A Little Bite of Everything Cookies

Adapted from a recipe by Heidi at 101 cookbooks
I liked the idea of a healthier cookie, because I love cookies, and I am a fan of alternative bases for batter (bananas are genius). These cookies are addictive and you can make them even healthier by using your own intuition and substitutions (I couldn't help myself with the little bit of butter and sugar), but see my note about Chris's desire to use apples and apple sauce.

Ingredient Notes:
Use Bananas that are a little past their prime, on the soft side and thoroughly brown on the outside. If you have bananas that fit this description but you don't have the time or patience to bake with them this very second don't hesitate to throw them in the freezer. However, when you pull them out of the freezer and they thaw be prepared; they will be super mushy, perfect for baking but a little weird and slimy in general just to give you a little heads up (Chris found the banana mush a little unappetizing at this point but happily ate the cookie dough raw and cooked by the mouthful). Because you let the bananas hit the very ripe stage they have begun to break down into a simple sugar, this gives the cookies a lot of sweet without the addition of a refined sugar source, if your bananas are less ripe they won't be as sweet. I mentioned above additional sweetener is optional. It just depends on your preference and your bananas, I wanted a little maple flavor so in went the syrup; you could even use a tiny drizzle of molasses.

Ingredients:
4 large very ripe bananas
1 ½ c. rolled oats
1 c. plain raw almond
1 c. plain raw walnuts * you could mix any kind of nuts this just struck my fancy at the moment
¾ c. shredded unsweetened coconut
¼ c. flax seeds
3 tbl butter softened *you could use coconut oil softened
2 tbl maple syrup * Optional see note above
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
8-10 oz dark chocolate chips or a bar chopped into small bits

Instructions:
1. Process the nut mix in a food processor until finely ground. If you are using walnuts you will not get "flour" or almond meal texture because the walnuts have so much oil it is more like a soft fluffy grainy texture. I confess I love it and scoop it out by hand and eat it just plain, it is the most heavenly texture.
2. Mix your dry ingredients (nuts, oats, coconut, flax, salt and baking powder) together in your favorite mixing bowl just to evenly distribute everything.
3. Mix in the bananas, vanilla, butter, cinnamon, and maple syrup.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Taste it! The beauty of this recipe like so many of my recent posts is there are no raw eggs! This means you can taste and lick until your heart is content with no worries. Adjust the seasoning to fit your flavor craving.
6. Place small spoonfuls on baking paper lined cookie sheets and bake at 350° for about 10-15 min or until golden brown and toasted.

Baking Notes:
Makes about 3 dozen normal sized cookies and heaps of itsy bitsy bite sized ones.
I know at the taste it stage both Chris and I were blown away but he did have a great suggestion; he wanted to try a version without the coconut and instead us some apples. *This could be easily done just substitute shredded apples for the coconut and use applesauce instead of butter (or a little butter and a little apple sauce). Like the name says they are a little bite of everything so whatever you feel like or have on had is totally encouraged. I liked these best when I made very small cookies and I smushed them a little with my hand, they turned a toasted golden brown with a little crunch (I put them on the top rack of my oven) but were still a little chewy in the center. You can also make them like little haystacks because they have very little fat and no flour they do not spread out when they cook so the haystacks will keep their puffy shape but the centers will be soft (not an issue because there are no eggs). You can also make them just like a traditional cookie just be sure to flatten them out a little so they dry out and toast a little better.

Weekend Update and Ice Cream

This Sunday Chris returned from the Photoshop World conference in Boston. He brought back some amazing photos and lots of new tricks for photographing food! I am super excited to learn all there is about the photography in order to better share my food with all of you. As the old saying goes you eat with your eyes first! Plus with Chris back at home I have someone to taste all of my creations and get some real feedback. That being said he was very happy to be home. We were sitting over dinner last night (Jamaican Jerk Chicken with, refried black beans and sautéed kale, more on this later) and he was lamenting the state of food and eating out in general. Now to give you a little background Chris did not grow up in a culinary household or a particularly health conscious kitchen. Think baloney, cheese, and ketchup sandwiches. When we started dating Chris was looking to get into better shape and lower his cholesterol (his family has a genetic disposition to be on the high side) through diet and lifestyle.

I can be a challenging person to date. I come from a very unusual background with very divergent experiences than most Americans. This can make me seem a little crazy at times and it is only compounded by my aversion to what is becoming the average American lifestyle. Then you put me in a kitchen and well healthy, strange, beautiful things happen. Chris is an amazing sport and though he tries everything I make I know there are times he misses Oreos and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. He will often say what I make is different or outside the box, and that it may take some getting used too. That being said since we started dating he has totally transformed his diet and lifestyle. He is much more active and he is eating 100% better than before. He has also recently noticed his pallet has really changed. Soggy, overcooked veggies drowning in butter or sauce are no longer acceptable. He appreciates the time and importance of being connected with your food, where it comes from, how it is sourced, how it is prepared and honoring the quality of the raw ingredients. He is a new foodie and doesn’t even know it.

This weekend I busted out my new toy, an ice cream machine. I made two very different batches of frozen goodness this weekend. One was inspired yet again by 101 cookbooks author Heidi and the other came straight out of the booklet from my little ice cream machine. Both turned out amazing but as I said very different.

