chewy

Spicy Oatmeal Snaps

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spicy oatmeal snaps

Cookies are my friend. If I had to choose one dessert to eat for the rest of my life it would be cookies. I love their endless adaptability in shape, size and flavour, their perfectly proportioned serving size, and the fact that they freeze so well, meaning you can have them on hand at all times. They are the perfect individual dessert, in my mind – move over cupcakes! Give me a cup of chai tea and a cookie and I’m a happy camper.

These particular cookies have one of my favourite textures. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. They’re basically a chewy oatmeal cookie and a peppery gingersnap all in one. What’s not to love?

On a cold winter night with a cup of hot tea in hand, I can’t imagine a better accompaniment.

Spicy Oatmeal Snaps

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats

Combine flour, spices and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla and egg. Stir in flour and oats; mix until everything is evenly distributed.

Roll, or scoop out 1 tablespoon balls of dough and place 2-3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes or until crisp on the edges. Cool 2-3 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes approximately: 2 dozen

Adapted from My Recipes.

(Healthier) No-Bake Granola Bars

By in Cookies & Bars, GF Sweets, Gluten Free, Kids, Snacks 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

healthier no bake granola bars

It has been HOT here this week. We all tend to lose our appetites when it’s so hot out so we’ve been keeping mealtimes really simple by having lot’s of salads, fruits and veggies with a little side of grilled meat. I didn’t turn on my oven once this week, but in preparation for our camping trip coming up, I wanted to prepare some “baked goods”. Enter the delight of the “no-bake goods”.

I really like my original no-bake granola bars, but I didn’t make them too often because I started feeling guilty about the amount of sugar in them. Fine for dessert, but for a mid-day snack that I’m going to be feeding my children? Not so much. So, I tried out a new version, a healthier version, added a few more things to make it more nutritious and now I’ve got a no-bake granola bar without the guilt.

These granola bars are chewy and sweet, with the taste of honey, toasted oats and nuts and little bites of sweet, plump raisins. Package them up and bring them along on your picnics or trips to the beach. Who needs those wimpy store-bought granola bars when you can have such delicious ones, so simply, at home?

No-Bake Granola Bars

To make these gluten-free use gluten-free certified oats.

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
  • 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used raisins)
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium-sized skillet, toast oats and nuts over medium heat until fragrant. Remove to a bowl, along with dried fruit and set aside.

In the same skillet add butter, honey, brown sugar and salt. Cook until bubbling and then continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture; stir well until evenly coated.

Press into a 8×8 inch baking pan, lined with parchment paper. Wet fingers to keep from sticking. You want the pack to be quite firm.

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove from pan. Using a serrated knife cut the bars in half and then into 6, creating 12 granola bars. Store, covered, at room temperature. Separate with pieces of parchment or wax paper, if stacking on top of each other.

Makes: 12

Adapted from Lauren’s Latest. Originally from Rachael Ray.

Maple-Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

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maple walnut cookies

Happy Canada Day weekend! I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful day off, and hopefully some fabulous weather to go with it! Every time Canada Day comes around I can’t help but make something with maple. Give me any excuse to cook or bake with maple and I’ll jump at the chance.

These cookies are put together a bit differently than your average cookie. They don’t have any eggs, for one, and the dough starts out with melted butter and boiling water. It may sound strange, but the results are a thick, chewy cookie with a lightly crisp outer crust. They’re not overly sweet, with some crunch from the walnuts and a light maple flavour. I found them quite addicting. I usually don’t care for jumbo cookies, but in this case I was very happy to have a giant cookie all to myself.

These would be so delicious warm from the oven with a scoop of Maple Brown Butter Semifreddo. Next time I might make them half the size just so I can sandwich some semifreddo in between.

P.S. Please make these for your next camping trip. They’re the perfect cookie for the job.

Maple-Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

  • 1.5 cups rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon pure maple extract
  • 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Mix together oats, coconut, flour, salt, and sugar. Set aside.

Place butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Stir together baking soda and boiling water and add it to the melted butter along with the maple extract. Stir the butter mixture into the oats. Fold in walnuts.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (about 3 tablespoons each), place them about 3 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets, 6 to a sheet. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake at 300ºF for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and set. Transfer to wire racks or paper towel, to cool. Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 1 week.

Makes: 12 jumbo cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last weekend was my anniversary. James came home with a bouquet of roses and I made him these chocolate chip cookies. A fair trade don”t you think? Well, if you knew how much James likes chocolate chip cookies and just how good these cookies are, it makes for a pretty even trade. He also hired a sitter and took me out for dinner, where I got my first taste of Crème brûlée, so I guess he wins. :)

I”m so happy that I found this recipe. I”ve been having an obsession lately with finding great chocolate chip cookie recipes of all shapes, sizes and flavours. In my opinion, you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes.

One of my favourite parts about this recipe is that you form the dough into logs and store them in the fridge or freezer – when you want freshly baked cookies you just slice and bake. There”s nothing like a gooey chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven and this way you can have them fresh all week long. I loved being able to reach into my fridge for a last-minute dessert and having it take less than five minutes to prepare it for the oven.

These cookies are the first recipe I”ve tried from David Lebovitz” book Ready for Dessert. And, after these results I can”t wait to delve in and try more recipes. I”ve heard many people sing his praises when it comes to desserts, especially ice cream, and now I know why.

