Sweet and Salty Cookies

I found this cookie recipe on Pinterest, my go to place for new recipes these days.  I've made these cookies a few times and they are always a hit!

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour or oat flour)
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chip
1/2 cup peanut butter chips (I didn't have these on hand so I just left them out)
1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces
Preztel Salt or Sea Salt

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

Lowfat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I've discovered Pinterest and am COMPLETELY obsessed.  I have found countless recipes, decorating ideas, and food blogs.  One blog I've started following is www.skinnytaste.com.   I saw this muffin recipe and it sounded appealing.  I made them this morning and they are DELICIOUS!  So moist, I've already had 2!  The hubs loved them as well (he ate 1 because he has more self control than me).

3 ripe medium bananas
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (I used oat flour)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 large egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 tbsp REAL peanut butter (I used Kirkland's organic real peanut butter from Costco)
preheat oven to 325
mash bananas in bowl, set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce, vanilla, and 8 tablespoons peanut butter, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl
Add flour mixture, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.
Pour batter into muffin tin halfway and bake on the center rack for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Banana Bread

This recipe is from my friend Barbara.  She is amazing in the kitchen and I LOVE all of her recipes.

3 bananas mashed (real ripe)
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 cups whole wheat (or oat) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
in a large bowl:  mash bananas then beat in 2 eggs with sugar.  add remaining wet ingredients.  in a separate bowl combine dry ingredients.  slowly add dry ingredients to banana mixture.  pour into greased and floured loaf pan and bake for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.  you may need to cover with foil if getting too brown.  i usually check the bread after 40 minutes and then cover with foil.

This isn't the healthiest snack but it's so good.  I did make a few adjustments by using whole wheat flour, reducing the amount of sugar (the original recipe calls for one cup of sugar), and I used lowfat buttermilk.  I leave out the nuts, too.  I always make a double portion and stick one loaf in the freezer.  This bread is so moist-- love it!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart.  The key to making healthy cookies is using whole wheat flour (or oat flour) and dark brown sugar (or turbinado sugar).  These ingredients are not stripped of their nutrients like white flour and granulated white sugar. 

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 cup dried currants or raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and baking powder; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add flour mixture, and stir to combine; mix in oats and currants.

Using two tablespoons of dough per cookie, roll into balls; place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prep time:  10 minutes

Blueberry Cornmeal Cake

I made this for a Memorial Day party we went to last weekend.  I brought it as a dessert, but it's not super sweet so it would be great for breakfast or a brunch.   I used oat flour instead of white flour, and turbinado sugar instead of white granulated sugar.  The recipe calls for blackberries but we love blueberries in our house so I substituted.  Another great recipe from Martha Stewart!  Not the healthiest, but yummy.

1 1/4 cups oat flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Cornbread Mix available at Sprouts & Whole Foods)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 cup for sprinkling

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon for skillet

2 containers fresh blueberries (5.6 ounces each)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter; pour over flour mixture, whisking to combine.

In a 10-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron), heat remaining tablespoon butter in the oven until melted and skillet is hot, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Pour batter into skillet; scatter blueberries on top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar.

Bake, with a baking sheet on rack below (to catch any drips), until top is evenly browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen; cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep time: 15 min.

Strawberry Cake

We are going to a couple parties this weekend so I've been baking all day.  This first recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart.  I slightly modified the recipe by using oat flour and turbinado sugar.  I also cut the amount of sugar to be sprinkled on top of cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate

1 1/2 cups oat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 ounces raspberries

6 ounces blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. 

Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 teaspoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

Prep time: 15 minutes

I came across this recipe right after I had already gone grocery shopping and bought raspberries and blackberries hence the fruit substitution.

I also have a batch of Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in the oven right now.  These have become a big favorite because they are healthy and SO good.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are courtesy of Bethenny Frankel.  I made these when we had friends over for dinner and they were a big hit.  All the kids (and adults) loved them!  They are healthy, filling and so delicious.  I made these today in anticipation of  Bethenny's visit to Dallas this week.  haha.  She'll be here Friday for a Skinnygirl Margarita signing and I'm going with some friends.   Her book The Skinnygirl Dish really helped me change what kinds of foods I eat.

1 1/2 cups oat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/3 cup soy milk
1/2 cup banana puree (1 medium-size banana)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, until well combined.
use a medium-size ice cream scoop or a large spoon to scoop batter onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.
bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking, or bake until the edges of the cookies are light brown.

Notes:  I didn't have soy milk so I used 2% milk.  I also found a bag of Sunspire grain sweetened chocolate chips at Sprouts that are all natural and taste great.  Sunspire does not use any refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, trans-fats or preservatives!  Lastly, these cookies don't flatten out in the oven so I pressed them down a bit with a fork before baking.

TIP:  When finding a recipe online, read some of the reviews.  You can find great tips and tricks for making the recipe as well as different ways to modify it.

Jack Henry enjoying his cookie. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies have a story.  I first made them for my husband, John, 7 years ago when we were dating.  Everyone knows the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and I was pretty determined to win him over.  One day during work, John went to Subway and picked up a sandwich and a peanut butter cookie for lunch. He went home for his lunch break to eat and take his dogs outside.  John never got to eat his cookie because his dog Chloe got to it first.  So, I made him these cookies and let's just say the rest is history.  John loved the cookies and even his friends were requesting I make them.  Today I modified the recipe to make them more nutritious:

1 cup oat flour
1 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 stick of butter
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla
1 cup REAL peanut butter
preheat oven to 375
mix together oat flour, baking soda & salt.  set aside.  in large bowl mix soft butter with sugar, then add peanut butter.  I am generous with the peanut butter.  beat until smooth then add egg and vanilla.  at low speed slowly add in flour mixture.  bake 10-12 minutes.
prep time: 15 min.

A few notes:  white flour has no nutritional value.   Instead, think of using oat flour or wheat flour.  They are both high in fiber and protein.  Turbinado sugar is a more pure sugar and has fewer calories than white granulated sugar.  I bought the oat flour and turbinado sugar in the bulk section at Whole Foods.  Real peanut butter is SO much better for you than Jiff or Peter Pan.  Real peanut butter only contains peanuts and salt.  We eat a lot of peanut butter in our house so I buy the 2-pack Kirkland brand at Costco.  Jiff, Skippy, Peter Pan, etc. are high in sugar and contain both partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and fully hydrogenated vegetable oil.  These oils  are trans fats, which are the worst kinds of fats.  They raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol.  These trans fats are also very hard for your body to digest.

TIP: when baking cookies, don't be afraid to use less sugar then the recipe calls for.  They'll still taste great, they just won't be uber sweet.