Maple Butter Balls

I think I just heard a pin drop, or maybe that was the tiny cry of an enraged sugar ant protesting my absence from the kitchen. He's on strike because the countertops have been free of cookie, cake, pie, and pastry crumbs for much too long.

That's changing, though. These toasty summer days here in Texas aren't keeping me away any longer. We've said goodbye to our old place in Boston, and now we're settled in our new home here in the Lone Star State--this oven's still too shiny, not enough charred pie filling stuck to the bottom just yet, but we'll change that soon enough.

I've actually started baking already (still, that was a month ago, too long!). Made a pecan pie a few times. Baked a batch of maple multigrain rolls, even. But, of course, I didn't photograph the evidence!

I better have a good excuse for this nonsense!

Though it's been quiet around here, life has been anything but boring. We've had a few adventures, including moving across the country after graduating from law school (my hubby, not me :), learning how to function while waking about 5 times a night (we've got us a night owl ;), also learning how to squeeze in a bazillion chores while also working from home during naptime. Life is full! I feel very blessed. I've missed you all dearly, though!

Can you believe I baked these cookies on March 29th! Talk about a stale recipe! I made them right after we went maple sugaring. Though I will miss Northeastern foodie adventures like that one, I will definitely miss them a little less when I'm not having to shovel snow December-March :D!

If I had to choose a favorite flavor, maple would be it! I've always found that baking with maple gives desserts a buttery kind of sweetness that reminds me of fall.

Maple Butter Balls

1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour (I think Bob's has the best texture)

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup white rice flour

3 1/2 tablespoons cold butter

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons grade b maple syrup

3 tablespoons maple sugar, for rolling and more for sprinkling after

Makes about 24 balls

I like to mix up all the flours in a large bowl with the salt. Then in another smaller bowl, I add the wet ingredients, including the maple syrup and the sugar. The Maple sugar is for sprinkling on top of the cookies.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet (you don't have to space them apart too much) in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 13 minutes, sugar will be a bit browned on top when they're done.

They'll be a little soft right when you take them out, so let them cool on the baking sheet for about 7 minutes.

I'm lazy, that's why I've been gone.

Gone are the days, at least for now, when I can spend hours in the kitchen baking/cooking and washing dishes/cleaning up... and still have energy left over afterward to do something else. But I've never been happier. Exhaustion has set in; I'm a bum these days, a professional couch potato of sorts. I've even gotten way behind on my blog reading! Tsk tsk. Sure, I still get dressed and cook the occasional meal, which is usually something boring and easy, but things have been pretty mellow 'round here.

Speaking of round, as each day passes, I become a little more round than the day before... and it's not just because I've been eating Snickers and lots of salty refried bean burritos (two big recent cravings). I guess I shouldn't say I haven't been baking, because I'm a 24/7 baker these days.

Truth is, I'm baking the tastiest gluten-free bun! My scrumptious little bundle will not be ready until mid May, though... talk about needing a long time to proof! I'm 9 weeks today. He/she doesn't look like much yet, but he/she does have a heartbeat, eyes and limps now! Woohoo! And he/she can move, even though I can't feel him/her. I really don't care what flavor I get; boy or girl, they'd both be a delicious treat. Don't worry, I don't plan on eating 'em... but baby fat does remind me of bread dough, hence the analogy.

You want to know another reason why I haven't been posting? Because I EAT everything I bake before I actually get to photograph it :P! Terrible, I know I'm bad. I've made some pretty tasty gluten-free blueberry muffins, some delicious angel food cake cupcakes, and gluten-free flour tortillas. So you'll have to bear with me... here's a recipe from this summer. I made them for my dad-in-law's birthday (or Father's Day? Memory fails) & he liked 'em :)... so enjoy!

Gluten Free Coconut Cream Almond Cookies (with Blueberry "Caramel" Sauce?)

There's a reason why I put a question mark at the end of the title. After experimenting with the blueberries we picked this weekend...

