -- the sweet stuff will have to be put on hold. Instead, I'll need to focus more on the healthy recipes. After all, (never home)maker is a healthy living blog. I guess I need to remind myself of that.

There's really no how-to part to this post. I don't know what I'm going to do yet. Take it one day at a time, of course. Today is day 1. Take some time to put together a list of resources. Look up methods that have worked for others. Really look at why I'm eating so much sugar in the first place.

The goal isn't to cut sugar out of my diet forever. I'm not into extremes like that. Plus, I think it'd be unrealistic to say I'll never eat another cupcake again. However, I think at least for a while I'll need to limit my sugar-intake quite dramatically to detox myself. Who knows what form this might take. Any ideas or experiences to share?

I'm writing this to admit to you all that I do indeed have a problem. I'm hoping that writing it out will help me finally do something about it. I very much appreciate your support! Here's hoping today is the first day of the rest of my life . . . less dependent on sugar.

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Thumbprint Cookies

>> Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Day two being home on maternity leave . . . and I'm baking. Before I gain as much weight in these last couple weeks as I did in the beginning 38 weeks of pregnancy, I should really consider freezing these types of treats. Right?

Well, I couldn't resist these cookies. They are now a distant memory. (Or as Homer Simpson would say: "Alright, food nerds. Reality check: All the food in those pictures is poop by now. Minds blown. You're welcome." Source.)

I don't know why exactly I chose to photograph these cookies with a squash. There are no fall ingredients in them. Just lots of chocolate and peanut butter. Sugar and more chocolate.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES
(Adapted from a childhood favorite from the Favorite Brand Name Cookie Collection cookbook)

What you'll need . . .

COOKIE:

1/2 cup Earth Balance (or butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon almond milk (or milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer -- without water (or 1 egg white)
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (melted)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
Pinch salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips

FILLING:

2 tablespoons Earth Balance (or butter)
1/3 cup peanut butter (homemade PB works great!)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons almond milk (or milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method . . .

COOKIE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Using your mixer's paddle attachment, cream together the Earth Balance, sugar, milk, and egg replacer -- until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract and melted chocolate.
Add flour, salt, and chocolate chips. Mix on low speed until fully combined.
Drop heaping tablespoons onto your cookie sheet. Recipe should make one sheet of large cookies.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Then press down the middle of the cookie with a spoon. Let cool completely before adding the filling.

FILLING:

In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter and Earth Balance. Mix until smooth.
Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
When the cookies have cooled, divide the mixture evenly between them.

I just wanted to make a quick statement about the focus of the blog. As I'm sure you've all noticed, there hasn't been much of an emphasis on fitness or running posts in the past nine months. That will change -- and soon! Today I posted my post-birth half marathon training plan on (never home)maker, baby! I'm looking forward to sharing my progress with you all as I work to get back into shape after Baby A's arrival.

I think the experience will be challenging and humbling in many, many ways. It's been a long while since I've gone from not running or doing any type of intense activity at all to training. As well, I've never embarked on any type of weight loss journey. So far in my pregnancy, I've gained 28 pounds (and counting -- thanks, cookies!) and a couple dress sizes. I have no delusions that it's all just going to melt off right away.

So, these next couple months are going to bring with them A LOT of new stuff . . . and I say, bring it on!

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Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

>> Monday, July 18, 2011

So far, I've had limited cravings throughout my pregnancy. They've consisted mostly of nectarines or strawberries, Chex Mix, anything cold (like frozen yogurt or smoothies), and cookie dough. But there's something about that last one that is far stronger than with all the others.

Thing is, Stephen is getting sick of my chocolate-chip variety.

I make the good stuff probably three times a week, truth be told. How else do you think I've ballooned this much in 21 weeks? (OK. There's a baby girl inside there, too!)

Last night, I set out to discover a similar recipe, yet one that was different enough that Stephen could enjoy. I had a few specifications the new dough had to meet.

