Half Dozen Double Chocolate Chippers

I'm not sleeping well these days. So, baking is a priority for my sanity. Cookies = happy. Here's another great half dozen cookies recipe to add to the bunch. I think I've mentioned before that I'm trying to use less sugar in my baking and, instead, swapping it for lower glycemic sweeteners. Ones, like honey or maple syrup, that have more nutrition for Ada's sake. And my own, for that matter.

This recipe is an effort toward healthier snacking -- with loads of flavor and texture to boot.

Let's get to it!

HALF DOZEN GF DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS
refined sugar free, peanut free, vegan, and gluten-free

What you'll need . . .

• 1/4 cup Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup GF oats, pulsed into flour
• heaping 1/4 cup walnuts, pulsed into flour
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• handful or two chocolate chips
• handful or two crushed walnuts
• handful or two GF oats*

Method . . . 

1. Pulse your oats + walnuts + cocoa powder + flax meal + baking soda together in a food processor (this is the one we have) until flour-like. Takes just a few minutes. Set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
3. Cream together the Earth Balance + maple syrup + vanilla extract using the paddle attachment on your mixer. (You can also do this in your food processor.)
4. Mix on low adding the oat flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts, and extra oats.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for half an hour or more.
6. Then scoop into 6 generously sized cookies onto a lightly greased baking sheet
7. And bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are golden brown. 
8. Let cool completely before eating (they set nicely this way).

* The yield of this recipe is slightly more than with the other half dozen varieties because of all the add-ins. Still, this is a nice small batch for those nights when you don't want to make 5,000 cookies and eat them all. Right?

// RELATED RECIPES

Half Dozen Chocolate Chippers
Half Dozen Brownie Cookies
Half Dozen Peanut Butter Cookies
Half Dozen GF Chocolate Chippers
Chocolate + Peanut Butter Cookies Mashup
Crazy Layer Bars, Made Healthier

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Crazy Layer Bars || Made Healthier

I've been meaning to try this for a long time . . .

These Pinterest-popular bars pop up on my feed every week. I don't even know where they originated. Obviously they are tempting, but I've tried taming my cravings because they're just . . . so . . . much . . . sweetness.

I'm not going to pretend I've made them healthy. But certainly making a few swaps here + there made them healthier. Baking a smaller batch (most recipes I found were for 9 x 13 pans), it's more in moderation. Or something. Bargaining, er, enabling is going on here maybe.

Anyway. Here's my Mother's Day treat:


You'll need . . .

• Half Dozen Chocolate Chippers recipe x 2 batches
• 1 package Sans Sucre Fudge Brownie Mix (it's sweetened with Stevia)
• 16 Oreo cookies or Newman O's

Simply . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a square baking dish (I believe mine is 8 x 8). Set aside.
2. Prepare your cookie layer. I didn't have enough flour, so I tossed in some oats for good measure. Then pour it into the pan and flatten.
3. Lay a layer of Oreos or Newman O's (they have at least one vegan option, I believe, if you're looking for that -- I have also read that Oreos are vegan strangely enough) cookies atop the cookie layer.
4. Then mix together the brownie mix + pour it on top. Follow the instructions on the box, but it's just a bit of olive oil and water that's needed there. Alternatively, you can make your own brownie, maybe my Favorite Vegan Brownies. Just make sure it's a small batch and consider alternative sweeteners if you'd like to cut down on the sugar.
5. Then bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until mixture firms and corners start to look done. You want it to be a bit gooey, though, so be careful not to over-bake.
6. Then cut into 16 squares and enjoy.

Again. Not necessarily healthy in any regard. But at least a 1/3 less sugar. Less butter + eggs, too. Plus, if you're vegan, you can use the substitutions above to make this recipe. And a smaller batch size helps with the moderation part.

So, that was a fun part of my not-so-fun weekend. But I won't get into it now. Tomorrow you can look for a fitness update, including info on my half marathon training plans for the fall + the new training log I'm going to add to this site. So many of you ask about my workouts, I thought I'd bring you along for the ride this time around!