...I ended up with something that's a cross between a caramel sauce and syrup/glaze. I really wanted to make this really pretty berry tart that La Bella Cook blogged about, but I don't have a tart or pie pan, so I decided to make cookies since I haven't made them in awhile... but I don't have cookie cutters either! Why am I missing so many baking supplies? Because I'm out of town for the summer (with my husband, for his internship). I'm far from my stocked up kitchen. I didn't let that stop me, I used my sister in law's shot glass to make these semi-mini cookies :). I could only find a mini neon green rolling pin, so I used that to roll out the dough. Here's the evidence:

Thick blueberry 'glaze/caramel' sauce:
1/2 cup blueberries
3 TBSP heavy cream
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
cook on a low/medium boil until thick (stir constantly)
refrigerate for 30 min then
melt for 30 seconds; add
1 1/2 tbsp of melted butter & microwave for 45 more secs.

Thankfully, I still have plenty more blueberries left to make the tart :). Any creative ideas on what I can use in place of a tart pan? One thing I'd like to note: as you can see, the blueberry caramel sauce/syrup ended up a bit thick. I had to remelt it so that I could drizzle/splatter it over the cookies (I did this after I lined them up on a piece of parchment paper, it was a messy job!). It was fun getting Jackson Pollock-y in the kitchen, though :). I really wanted to make a blueberry frosting, maybe next time... This recipe makes a little over 2 dozen small cookies.

A Valentine's Day Picnic: BLTs, rice salad, truffles, and cookies!

Going out to eat just isn't as fun as going on a picnic! Here are a few treats that are easy to pack and eat :). First, the chocolate truffles! It isn't Valentine's Day without 'em. I got the recipe from here, it's from Alton Brown. I also made chocolate covered pecan caramels, inspired by Ina Garten's recipe.


Second, tasty, soft and fluffy gluten free orange sugar cookies. Canola oil makes these cookies soft, but they still have an addicting buttery taste and classic sugar cookie flavor; I ate 5 in one day! Eat these for dessert on your picnic or eat them before the main course! The simple recipe includes the following ingredients:

Bake at for about 10-12 minutes at 375, or until edges brown slightly; it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight.

3.5 tbsp potato starch
3/4c white rice flour (more or less, depending on if you want them firmer/softer)
1/3c almond meal
1/3c tapioca flour
2/3c sugar
2tbsp milk
2tbsp canola oil
1.5 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp orange peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
sprinkle with vanilla sugar

Now, the main course. A tasty BLT made with this AMAZING gluten-free bread, nitrate free applewood smoked bacon, crispy ham (I fried it :P), colby jack cheese, and the secret sauce: Jalapeno Maple Dressing (it sounds strange, but believe me, it complements the saltiness of the bacon quite nicely; it's a mayo-based sandwich dressing with a kick!). That sandwich is served with a side of ham and rice salad...jeez, so much ham! But it tastes delicious when combined with unique ingredients and veggies, see the recipe below!

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Men (and women!)

I made these gluten-free gingerbread cookies extra cinnamony, I usually prefer cinnamon to ginger. :)

Not sure if you can tell from the picture, but they're actually minis. I only had tiny gingerbread cookie cutters, so I ended up with a little over 2 dozen men and women...and bears :). I left the bears naked, though. They aren't pictured because I didn't want to expose them on the internet :P. They didn't get the pink marzipan outfits. I decided to leave them in the nude, especially after discovering that the marzipan I used contains gluten...anyone have a gluten-free marzipan recipe?

Everything's covered in snow outside! Looks like I'm gonna have my first white Christmas this year! This winter storm hasn't passed over us completely, so it'll be nice to wake up to a winter wonderland in the morning.


I just took this picture...it's not very clear, but you can easily see the piles of snow!

Merry Christmas :)!

Gluten-Free Cinnamon and Cranberry Bars and other good stuff

With all of those cranberries left over from Thanksgiving, I had to make something. Inspired by a previous recipe (whose creator remains unknown, so give me a shout-out if it's you :), I decided to make these surprisingly lowfat bars.

Gluten-free breakfast bars are RIDICULOUSLY overpriced. They're like $6/box! You'd think they put flecks of gold in there, maybe even a lucky charm, but nope. I am always tempted to buy a box, just to have something to snack on when I'm too absorbed in something else (like this book which has even caused me to fall behind on my blog-reading) to bake, but I can't bring myself to purchase 5 dinky overpriced gluten-free cereal bars, knowing full well they aren't worth the money. It really doesn't cost that much to make them from scratch! So why not give it a go? I finally put the book down and did just that...