Had to be vegan (for safety)
Had to involve chocolate chips (for my craving)
Had to be at least somewhat healthy (just because)
Had to be super simple (so I can make it over and over again!)

Right away, I found Heidi's Peanut Butter Cookies recipe on 101 Cookbooks. With some additions, subtractions, and modifications for my personal taste preferences, I created these incredible dough balls.

So delicious, I squealed with delight after my first bite. Seriously.

PB-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BALLS
(Recipe adapted from Heidi's Peanut Butter Cookies)

What you'll need . . .

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Handfuls chocolate chips

Method . . .

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and rolled oats. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Do this until well combined -- about 4 minutes on high.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Toss in the chocolate chips, too. Mix until well moistened.
Then bag up dough or fashion into small balls. Refrigerate. But I bet they'd be great frozen, too!

These tiny balls are cute, but way too small for me. I usually take on a hunk so big its size equals all of them smushed together. I figure I could be indulging in far more unhealthy foods at this point.

And be sure to check out (never home)maker, baby! today. I wrote all about my 21st week -- as well as how our nursery is coming along.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Broken Dreams

>> Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I baked a lot on our snow day. In addition to the 3-hour Naan, I couldn't resist making something sweet. I had been eying the The Post Punk Kitchen's vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies for a while. Especially since the recipe requires no butter or egg substitute.

I couldn't exactly run to the store during a state of emergency to stock up on the usual ingredients.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(A modified version of the PPK's Chocolate Chip Cookies)

What you'll need . . .

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon golden flax meal
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
3/4 cups chocolate chips

Method . . .

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, toss in the brown sugar, canola oil, almond milk, flax meal, and extracts. Mix on high for a few minutes. Until extremely well blended.
In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt). Then add them to the wet and mix until everything is moistened.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls onto your cookie sheet and flatten a bit with the palm of your hand. (Because you used oil, the chocolate chips tend to fall out of the dough -- just press 'em back in.)
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes -- until edges are golden brown. Then set aside to cool for a few minutes. If you can wait that long.

***This recipe yielded one full sheet of large-ish cookies. If you want smaller ones -- about two sheets -- use only a tablespoon. And don't let your fingers near the batter. I couldn't resist eating a lot of it -- the almond extract is essential!

WHY I LOVE PARCHMENT PAPER

In the past year or so, I've become a parchment paper convert. I never used the stuff when I started baking. Then I picked up a roll one day, used it, and more time passed before I replenished stock. I make A LOT of cookies. So, I gave the stuff another try . . . and I can't go back now.

But I have a question (because my only experience has been a bad one): What do you think of silicone baking mats? I bought one on a Christmas Tree Shops excursion, and used it once. It smelled like burning plastic . . . so I grew concerned with what was baking into my batch.

Yikes!

IN OTHER NEWS . . .

Our dream house (you know -- the one with the nice view?) is a bust. After some thoughtful deliberations, we decided to stop pursuing it.

Location, location, location . . . It was pretty far out in the country. Not that this is a terrible thing. But we're both so used to convenience and being able to shoot from place to place. As we saw our lives moving forward, we couldn't see driving into town to pick up kids from soccer practice, to go to the gym, to pick up sugar at the grocery store, etc.
Running routes: Were sort of awful. The place was on top of a hill. Which means running either way on the road entails running at least a mile (or so) downhill before any flat surface. No bueno.
$$$ sucker, maybe: The place had electric heat. Not desirable in the Northeast. Though the reported utility bill was low-ish, we're pretty sure the guy living there is a true outdoorsman. Or a hippie (the only non-family photo in the house was of John Lennon -- which initially scored the place extra points). Or both.
The unknown! Perhaps the most compelling reason of all. There's a lot of natural gas drilling/fracking going on in our neck of the woods. NY state is holding off on drilling for now -- but this place is around some prime spots. Besides the chance of contaminated well water, the plowing down of trees, and a host of other iffy things -- even if we chose not to lease our land to drilling companies (we wouldn't -- EVER), who's to say our neighbors wouldn't? Or that nice old couple with 80 acres to their name down the road? It could be a huge problem . . . or it may never happen. But the unknown made us pause enough to say: "No, thank you."