Have you ever made a crazy recipe like this one healthier? I had a lot of fun. I'm sure they're "better" the old fashioned way, but honestly -- since I don't normally eat stuff like this, it was awesome even without pulling out all the stops!

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Half Dozen Gluten-Free Chippers

After this success in gluten-free baking, I'm confident that many all of my small batch cookie recipes can all adapt. I actually had several trials before I decided to stop trying to use lots of ingredients + just keep it simple. That meant using simple pulsed oats in place of flour.

Many of you have expressed concern over the use of oats -- we use the Bob's Red Mill kind that are marked as gluten-free. So, please bake carefully if you have sensitivity.

So, add these to the list of my other half dozen recipes.

HALF DOZEN GF CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS 

What you'll need . . . 

• 1/4 cup Earth Balance
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1-1/4 cups GF oats, pulsed into flour
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• handful or two chocolate chips

Method . . . 

1. First you'll want to pulse your oats in a food processor (this is the one we have) until flour-like. Takes just a few minutes. Set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
3. Cream together the Earth Balance and sugar using the paddle attachment on your mixer. Then add in the vanilla extract, flax meal, and water. Until fluffy.
4. Mix on low adding the oat flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and let rest for just a couple minutes.
5. Then bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are golden brown. Let cool completely before eating (they set nicely this way).

I suppose I don't need to make a big fuss about these being GF -- really they're just tasty oatmeal cookies made entirely of oats. The texture is wonderful, too. Moist (I hate that word, but that's what they are), but crisp. They'll be a new regular in my rotation whether or not I continue my GF adventures.

Have you made your own flours at home?

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Weekend Things + Cookies

I'm SO excited about these cookies. Obviously inspired by many recipes on Pinterest, but really something I've been meaning to do for a long while anyway. Ever since I made the PPK's Chocolate-Peanut Butter pillows.

Commence drooling . . .

// Chocolate + Peanut Butter Cookie Mashup //

1/2 Dozen Brownie Cookies + 1/2 Dozen Peanut Butter Cookies + choc. chips.

Refrigerate doughs 30 minutes, scoop 1 TBSP/each, roll+ smash together, bake 10-13 min.
Makes about 10 good-sized cookies.

// Photography eCourse //

Are you looking to improve your food photography? Maybe get some fresh ideas?

One of our favorite sites -- MINIMALIST BAKER -- is hosting an awesome eCourse.

// Life-Changing Loaf //

This gluten-free all-seed bread is as healthy as it is gorgeous.

Seriously, you have to see it + check out beautiful site My New Roots.

// Little House in the Suburbs //

Backyard farming and home skills for self-sufficient living.

I picked up a copy this week, so far it's super fun to read/look at!

// DIY Makeup Remover //

Last week I focused on how I want to be more chemical-free.

And what better way than to start with my face? Just Aloe Vera Juice + EVOO.

// Loose, Long Skirts & Lace // 

I went a little pin-happy with fashion for myself this week.

May have indulged in a deeply discounted, last-season frock by Ace & Jig.

// Barre X-Training //

I'm a former ballet dancer. Nearest Barre class is like 3-hour drive.

So, I got Xtend Barre: Lean & Chiseled and am considering a few of these others.

// Roasted Pepper + Onion Salad w/ Blue Cheese //

Add this to the list of great pepper recipes from across the web.

And if you haven't, check out this week's Food for Runners: P-E-P-P-E-R-S.

// Wood Pallet Walls //

I know they're old news, but I want one. Any of you DIYed this project?

We've been clearing out the clutter, but I think it would jazz the place up.

// Safety Not Guaranteed //

We didn't watch much this week besides this movie. Eh. It was OK.

I'm up for suggestions.

// Eating Disorder Week //

Runner's World's piece on disordered eating + runners.

If you or someone you love struggles with an ED, there's support + help.