It's true. I decided it was time to see what all the fuss was about, I'm actually reading Twilight. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this book. I figured it was going to be kinda boring, something like an overplayed pop song that really doesn't deserve the air time it gets. I WAS WRONG. This book is NOT boring, it actually has some substance. I'm impressed! There's more to it than just attractive vampires that smell better than your favorite batch of cookies. (Bella, I still don't know why they smell so good. In the book, I mean, not that I've ever met one :P!)

This is as good as LOTR when it comes to biblical analogies. I'm sure I'm probably getting some heads shaking back and forth, in disagreement, right about now. I don't want to get too English-majory in my analysis, so I'll just say these few things:

1. The book starts off with a Bible verse. Instant give-away.

2. Edward can only be around Bella SWAN when he's putting his evil vampire-ways aside. (<--- We have to overcome our carnal, selfish desires before we can love purely. Also, God can't be where sin is. Not that Bella is God, but you know what I mean. Swan=white=dove=Holy Spirit.) 3. Um...let's not forget about that part where Edward compares himself to a lion and Bella refers to herself as a lamb! C'mon, lion and lamb!

There are so many more, but I'll leave it at that. Like I said, I'm impressed...and I think I've just somewhat justified my reasons for losing sleep over this book and, I confess, actually getting sad that I'm almost finished reading it. I should get book 2 by this Saturday, thank God for Amazon Prime :) (free 2 day shipping!)!

Gluten-Free Lemon Bites

Oh the weather outside is frightful, the pumpkin pie smells so delightful, and since we no place to go...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...lemon bites! I know the syllables threw the rhythm off, and I'm also one holiday ahead, but I'm finding it difficult to think straight with the sweet aroma of a freshly baked gluten-free pumpkin pie lingering in the air. I'm tempted to poke my finger into the spicy pumpkin filling! I bet you're all busy baking and cooking up your own holiday treats!

Here's another little drawing. There's a friendly squirrel who always comes by my porch because I leave him apples and carrots; he always leaves the celery behind though ;). I've noticed that he, along with his other squirrely friends in the neighborhood, put on a couple of extra ounces in preparation for the many cold days ahead! I have a feeling he'd be a big fan of carrot cake, considering he loves that crunchy orange vegetable so much.

Happy Thanksgiving :)!

Gluten-Free Mexican Chocolate Biscotti

I hope you all are having fun getting ready for Thanksgiving! I sure am :). We just got back from the grocery store a little while ago after a two hour trip! It was an eventful one, I nearly knocked down and got attacked by the entire squash and pumpkin display in an effort to rescue the best looking (and tiniest) spaghetti squash buried beneath a pile of the more monstrous looking ones! :P

I'm really excited about this year because I'll actually be using recipes for the dinner. Last year, I winged it and somehow managed to serve a decent turkey without giving anyone in the family salmonella. But I've been hypnotized by the Food Network, I now have all these cravings for things I've never even tried before! (How do they do it?!) All those amazing seasonal and holiday dishes that their cooks and chefs have been preparing has me convinced that I need to use their recipes! So even though it's just going to be the hubby and me for Thanksgiving this year (because they haven't invented teleporters yet and it's too expensive to visit family across the country both now and at Christmas time) I still plan on preparing a feast and making the most of it!


What's the holiday season without cookies? Better yet, chocolatey ones that you can dunk in your favorite holiday tea like Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride or Nutcracker Sweet? (<---Gluten-free folks, please don't drink the Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea, it contains gluten...I found this out after drinking a cup without reading the box, then getting sick :P! ) Oh, but what about hot chocolate?! Sure, you can dunk these biscotti into a cuppa hot chocolate but just realize that they already contain the hottest of chocolate! I used a whole bar of this awesome mexican chocolate to give the biscotti a really deep chocolate and cinnamony flavor. I also added Piloncillo! Try it! It's goood! Leave these for Santa this year and you might just get that totally affordable camera you've been wanting! Btw, my New Year's resolution is to stop projecting my desires onto my poor readers, but I still have a month and a half to get away with it ;o)!