Plus, we're not in a bad situation with our current digs. We're off to look at a few other places tonight. So, we'll keep y'all posted!

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Our Recipes: Cookies, Brownies, Squares, Doughnuts

>> Saturday, February 26, 2011

COOKIES, BROWNIES, SQUARES, and DOUGHNUTS:

* means VEGAN

BACK TO ALL RECIPES >>>

OR BROWSE BY CATEGORY:

GRANOLA & OATS	PANCAKES, ETC.	SMOOTHIES
SPREAD, SAUCES, DIPS	SALADS	SOUPS & STEWS
SNACKS & STARTERS	SANDWICHES & BURGERS	PIZZA, ETC.
STIR-FRIES, ETC.	OTHER MEALS	BREADS
CAKES & CUPCAKES	COOKIES & BROWNIES	PIES & TARTS
ICE CREAM & PUDDING	DRINKS	CONVERSIONS

Hump Day Happenings

>> Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Though I chose against doing a detox this month, that doesn't mean I'm not trying to clean up my eating a bit. The holidays were full of sugar and spice and everything nice. EVERYTHING. Now, I'm trying to find comfort and happiness in the simple things.

But simple doesn't have to be blah!

Take this awesome breakfast smoothie, for example. The ingredients that go into it are sure full of nutrition. Free of processed crap. Alive with flavor.

THE BREAKFAST:

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY START-YOUR-DAY-RIGHT SMOOTHIE
(Print this Recipe!)

What you'll need . . .

1 cup plain, low-fat yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farms)
1 cup frozen cherries
1 to 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
1 to 2 tablespoons wheat germ
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
1 scoop Midori Greens (optional, but recommended)

Method . . .

Toss everything into a blender and blend.
Add more sweetener, if desired, though I didn't find it necessary.
Enjoy every last drop.

At the last minute, I decided to toss in a scoop of Midori Greens that the kind folks at iHerb.com sent me to try out. (More on iHerb.com -- and a giveaway -- soon!)

THE OUTFIT:

Cardigan and jeans: J. Crew (outlet, of course)
Shirt, belt, and shoes: Target
Side-glance to pretend I didn't take this photo with a self-timer: All me

I tried to get cute with a jumping shot. But it turned out worse than Dunder Mifflin's X-mas card shoot. I challenge you to take a photo of yourself jumping. You won't look good. Well, unless you take like 1,000 photos. NO TIME!

If you'd like to catch up on my style transformation (if you can call it that), just click these links:

Post 1: Fleece and Luon -- No More!
Post 2: Weekend Happenings -- Style Edition.

THE DESSERT:

Angela's cookie dough balls to the rescue! I've made them several times exactly to her specifications. But I like a chunkier cookie and -- therefore -- cookie dough ball. And I'm always looking for an excuse to use hazelnut meal!

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BALLS
(Adapted from Oh She Glows)

What you'll need . . .

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill hazelnut meal (or 1/2 cup unsalted nuts, processed in a food processor)
1/2 cup rolled oats, uncooked and processed into flour-like texture
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons (or so) maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats (whole, uncooked)
Handful chocolate chips

Method . . .

Place the hazelnut meal, 1/2 cup rolled oats, and wheat flour in a food processor. Process for a few minutes until fine and well incorporated.
Then add in the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Should form a wet ball. If it isn't wet, add a bit more maple syrup.
Toss dough ball into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in the whole rolled oats and chocolate chips until well distributed. (You may also do this by hand. It's just harder that way.)
Then take heaping tablespoons and turn out onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Flatten with the palm of your hand.
Refrigerate until firm. Or eat right away. It's up to you!

THE KITCHEN MESS:

How do you spend your precious hour (or so) before work? Or -- maybe you work earlier than I do -- what do you do in the hour after work? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!