The first batch was a health conscious frozen yogurt recipe.
Cinnamon Maple Flax Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients:
3 c. Vanilla yogurt * I used low fat organic
¼ c. Pure maple syrup or to taste * I like B grade
¼ c. Flax seeds
2 tbl Cinnamon
1 tbl Pure vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:
Use well chilled yogurt, drain off any excess liquid (you could strain through cheesecloth in the refrigerator for a few hours if you wanted a thicker texture) then combine all ingredients in a bowl stir well and follow the instructions for your ice-cream machine.

I just dump mine in for 30 min and then at the end I had a very light tangy golden frozen yogurt with flax seed specs. Chris and I love it with fresh sliced strawberries.

Notes:
Makes about 1.2 liters
The big thing with this recipe is to taste it (no raw eggs so go ahead and taste it till you're happy) and adjust the sweetness/cinnamon to your ideal. I really liked the tang of the yogurt so I only used a little bit of maple syrup. I like the little flecks of the Flax in this and you could also add some chopped nuts (walnuts or almonds would be especially good) or a little almond extract instead of the vanilla.

The second batch was a more traditional chocolate ice cream recipe.
Almond Rocky Road Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. Almond Milk *I used low fat vanilla
10 oz Dark chocolate finely chopped
¾ c. fine sugar or agave syrup
½ c. mini marshmallows
½ c. chopped nuts *I used toasted almonds
2 tbl fine coca powder
1 tbl vanilla extract (1 vanilla bean if available)

Directions:
1. If using raw nuts toast over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan until fragrant, let cool and coarsely chop.
2. Bring almond milk to a bubble just around the edges and split vanilla pod and scrape in seeds, you can also simmer the pod in the milk for a few min just remove before combining with the chocolate.
3. Melt the chopped dark chocolate and sugar together in a double boiler (or bowl set over boiling water the bowl should not touch the water, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is thick and smooth.
4. Remove milk from heat and stir in coca powder, whisk to combine be sure there are no chocolate lumps. Mix together chocolate milk and melted chocolate. Refrigerate until completely cooled.
5. Wisk together cold cream and well chilled chocolate mixture. Follow directions for your ice cream machine.
6. You can add the chopped nuts and marshmallows in the last few min, of freezing in the ice cream machine or mix them in by hand before you put it in the freezer.

Notes:
Makes 1.5 liters
This turned out creamy without being over the top. It is also fairly simple since we omit eggs and making a custard which can sometimes be tricky. Again you can taste test this before it goes in the machine at any point and fine tune it to your own ideal. I like my Rocky Road on the dark side, the more cocoa the better!
The marshmallows do freeze so they area little chewy, I liked it just fine but if you wanted you could use a little marshmallow crème instead for a softer ribbon effect. Chocolate covered nuts instead of toasted ones could save you a little time and add more chocolate, never a bad idea. You could also substitute whole milk for the almond milk.

Nutty Breakfast Scones

Chris is off in Boston attending Photoshop World this week, which means I am left to my own devices for seven whole days. Usually this would mean some wild experimentation in the kitchen with no witnesses. However, without an extra set of hands, and his trusted photographic genius I feel less than compelled to cook. Sad, I know. But before he left this Saturday I did whip up some pretty little breakfast scones. I was able to use some of the miscellaneous stuff in my fridge from recipes earlier in the week and they were delicious, if I do say so myself. I used a basic Maple Scone recipe from Heidi at 101 cookbooks and just went nuts, literally. I will try and pull myself together and post some great content this week despite the absence of my better half. Give me a break, sometimes we all need a little down time.

Chris and I decided that these were best with some local blackberry jam and a glass of soymilk, but we also liked a drizzle of honey and fresh strawberries. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 ¼ c. whole wheat flour
¾ c. mixed nuts * I used almonds, pecans, and walnuts
½ c. rolled oats
¼ flax seeds
½ c. Real maple syrup *I like the darker grade B
6 tbl Buttermilk *You could use regular milk, soy, or even almond/oat milk
6 tbl butter chilled
5 tbl unsweetened apple sauce * You could use low-fat plain, or vanilla yogurt
1 ½ tbl baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg slightly beaten
Pinch of salt
* For toasting nut mixture, 1 tbl butter, , 1 tbl brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

1. Toast your nuts in a large non stick pan with a little bit of butter and a dash of cinnamon and brown sugar until they are fragrant. (I used a nut mixture left over from an earlier recipe). In food processor chop your nut mix until there is a good mix of large and small pieces including some very fine flour, about 5-8 quick pulses. Set aside in another bowl.
2. In food processor combine flour, baking powder, salt, and flax seeds with butter pulse until it forms small pearls
3. Wisk together maple syrup, buttermilk, applesauce, and vanilla extract slowly add wet ingredients to the flour and butter pearls. Mix by hand until a dough forms, do not over mix! Knead it one or twice, you want the batter to hold shape without crumbling or sticking add a little flour/buttermilk until dough holds together and handles easily.
4. You can either hand shape the individual scones or manipulate dough into a slab of consistent thickness and cut a desired size and shape for the scones.
5. Arrange scones on the lined baking sheet and brush with 1 egg lightly beaten to give them that beautiful golden brown hue. You can sprinkle a little bit of oats, nuts, or large grain sugar on top for a nice presentation.
6. Bake for 20 min. or until golden brown on top and around the edges.

Notes:
Makes 12 petite scones
Serve with honey and fresh berries, jam with butter, or a little nut butter!
This recipe is really basic with a lot of things you can add in or substitute; which is exactly why I chose it! I had leftover nuts, a little buttermilk and a limited supply of butter and eggs.