Gluten-Free Mexican Chocolae Biscotti

3/4 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup millet flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 TBSP potato flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 bar of mexican chocolate
1/2 of a piloncillo cone
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
4 TBSP room temp. softened butter
1 tsp xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 375

Combine all flours and sugars in one large bowl (and almond meal), along with the xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder.

Break bar of chocolate in half and melt in a large cup filled with 1/3 cup milk . Melt in micro for 45 seconds then mix with a spoon, then melt for another 45 seconds to one minute.

Shave the piloncillo into small pieces using a knife

In a small bowl, add the cinnamon, melted chocolate and milk, and egg. Then mix in the melted butter. Combine with the bowl of flour.

Mold the biscotti into a long loaf, or you can use a rolling pin to roll it out into the shape of a rectangle about 1/2-3/4 inch thick. You can sprinkle vanilla sugar and almonds on top.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375, then lower the oven temp to 350 and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove biscotti and turn off the oven and cut with a sharp knife into 1/2-3/4 inch wide pieces.

Put biscotti back in the oven for 15 minutes THEN turn the oven back on to 350 and BAKE for another 15 minutes. (Total time in the oven should be 50 minutes -- that includes the off time)

Let cool before eating. If you want the biscotti extra crunchy: After the final 15 minutes, turn off the oven and let the biscotti rest in the oven for up to 30 minutes).

Random Sidenote:
After coming to terms with my obsession with cute things and yummy food, I realized...hmm...I like to draw, I like cute things, why not draw cute things that are somewhat foodie related! So this is what I'm doing these days when I'm not cooking/baking or writing really long blog entries; haven't picked up the pencil in awhile, so I'm a little rusty, but it's a lot of fun so far :).

Thingies Thursday and Cranberry and Brown Sugar Pinwheels

Is it just me, or is this year flying by? I nearly forgot about September's Daring Bakers challenge, and when I remembered, it was too late to bake the crackers. (I'm posting this a bit early because I know I won't have time to work on this entry tomorrow!) I will attempt last month's challenge some time soon, though, especially since we had the option of doing a gluten-free version of the recipe :).

Gluten-free crackers can be expensive. Up to $5 for a small box! I've never appreciated the ability to make my own food more than I do now. Despite the fact that I wasn't able to make the crackers before the DB posting date, I'm grateful to the Daring Bakers for selecting a cracker recipe that could easily be made gluten-free or vegan. Not only was it a nice surprise, but it was a fun way to introduce foodies to unique diets that can literally be life-changing for some.

Speaking of changing, we're slowly starting to see some colorful Fall foliage here in Boston. The mornings are more refreshing and definitely on the cooler side. I've unpacked my sweaters and I'm finding ways to stay warm that don't involve my rickety radiator! Here are some photos of the area :).



About a week ago, around 3 AM, the apartment complex decided to give the radiators their first trial run of the year. It was a cool night but I woke up feeling a little sweaty and a lot freaked out. I couldn't figure out why it felt like I was standing outside on a hot August day in Texas while lying in bed on a very cold night in Boston.

Because I was half-asleep, I thought the apartment was on fire...I even got up to look for the flames, but it was just the radiator! It blasts intense heat for about a half hour every 4 hours when the apartment gets cold. Since it turns on very infrequently, when it does come on, it releases enough heat to keep a room warm for oh...about a day or two! It's not exactly very discreet either. I recently purchased a down comforter, thinking I was going to freeze without it, but my rickety radiator won't let that happen. I might have dark circles under my eyes on the coldest days of the year, but at least I'll be warm!

Now, I can't think of a better way to stay warm than with baking cookies! Still celebrating the flavors of the season and up and coming holiday season, I made spiral cookies with cranberries and a brown sugar filling. Lately, I just can't get enough cranberries. I'm craving them so much that I'm going to make stuffing tomorrow just so the cranberry sauce I purchased this weekend doesn't feel lonely :)! I know a lot of people don't like it, but I'm not sure how most folks feel about dried cranberries, or craisins. I love their tart flavor, it really balances out the sweetness of these cookies.




