Category: Food

with a twist.

What twist, you say? These lovely creatures certainly look like the real thing–do they not?

Heh, heh…well, my friends, it just so happens that the ooey, gooey, chocolaty goodness that you see here is made with…

whole wheat flour.

Now you may not think that”s any big deal, but to the tons of people who firmly believe that switching out white flour for 100% whole wheat would give them no earthly reason to live–I say–TAKE HEART!! Pretty sure this cookie would fool the old girl herself. In fact, we fed them to the whole family today and nobody even knew there was any change in the recipe…AT all. I mean, honestly–it probably has something to do with alllll that chocolate–for Pete’s sake.

Tastes kinda like a Symphony bar…with cookie wrapped around it.

As. It. Should.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 100% whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup cold salted butter, cut into cubes
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300° F.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer blend the sugars at medium speed.
Add the cold butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix at low speed just until blended. Do not over mix.
Add the flour mix and chocolate chips and blend at a low speed just until mixed. Do not over mix. Refrigerate dough for about 1/2 hour.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, two inches apart.
Bake 20-22 minutes until golden. Transfer cookies–still on parchment–immediately to a cool surface, so they won’t continue cooking.
Makes 30-36 cookies, depending on the size of your scoops.

Note: The cold butter, the chilled dough, the low oven temperature and the parchment lined cookie sheet are absolutely key in this recipe. If you want it to be right and glorious, don’t change what already works. :}

5.0 from 1 reviews

:: Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies ::

 

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Ingredients

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour (I used 100% whole wheat)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 cup cold salted butter, cut into cubes
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk.
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer blend the sugars at medium speed.
4. Add the cold butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix at low speed just until blended. Do not over mix.
6. Add the flour mix and chocolate chips and blend at a low speed just until mixed.
7. Refrigerate dough for about ½ hour.
8. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, two inches apart.
9. Bake 20-22 minutes until golden.
10. Transfer cookies--still on parchment--immediately to a cool surface, so they won't continue cooking.
11. Makes 30-36 cookies, depending on the size of your scoops.

Notes

The cold butter, the chilled dough, the low oven temperature and the parchment lined cookie sheet are absolutely key in this recipe. If you want it to be right and glorious, don't change what already works. :}

2.2.8

With a freezer full of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries from…ahem…last year, I have sincerely been on the look-out for any truly yummy way to use them before they become… extinct so-to-speak.

I found this lovely thing in the Gold Medal Whole Wheat Baking book that you can print out for free if you click the link. I tweaked it just a tad and it turned out simply scrumptious. In fact, with my high blueberry to other berry ratio–I love them–it ended up reminding me of a Blueberry Poptart…with whole wheat and oatmeal…sort of.  :}

Ingredients:

7 cups misc. berries–we used a combination of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

3 Tbsps cornstarch

2 Tbsps sugar

In a 2 quart saucepan, mash 2 cups of berries; stir in cornstarch and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in remaining berries. Pour in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

Topping Ingredients:

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients with pastry blender or fork until crumbly.

Sprinkle over berry mixture.

Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Serve with ice cream…a whole ton of ice cream. More ice cream, in fact, than we dared show here for fear that you, my friends, would run off screaming.

Yep. One, big, ice creamy…

poptart.

Yum.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Very Berry Crumble

 

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Ingredients

• 7 cups misc. berries
• 3 Tbsps cornstarch
• 2 Tbsps sugar

Instructions

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, mash 2 cups of berries; stir in cornstarch and sugar.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils.
3. Boil and stir 1 minute.
4. Stir in remaining berries.
5. Pour in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

Notes

Topping Ingredients: ⅔ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup whole wheat flour ½ cup oatmeal ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. salt ⅓ cup butter Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients with pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over berry mixture. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve with ice cream.

2.2.8

“Grammy, we should make something really good.”

“Yeah, like yummy cookies or something that we can eat all the day.”

“Anything for you my darlings.”

:}

Ingredients:

1 cup butter- softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
1-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F.  Beat butter, and sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy; blend in eggs and vanilla. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well. Stir in oats. Spread into a lightly greased jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Do not over bake. Cool. Cut into bars and serve alone or with ice cream.

5.0 from 1 reviews

:: Yummy Oatmeal Bars ::

 

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Ingredients

• 1 cup butter- softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 1-3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Beat butter, and sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy; blend in eggs and vanilla.
3. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well.
4. Stir in oats.
5. Spread into a lightly greased jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
6. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set.
7. Do not over bake.
8. Cool.
9. Cut into bars and serve alone or with ice cream.

2.2.8

Seriously now, have you ever seen anything so adorable in all your life? Popcicle cupcakes toppers–just in time for your summer barbeque dessert.

And best part of all–they don’t melt, but they sure do look like they could help you beat the summer heat, even if they are just pretend frozen pops.

Here’s how you do it~

Find flat toothpicks and snap 24 of them in half–you are only using the bigger of the two halves. Throw the other ends away.

Choose whatever color Mike & Ikes that suite you. I got Tropical Typhoon because I simply HAD to have the color blue in my Popcicle pile.

Now take the stick and very carefully…

push it into the flat end of each candy piece.

And there you have the sweetest little Barbie-sized, no drip “popcicles.”

In fact, if you’re like me, you’ll have a hard time stopping yourself once you get started.

I actually couldn’t keep myself from playing with all those pretty, bright colors!

These would make a perfect Summer Birthday party treat. But be sure to help younger children take the sticks out before they eat their cupcake.

So simple and fun and summer-y and most of all–

totally cool.

Heh.

PS– Gracious Rain is in 2nd place in the KSL Best Local Blogger Contest!! If you’d like to vote go right here and register…then vote. Thanks- thanks!!

We’ve been trying to eat more fruits and veggies around here instead of all the sugar that’s been kicking around these days–and it’s actually been fun. Don’t get me wrong, I can eat a Symphony bar with my lips glued shut, but right now, I’m trying not to.

So when this little recipe popped up on Pinterest, it would have taken a Mack truck to keep me from making it. Simple. Chocolaty. Frozen.

Save me.

No don’t.

Here’s how it goes…

Freeze 2 or 3 peeled bananas in a ziploc bag. Once they are frozen, cut them into pieces and whirl in the blender with 2 Tablespoons of cocoa. Work quickly and pour the mixture into a chilled bowl. This is a fabulous–no sugar added–fruity, frosty treat that is best eaten very cold.

In the time it took me to run for the camera, it was more thawed out than I wanted it to be. So I took one last taste and popped it back in the freezer, where it will stay until…

tomorrow…

for

breakfast.

Go fruit!

Heh.