You can also browse our Healthy Living Stories for inspiration.

And here's what you may have missed on Writing Chapter Three.



Have a great weekend!

Psst: You can check out more Weekend Things here + here + here + here + here. 

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Half Dozen Peanut Butter Cookies

I made a delicious batch of homemade peanut butter last night. I was hurried + sloppy with my technique, pouring sugar directly from the bag into the food processor. As you can imagine, I put a bit too much sugar in the mix -- so I knew it would be best suited for baking.

Have you tried our half dozen recipes yet? Just enough of a sweet treat to enjoy without feeling like you've overindulged. I've made the Half Dozen Chocolate Chippers many times, as well as the Half Dozen Brownie Cookies.

Today:

HALF DOZEN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
vegan recipe

What you'll need . . . 

• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground flax meal
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes (optional) 
• organic cane sugar for rolling (optional)

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Put a few tablespoons of the cane sugar in a small dish, set aside with your baking sheet. (You don't have to roll these cookies in sugar, it's just how I like mine best. If you choose not to, lightly grease your cookie sheet.)
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the Earth Balance and peanut butter. 
3. Add the brown sugar and flax meal plus 1 tablespoon water. Mix until fluffy. Then mix in the vanilla.
4. Then add in the flour, salt, and coconut flakes. Mix until just combined. You may need ot add another tablespoon or so of water if your dough is dry/crumbly. It depends on the kind of peanut butter you use.
5. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough into your palm, roll, dip in the sugar, and then flatten onto the cookie sheet. If you have leftover dough, eat it or evenly distribute.
6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden on top. Let cool before devouring.

I added the coconut flakes because I have the coconut flavor coming from the oil in my homemade peanut butter. Plus, I think the two flavors in combination is dynamite. But these can be as plain and basic as you wish.

Also, you may notice in my other recipes that I use baking powder versus baking soda. I just cater to whatever ingredient I have on hand on any given day, and today we're clear out of baking powder. Here's more information about substituting the similar, yet entirely different leavening agents.

And be sure to check out the Half Dozen Chocolate Chippers and Half Dozen Brownie Cookies recipes.

What's your favorite small-batch dessert?

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Half Dozen Brownie Cookies

I've been experimenting with different varieties of the half dozen cookies recipe. Probably more than I should be if we're keeping tally of number of cookies consumed. This particular variation is super chocolatey and reminds me of brownies.

Pass the (almond) milk, please.

What I've discovered is that the basic framework for this recipe works with innumerable substitutions. I have an oatmeal raisin (err -- I added chocolate chips, but raisins would be perfect) variation I'll share next week. A peanut butter cookie for the week after that. And a sugar cookie for the week after that.

Maybe a couple gluten-free substitutions, too.

Now you can start to understand how many cookies we've been taste-testing in this house. A half dozen at a time.

6 x 1,000,000 . . .

HALF DOZEN BROWNIE COOKIES
vegan recipe

What you'll need . . . 

• 1/4 cup Earth Balance or olive oil
• 1/4 cup palm sugar or brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground flax meal
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• Handful or two chocolate chips
• Handful crushed walnuts

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spritz a baking pan with some olive oil or grease with a bit of Earth Balance.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the Earth Balance (you can use olive or coconut oil in a pinch, too!) and sugar together. Add in the vanilla, flax meal, and water. Mix well.
3. Then add in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
4. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheet and flatten with your palm. If you have leftover dough, eat it or evenly distribute.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden on top. Let cool before devouring.

Now I'm off to bake soft pretzels of all things. At 8 AM on a Tuesday. Add what's in them? VEGETABLE JUICE. Sorry to spoil the surprise. Actually, they have a fun twist (see what I did there?) that uses some of this stuff, which I'm hoping benefited from an overnight rise.

I know, I know. BREAD. I really do eat my fruits + veggies, but what I make is so basic it just isn't blog-worthy most of the time. Or maybe that means it's most definitely something I should be posting. 

Ciao, ragazzi!

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