Now moving on to this week's award. You all make it so tough to choose a winner! Not only do most of you already have these awards, but there are also quite a few fun blogs that are just getting started! Before I pass this award along, there are two bloggers I'd like to thank: Michele of My Italian Grandmother and LK of Food for Tots!

VeggieGirl: A dedicated blogger who has a fun writing style and exciting life as a talented dancer!
Taste and Tell: Her photos are always so polished and delicious :)!
A Southern Grace: Engaging readers with her yummy recipes and sense of humor; never a dull post!


Thingies Thursday:
I love old cookbooks for a couple of reasons, they're fun to look at and add spice and color to a bookshelf. I also get a kick out of the illustrations. A little silly at times, they're generally pretty entertaining. I scanned the fudge recipe from this 1950s cookbook, but this same book includes a tuna casserole recipe that comes with a comedic/borderline disturbing illustration. The boy is feeding his party-hat-wearing pet tuna spoonfuls of tuna casserole! Hmm...I leave you with these milder photos. Until next time, let's not feed our pets anything remotely resembling a member of their same species :D!

Berry Pillow Cookies and Carrot Crumble Cake

Before I go into detail about these two recipes, I'd first like to thank Leslie from The Cake Life for pointing out to me that xanthum gum is really supposed to be xanthan gum :)! If I'm gonna continue with this gluten-free baking, I need to get the names of the ingredients right! Sheesh!

Alright, on with the recipes. I really had a tough time coming up with a name for this next dessert. Earlier in the week, Jose mentioned that he wanted cookies, but I was in the mood for cake! What to do?! Well, I made cakey cookies. It was an experiment that actually came out the way I hoped it would! I used powdered sugar, which gave it a dissolve-in-your-mouth texture. The cookie itself is citrusy and the filling is made with berries. As a kid, I was a huge fan of these Knott's Berry Farm Shortbread cookies. They were part of my inspiration for these cookies, but the pillow cookies also have the cakey element I was looking for. Here's the recipe:



So I'm planning on making the basil cupcakes again! Thanks to a few recipe ideas I received from a former classmate, I'll be baking a cupcake that includes lemon, and sugar, and gluten-free flour, and...you'll have to come back in a few days to find out what the rest of the ingredients are :). I thought I was going to be able to make them tonight, but I didn't make it to the grocery store in time. Of course, I still needed to make something to satisfy my sweet tooth tonight...



I purchased a box of Whole Foods gluten-free cake mix a few weeks ago, when I first started the GF diet. I bought it just in case I wasn't able to make my own mix. Thankfully, my flour mix worked, but I didn't want the Whole Foods cake mix to go to waste. Carrot cake sounded good to me, so with a few additions, I was able to make a carrot almond crumble cake. Cream cheese and I aren't friends, so, instead of making a cream cheese frosting, I made a crumble topping. I did add dairy to the actual cake, but I noticed (from personal experience) and a friend of mine also recently told me, that dairy is a lot easier to digest when its incorporated into batter and baked. The cooking/baking process breaks it down a bit. Though I didn't have the cake with a nice tall glass of milk, I was able to add it to the cake batter. I'm slowly starting to add more dairy into my baked goods because I need all the Calcium I can get, and don't we all!

The carrot crumble cake has the texture of a coffee cake and it's pretty difficult to tell that it's gluten-free. I think Whole Foods did a great job with its white cake mix (that's what I used)! I might actually buy the mix again, for lazy days :)! To be honest, though, this cake still required a bit of mixing and measuring, but it's definitely worth it!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (edited recipe)

Note: this is the picture from my first batch :).

One thing's for sure about this gluten-free baking business, it's forcing me to become more precise with my baking. I'm still trying to figure out all the tricks of the trade; it can be a bit tricky. It requires patience and precision. Silly as it may sound, I'm somewhat tempted to bake the same recipe using a different flour each time to really get a 'feel' (or taste) for each one. I think it might allow me to experiment more successfully, or confidently :). Right now, I'm pretty much doing what I used to do before, and that would be 'studying recipes'.

