Dark Chocolate Jumble Cookies (With Whole Wheat)

My daughter was begging for chocolate chip cookies today. I thought it might be fun to try some made with only whole wheat flour. We pulled out the wheat grinder and threw together these yummy cookies in a very short time. They were a hit! I'll definitely make them again.

You'll need:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

(Yeah, okay I never said they were health food...)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups whole oats, blended in the blender (measurement BEFORE blended.)

1 cup extra dark chocolate chips (with at least 60% cocoa.) My new favorite.

1/2 cup chopped almonds

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

1/2 cup shredded coconut

and next time I'm going to add 1 teaspoon almond extract. I think it's a secret ingredient for perfect cookies, but I forgot this time.

Cream together butter, eggs, and sugars. Sift together dry ingredients and combine it all together. Stir in chips, nuts, and coconut at the end. And remember the almond extract. You can thank me later.

Here's the dough. And you can just stop right there if you aren't opposed to consuming raw eggs, because the cookie dough is always superior to the cookies. And this dough doesn't disappoint.

Make the cookie balls small because these babies can really grow.

I shape them and flatten slightly.

Bake at 375 degrees for eleven and a half minutes. Well, if you have my oven.

Somewhere between 10 and 12 minutes should do the trick.

I'm at a high altitude that makes it difficult for trying new cookie recipes, and this one did just fine. They are a *tiny* bit crumbly, but plenty chewy and nearly a perfect texture. Especially for not having ANY white flour. Give them a try!

Tea time, anyone??

My sisters and I have always dreamed of traveling to the British Isles together and doing the castles, history, and literary tours there. Since we haven't been able to do that yet, we dream of doing it by watching Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown. Boy, does she have the life or what? Anyway, in one of the episodes she was in England and they are famous for their multiple time outs for tea. They eat cucumber sandwiches, shortbread, and scones with clotted cream, lemond curd and jams. We had to try them out. It's all as wonderful as it looked on Samantha Brown. It might not be the healthiest habit, but it sure brightens my day when I can sink my teeth into it's creamy goodness.

Clotted Cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream OR 8 oz. cream cheese or neufchatel (do not use light or fat-free)
2-4 T. powdered sugar (or to taste)
1/2 cup sour cream (do not use light or fat-free)
1 tsp. vanilla

If using heavy cream, beat until stiff. If using cream cheese, beat until smooth. Fold in sugar until dissolved. Fold in sour cream and vanilla. Chill. Keep refrigerated.

Lemon Curd:
Juice of 4 lemons OR 1 cup lemon juice
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter (do not use margarine), cut into cubes
2 cups sugar

Combine ingredients in a double boiler and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth and translucent. If you do not have a double boiler, use a heavy-duty saucepan and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. This mixture can burn easily. Microwave is not recommended. For a stronger lemon flavor, add the grated zest of the 4 lemons. Pour mixture into a Mason jar with a tight lid and keep refrigerated. Use within two weeks.

Sorry, the picture didn't turn out very well.

English Scones:
2 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
2-4 T. sugar (depending on add-ins)
1/2 tsp. salt
6 T. butter (do not use margarine), cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry blender. Blend in buttermilk. Knead lightly a few times. Do not over-knead. Roll dough into a circle (not too thin). Cut into wedges, as if cutting a pizza. Place wedges on greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes, depending on oven variations. Scones are done when golden brown on the outside, but fluffy on the inside.
Add-ins: apples, currants, ginger, orange or almond flavorings, vanilla, cinnamon, dried apricots, fresh blueberries, cranberries, chocolate chips, candied ginger, walnuts. Experiment with the add-ins, adjusting the sugar as necessary. If a bold ginger flavor is desired, add finely-chopped fresh ginger. If a mild ginger flavor is desired, use candied ginger. You can also try sauteing the chopped fresh ginger lightly in a little butter and sprinkling with sugar before adding to dough. If a bold nutty flavor is desired, try using toasted walnuts. Toast in a warm oven, stirring occasionally, until the nuts have softened slightly and have a strong scent. If using fresh blueberries, drain VERY WELL before adding to dough.

This picture happens to be some ginger scones. The smell of fresh ginger is absolute bliss. I could sniff it all day...but that wouldn't be very productive now would it :)
The clotted cream and lemon curd are also good on toasted English Muffins. Oh, and you don't have to serve them together. They stand on their own as well.

Sticky Rice with Mango

This is my sister's recipe. I haven't actually tried it yet but she sent it to me and it sounded delicious and she said it was, so I'm posting it in hopes she is correct :)

Sticky Rice with Mango

1 c. rice
1-13.5 oz can coconut milk
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 ripe mangoes

Combine coconut milk, sugar and salt. Boil 3 minutes- stirring frequently.
Remove from heat. Add coconut milk to rice. Stir until mixed.
Press plastic wrap onto mixture in saucepan to cover. Let rest 30 minutes at room temperature. Garnish with peeled and sliced mangoes.
Top with Coconut Syrup. DELICIOUS!