David says to use chopped chocolate for cookies because it aids in creating a chewy texture but I didn”t have any blocks of chocolate on hand when I made these so I used chocolate chips instead (even though he advised against it). Judging by his pictures they do seem quite a bit thicker (and therefore chewier?) then mine. But, I”m here to tell you they were still one of the best cookies I have ever eaten. I can”t wait to try them with the “right” way, they must be out of this world good.

To toast nuts: Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add nuts and allow to toast, stirring occasionally, just until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from heat immediately as they can burn rather quickly.

One of the first things James mentioned when he bit into these cookies is that he loved the nuts. I had to agree, they really did add something special. A nice, crunchy contrast to the gooey chocolate. We used sliced almonds this time around but I can”t wait to try it with walnuts or pecans.

I”m definitely more than happy with this recipe and will be making it over and over. It has spurred on my love of chocolate chip cookies and I will eagerly be looking for many more yummy recipes to share. When it comes to cookies I”m never on the search for the ONE but rather a variety of cookies that we love, so we can make them according to our mood. This one will happily be eaten often.

Do you have a favourite cookie? Or several?

Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you”re not going to use these up within the week you can toss them in the freezer. I prefer to freeze them sliced. It works with this recipe because the dough is so firm, once cooled, that the cookies don”t stick together when you throw them into a freezer bag. This way you can bake them from frozen by simply adding a couple minutes to the baking time. But, if you prefer you can also freeze them in logs and let them thaw, in the fridge, overnight before slicing and baking.

  • 2.5 cups flour

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup butter, softened

  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed

  • 3/4 cup white sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 large eggs

  • 2 cups nuts, toasted and chopped

  • 14 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or 1 (340g) bag chocolate chips, in a pinch) :)

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.

Beat together butter, sugars and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated between each addition. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

Divide dough into four equal portions on a lightly floured surface. Form each into a 9 inch log, wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, or up to one week.

To Cook: Grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice each log (with a very sharp knife, not serrated) into 12, 3/4 inch slices and place 3 inches apart on baking sheets. (If you have trouble slicing, let sit at room temperature for a couple minutes to soften slightly. If any nuts or chips fall out, just push them back into the cookie.)

Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and barely set (err on the side of underbaking to ensure soft cookies). Let cool 1-2 minutes, then move to wire racks or paper towel to cool.

Makes: 48 cookies

Adapted from Ready for Desserts.

Kids in the Kitchen: No-Bake Granola Bars

By in GF Sweets, Gluten Free, Kids, Snacks 47 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

Kids in the Kitchen: No-Bake Granola Bars

Remember how I told you I like to scarf down granola bars in the middle of the night but since I haven”t been able to find any here yet I”ve been eating spoonfuls of peanut butter instead? Well, it was just too much for me to bear so I decided to create my own. I may have a problem. Not that I mind because these granola bars are even better then the ones at the store and they are so simple to make. Simple is key these days.

Life has been hectic here lately and I”m starting to realize that my once quick and simple recipes aren”t so quick and simple when you have a baby on the breast and a toddler clinging to your leg. (These two things do happen simultaneously but not while I”m cooking. I am no wonder mommy!) For the next couple of months my time in the kitchen is going to have to simplify even more. That”s when I”m thankful for recipes like this.

These No-Bake Granola Bars are fast and easy enough that I can have a half decent snack lying around without getting stressed out in the process. I know this phase will go by quickly and in no time Alli will be having proper naps and I”ll better be able to plan my time. But for now, I”ll stick to the simple things and enjoy the little people while I have them.

The fact that these are no bake makes them perfect to make with kids because it eliminates any guess work. Most homemade granola bars I”ve had end up dry and crumbly. With these you don”t need to wonder whether they”re under or over baked. You just put them in the fridge for half and hour and then slice and serve. They”re also great for kids with short attention spans since they”re whipped up in jiffy. :)

If you have a teenager in the house they could even tackle this recipe on there own. It would be a great “first” recipe to try.

Kids Can

  • measure ingredients

  • stir toasting nuts

  • toss mixture together

  • line pan with plastic wrap

  • press mixture into pan

  • wrap individual bars

They”re packed full of toasted oats, nuts, coconut and raisins and have a nice chewy texture. The cinnamon and molasses add a great depth of flavour and make them very addicting. Don”t say I didn”t warn you!

One Year Ago: Thin Crust Pizza Dough and a Simple Sauce

No-Bake Granola Bars

  • 2 .5 cups rolled oats

  • 1.5 cups nuts (I used walnuts and pecans)

  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut

  • 1/2 cup raisins

  • 6 tablespoons salted butter

  • 1 cup brown sugar

  • 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 6 tablespoons honey

  • 2 tablespoon molasses

  1. Toast oats, nuts and coconut in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, stirring often. Remove to a large bowl and toss with raisins.

  2. Place butter, sugar, cinnamon, honey and molasses in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir into oat mixture until evenly coated. Let sit just until cool enough to handle.

  3. In the meantime, line a 7×11 inch pan with plastic wrap. Spoon mixture into pan, pressing down to compact. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Remove from pan, peel away plastic wrap and slice into 16 bars (half lengthwise and then into 8). Wrap individually in plastic wrap or parchment paper, if desired. Store covered at room temperature.

Makes: 16 servings

* If making gluten free make sure that the oats are gluten free

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On another note I am honored to say that I”ve been included in Babble”s Top 100 Mom Food Bloggers. Ranking #8 for Best Recipes. I”m tickled pink and hope that I can live up to the “title”. If you have time time I”d appreciate a click through and a like on facebook or a tweet on flickr. You can see my profile here. Thanks guys. Your the best! :)