(old photo, the new recipe I just posted below yields much heartier cookies, not thin :)

I just deleted the entry where I talked about the first recipe. I decided to keep these photos of the first recipe. After baking gluten-free for a few months, I came up with a much tastier recipe. So far, this one is my favorite gluten-free chocolate chip recipe :).

Before I say ttfn, I want to thank you all for reading Flour Arrangements, even though it's taken a gluten-free turn. Your comments are always appreciated :)!

No bake Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

Check out the flowers and herbs on my new patio! :)

I have been going all day! I woke up at 5:45 and couldn't go back to sleep, so I thought I'd prepare something...I can't say that I baked these cookies, though :). My initial plan was to submit them to Grace's Beat the Heat event, but I got so caught up in moving, flying, packing, and unpacking that I didn't realize the due date was fast approaching; it passed me by.

Since I'd already thought about making these cookies, I went ahead and made 'em. They don't require the use of anything electric, and they come together in one bowl, in just a few minutes! Flour/dairy free, these cookies remind me of the Fall, which is kind of funny considering I was originally planning on making something cool and refreshing for the summery event. But lately the weather's been odd here in Boston. Actually, maybe it isn't odd. I have no idea if it's usually this cool and rainy during August, but it's definitely new to me. I'm used to the unbearable Texas heat :P. Just last night I had to put on a sweater; it got down to 60 degrees! So all this rain mixed with nice days/cool evenings has me thinking about the Fall...it's just right around the corner, and I can't wait! I've heard that the New England area has beautiful Autumns; the leaves actually FALL and change color here?! Yep (again, we don't have much of that in Austin).

So here's a simple recipe for some no bake cookies. I would write more, but I'll be honest, I'm way too tired! After going to the farmers market, then taking 4 different subways into Boston, then seeing the Wharf, Quincy Market, and the yummy Italian bakeries in the North End, I'm pooped! I had a great time, though :). So I'll leave you with this recipe and a few fun photos of today's events!

(Oh, before I forget, I finally got that brand new oven/stove and it works beautifully! :)

Trail Mix Cookies

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie was one of my favorite books as a really little kiddo :). I have to admit, when my mom let me choose between the book with the cute little mouse and The Little Red Hen, I had a tough time deciding which one I wanted her to read to me at bedtime. Decisions, decisions!

To this day, I still remember how much I loved it when my mom would read to me. Not only was it a fun and relaxing experience, but it was more meaningful and memorable than watching a movie together. Next to that, I loved dancing with her; I'd stand on her feet and she'd lead.

I plan on doing all these things with my own children some day :). These moments instilled in me a deep love for reading and dancing - two of my favorite things to do, next to cooking and writing, of course :).

So I now own the cookie-eating mouse! He wears a Christmas hat year-around; he's definitely my kind of mouse. My mom actually gave him to me a few years back. He sits on a miniature vintage chair in my living room, next to all the other kitschy collectibles that help make my house a home :). I decided to feature him in the trail mix cookie 'photo session'. The Doughboy wasn't interested - he stuffed himself with so many of these cookies that he couldn't move! (But keep looking out for him, he'll be starring in one of my upcoming posts.)

Now that I've talked about one of my favorite early-childhood books, it's time to talk about my favorite cookie! I am a huge fan of Kashi's Happy Trail Mix Cookies, but I strongly believe that if you can make it healthier and cheaper at home, then make your own version of your favorite treat! So that's what I did. Of course, they don't taste exactly the same; I threw in a few interesting ingredients, like crushed cereal and coconut - but you probably know why. (Jose and I are in the process of clearing out our pantry and kitchen cupboards, so I used this baking adventure as an opportunity to get rid of quite a few random ingredients, like cereal and coconut.)

These cookies taste like trail mix and cereal bars, but they're much more portable....who doesn't love that? Check out the ingredients. Pretty healthy, huh? No butter or oil!

healthy oatmeal raisin cookies

I actually have a good excuse for the time that's passed since my last post...I got married! Yes, the last couple of weeks leading up to it were a bit hectic, considering my then-fiance-now-husband and I weren't planning on having a ceremony in the first place...but now we're glad we did! It was a very simple but beautiful wedding, and even though I loved the dress, my favorite part was the vow-reading that took place during the ceremony, it was a very memorable moment.