Coconut Syrup
1-13.5 oz can coconut milk
1/2 c. confectioners sugar, firmly packed

Stir together. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer about 10 minutes. Cool to lukewarm and serve. May keep in fridge up to one week.

Molten Chocolate Cookies

Molten Chocolate Cookies
These rich cookies are best eaten warm, while the crust is crispy and the centers are gooey. They can be reheated in the microwave to soften the centers. Yield: 16 3-inch cookies

2 c. Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Chips
3 T. Butter
2 large eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder

Melt chips and butter in top of double broiler over low heat, stirring until smooth but thick. (Or in microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds at a time after that.) Remove from heat; set aside to cool.

In large bowl of mixer beat eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla on high speed about 2-3 minutes until pale yellow and slightly thickened. Mix in chocolate on low speed. Stop and scrape bowl. Add flour and baking powder on low speed just until incorporated, stopping once to scrape bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F.

Scoop 8-2 inch mounds onto parchment lined cookie sheet leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes or until crusty on the outside but soft in center. Cool on cookie sheet 3-5 minutes. Best eaten warm. To reheat cookies, microwave on high power for about 10 seconds per cookie. Enjoy!

SWEET RICE!

Sweet Rice.

Have you ever had Horchata, (its a sweet milk drink) from a Mexican resturant?

Well that drink comes from the juice of Sweet rice. Or so I've been told.

Here is my Recipe and my faimly loves it..

Warm or cold.

2 c. White rice (made accordingly to directions)
1 can Sweet n condenced milk
Tiny bit of milk for your consistancey according to your liking
Cinnamon to taste
and Raisens (optional)

And this picture is just the begginning.. to see more pictures of this wonderful recipe

{click here to go to MY BLOG}

Enjoy.. Id love to know what you think!

Lemon Velvet Cake

*So I realized that I started this post intending to get pictures to include and never did and the cake as been long gone, so I'll just post the recipe. It's been a week and a half ago already, so I might as well, right?

I think spring is nearly here to stay. I love this time of year. I love seeing the new life that comes and I love being able to open up my windows again after a long winter. The fresh air smells divine. Add the fresh air to the clean smell of lemon and I feel like I'm in heaven. Plus the simple elegance of this sunshiny yellow cake is perfect for the spring holiday of Easter. It's coming up, so put this on your menu. I think you'll be impressed!

1 pkg. lemon cake mix
1 3 oz. pkg lemon jello
1/2 c. oil
4 eggs
3/4 c. water


Mix the cake mix and the jello, then add oil, eggs and water. Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. While hot, prick cake with fork and pour frosting over it.

*I usually use a bundt pan, as it adds to the elegance of the cake, but you can use whatever you'd like.


Frosting:
1 1/2-1 3/4 c. powdered sugar
Juice of 2-3 lemons


Frosting will be quite runny and will soak into the cake. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. YUMMY!!

So I am a HUGE fan of Desserts.  Especially if it is mostly made up of Peanut Butter and Chocolate.. So lets just throw some cookie into it.. and WA-LA! 

To see a picture of these delicous wonders please click here.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies


2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
36 peanut butter cup candies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine the peanut butter, sugar and eggs. Form a spoonful into a ball. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and press peanut butter cup candy into the center. Let cool!

SIMPLE AS THAT.

Credits to Tasty Temptations Blog for the recipe

Ooey Gooey Brownies.

Can anyone say YUM!
This is a favorite in our home.


Brownie mix of your choice

Chocolate Chips

Coconut

Sweet n Condenced Milk



SO make your brownies according to the box. Cook as directed.

About 3 minutes before the brownies are fully cooked to your liking.. take them out and spread some coconut over the top. I LOVE coconut so I put MUCHO COCONUT! Then.. spread some chocolate chips. I dont use alot, keeping in mind that they will melt and chocolate goes a long way!! Then.. I pour 1 full can of sweetened condenced milk over the top. then top with just a few sprinkles more of coconut. Put it back in the oven and cook for about 5 or 6 more min. until the sweet milk is a slighty brown and the coconut is toasted.



You can eat this warm, but it will be VERY GOOEY. or you can cool, slightly but it will still be gooe OR YOUR CAN coool FOR a few hours or so, and it will still set up nicely, and the chocolate chips wont be so gooey anymore... so either or. MY FAMILY LOVES THESE OOEY GOOEY!.. If you really want you can add nuts of your choice and a giant scoop of icecream!!!