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!

Too Many Cookies to Count!

*Please note that the name of the cookie in bold and underlined signifies a link to the recipe

So I'm down to 1 more batch of cookies - chocolate meringues! I've been putting them off because, to be honest, I'm so worried about messing them up! This will be my first time making meringues...but I keep telling myself I should just go for it, get it over with - I've already baked 59 batches of cookies in less than a month (I was assigned a project to bake 60 batches of cookies and photograph them for our online cookbook, in case you're wondering why I'd even attempt such a crazy task), I should have some faith in my experience!

Just a few days ago I had to make a lemon curd for a cookie/treat. I was so happy that it didn't turn into scrambled eggs! Strangely, the last step in this cookie (they're actually bars) recipe that called for lemon curd required me to bake the curd for 10 minutes, that seemed kind of odd to me. I was afraid the eggs would start to curdle in the oven and destroy the smoothness of the curd. I was right! Thankfully, with a few minor repairs, the lemony dessert was saved...only thing is, after I photographed the one square for the online cookbook, I threw the rest away. For some reason, the thought of eating a dessert that was creamy because of egg yolks that turned into lemony scrambled eggs in the oven somewhat disturbed my taste buds. My husband, the courageous eater that he is, asked to try the small piece I saved...he said it was tasty! Ooh, I felt so bad for dumping the rest in the trash, that's what I get for not trying the strange yellow concoction first! Do any of you know if a curd is supposed to go in the oven? If it should get baked, then why did mine start resembling scrambled eggs after just 10 minutes? I imagine I did something wrong, but I'm still kind of lost as to where I made the mistake :). I'd appreciate any tips you all might have to offer!

I have to say that I really enjoyed baking all these cookies, even if my tummy didn't actually enjoy the results as much as my taste buds did...all that butter certainly did make the cookies delicious, but there is a reason why I don't use such large amounts every time I bake!

There are a few cookie recipes that stand out because of their unique ingredients and fun texture. I'd have to say my favorite cookies of the bunch were the whole wheat raspberry bars. Imagine homemade, preservative free fig newtons but with raspberry jam in the middle. Oh, I also made fig newtons, and I actually had a bit of energy left over to make the fig jam (it was so fun and easy, I didn't know jamming was so simple!), they were yummy but I prefer raspberries over figs :).


My husband's favorite "cookies" were the pecan pie bars. These are really amazing, they're just like the pie but a lot easier to make. I even divided the recipe in half, used less eggs, and altered the crust's recipe and it still came out well. I like this recipe because it's flexible and a lot easier to make than an actual pecan pie. I'll definitely make these in the future.

pecan pie bars

The cranberry and white chocolate cookies were also really amazing. They're basically an oatmeal cookie with white chocolate chips and cranberries.

So far, the two cookies that stand out for their interesting ingredients are the pistachio cookies and rolled maple sugar cookies. The pistachio cookie recipe calls for crushed cereal - it adds a fresh crunch to the cookies. From now on, I plan on keeping at least one box of plain corn cereal around for baking cookies, it's such a cool ingredient. As for the rolled maple sugar cookie recipe, I tweaked it a bit; I didn't have maple sugar, so I used brown sugar and added 1 tbsp of maple syrup to the dough. I also couldn't find any oat flour so I used all-purpose (next time I think I'll use wheat, I discovered it gives cookies a deeper flavor). I'm not a fan of shortening, so I substituted it with butter.

pistachio cookies

If you'd like to make your own candy bar at home, I suggest you try out this recipe for congo bars. Though I only had one bite, so that my gut wouldn't attack me later, it was a savory one. These were a hit at work! Congo bars are a great alternative to rice krispy treats; they're just as easy to make but 10x more savory.

congo bars

Oh, then there's the kolachke recipe, the "my favorite cookie" recipe (that's basically a chocolate chip cookie packed with delicious nuts), and the oh-so healthy survival cookies...but I'll share those later! I plan on making some of these cookies again, but if I can get away with it, I'd like to see if I can use less butter the second time around :).

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 :).

double chocolate snowballs

...and here's another soymilk/applesauce recipe! I have a feeling regular milk could be used, but why not go that extra mile and use soymilk! Again, these are the cookies I took to school, where they were devoured by a classroom of elementary school girls. These cookies not only look cute, but they're chocolatey, rich, and slightly gooey on the inside, almost like a chocolate truffle. Here's the recipe:

1 2/3 cups flour
2/3 cups cocoa
2/3 cups sugar
2 TBSPS partially melted butter
1 TBSP sour cream
1 1/2 TBSP apple sauce
1 egg
1 TBSP water
1/2 cup soymilk
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Before baking, the cookies can be rolled into 1 inch balls then dipped in powdered sugar, I used about 1/3 cup for all the cookies.

This recipe makes about 32 cookies. They should be ready to eat after they've cooked in a 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes :).

Ginger Cinnamon Cookies

These are some good, simple ginger cookies that ring of Christmas but taste good any time of the year, especially when you're having a craving for something a little less traditional than chocolate chip cookies. Here's the recipe:

2 1/8 Cups Flour
2 TSP ground ginger
1 TSP baking soda
2 TSP ground cinnamon
1/2 TSP ground cloves
1/8 TSP nutmeg
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP apple sauce
2 TBSP milk
1 egg
1 Cup sugar

It's best to mix the "wet" ingredients in one bowl, then later add them to the "dry" bowl...because the ratio of dry to wet ingredients is more than in most cookies, so they'll come out too floury if you do all the mixing in the same bowl. Sprinkle some sugar on these cookies before you bake them for 10-11 minutes at 350 and they'll come out just the right amount of sweet. The good thing about these cookies is that they stay soft over time because of the apple sauce, this also means you don't have to use nearly as much butter as you do with other cookies!

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!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I've made so many chocolate chip cookies, always hoping that the next batch will come out just right. How do I like chocolate chip cookies? With just the right amount of chocolate chips, crispy edges and a chewy/soft center that doesn't taste raw! I found a pretty good recipe, but it was wayyy too buttery. I literally had butter/grease all over my fingers after munching on a few, so I knew I had to do something...and I did. I reduced the amount of butter by over 1/3 of a cup! I also added a bit more flour, a tiny bit of water to add that crunch, a little more brown sugar, along with a little less chocolate chips...oh yeah, and baking powder instead of soda.

Deceivingly Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
(I swear, they actually taste better without the extra butter!)

1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 TSP vanilla extract
1/2 TSP baking powder
1/2 TSP salt
2 TSP hot water
2 1/2 TBSP melted butter*
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl; if you use about 1 TBSP worth of cookie dough for each cookie, then bake them for about 11 minutes on 375, you'll get a good-sized baker's dozen...and happy taste buds!

*because it makes a difference :)