Now, back to the topic of food, a few weeks ago I made some oatmeal cookies. They are a pretty traditional cookie, usually made with a simple recipe...but most of those recipes include about 2 sticks of butter. I hate deceiving myself into thinking that I'm eating something healthy because the word "oatmeal" is included in the list of ingredients of the baked good I'm savoring...so I've tried to improvise and had some success after a few experimental sessions...I traded in 2 sticks of butter for 2 TBSPs and my taste buds don't know the difference!

Inspired by the oatmeal cookie recipe on the traditional Quaker Oats container, I decided to make a healthier version of the delectable treat. Instead of using literally half a pound of butter, which would translate into 2 sticks, I remembered the beauty of applesauce...keeping in mind that with applesauce, at least with baking, a little goes a long way. So for this particular cookie, between 1/8-1/4 cups of applesauce are the magic measurements...but it also depends on what texture you're going for. If you want a cookie with more bite, then about 1/8 cups and 1 tbsp should do the trick. However, if you really like the big soft cookies, then put a little more applesauce, somewhere around 1/4 cup.

Ok...so here's the recipe. A few other changes went into the cookies, but I do have to thank the little Quaker Oats guy for coming up with the initial, though terribly unhealthy and a little less flavorful, recipe.

Improvised recipe (makes a little over 2 dozen, if you make 1 tbsp sized cookie dough servings):
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal (this is one less cup than the original)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-2/3 cups raisins (the golden ones taste so much better!)
1 tablespoon cinnamon (a lot more than the original)
a few sprinkles (about 1/8 tsp nutmeg)
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
about 1/4 cup applesauce
2 TBSP Butter

I baked these in a 350 oven for about 12 minutes...note: the more applesauce you use, the longer it takes for the cookie to harden.

P.S. I took these cookies to work, and they were gobbled up completely!

Random Fact: I read somewhere, and I'll find the link one of these days, that applesauce and brown sugar tend to soften things with time. So be careful not to add too much of either, if you don't want your cookies to crumble :).

Low-fat AND GOOD Snickerdoodles!

So today I baked some snickerdoodles before heading off to work, where they were then sampled by some fabulous gals with very refined taste buds; they were all under age 10 :). Of course, I didn't tell them they were low-fat, at their age, that isn't really a concern, unless they don't have a gallbladder like me! Anyway, they loved them...they even asked for more but I didn't want these sneaky snickerdoodles to spoil their appetite for dinner. Jose was even surprised that these classic but wonderful cookies could be made with such a small amount of butter, he calculated that they each had less than 1g of fat! Then we decided that the Food Network really needs to have a show centered around cooking healthy food that still tastes just as good or even better than the unhealthier versions. I do love me some Food Network, but I do get a little disappointed at how so many of the cooks/chefs on there feel the need to use a tub of butter to cook their desserts! If I wanted butter that bad, I would just eat the stick by itself and not even put the time into baking...and why put all that butter in a dessert if it's just going to leave you with regrets afterward? I swear to you, next to the chocolate chip ones I posted earlier, these cookies are some of the best and DO NOT TASTE LOWFAT AT ALL. I'm sure you'll have to try them in order to really understand what I'm talking about, so here's the recipe. They're super easy to make, and I bet you even have these ingredients in your kitchen already!

2 dozen delectable snickerdoodles with less than 1g of fat per cookie:
Yes, even Martha will find it hard to believe.

1 1/2 Cups white sugar
1/2 TBSP cinnamon
2 TBSP nonfat milk
2 TBSP softened/partially melted butter
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cinnamon/Sugar Mix (guessing here--you decide what's good for you)
3 TBSP sugar
1 3/4 TBSP cinnamon

you know the unfancy drill of throwing it all into a bowl...then just roll up little 1 in. balls of dough and dip them into a cinnamon/sugar mix--place them on a cookie sheet and slightly flatten them out with a teaspoon and bake them at 400 for 10-11 minutes (they don't expand much, so you really just need about 3/4 of an in. between each cookie).

If anyone out there uses this recipe, tell me how you liked the cookies!