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.

Yummy Pancakes

I am a big fan of pancakes but rarely make them.  I've had this recipe from Tori Ritchie for some time and John finally made them a couple weeks ago when his parents were in town.  I think they are a tad on the healthy side because of the greek yogurt, plus he used whole wheat flour.  Also, we didn't have any buttermilk so he used 2% milk.  But, next time I will get buttermilk because I think every pancake should have buttermillk!

2 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 stick (4 TBSP) butter, melted, plus additional for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
salt         
warm maple syrup
sliced bananas or other fruit, optional
prep & cook time: 30 min.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk and yogurt until well blended. Add the butter and stir just until mixed. Add the flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer or rotary beater, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff but still moist. Gently fold the whites into the batter.

Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat and grease it with a little butter. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto the pan. Cook until little bubbles appear on top, then turn over and cook briefly on the other side. Serve immediately, topped with syrup and fruit to taste.

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