THE Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

 

It's been a long time since I have found a THE recipe, but after trying for years to find a good lemon poppyseed bread/muffin, the New York Times recipe is a winner! There's a glaze in that recipe, but honestly, the texture is so good with the perfect amount of sweetness that I didn't bother making the glaze.

NYT Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

2½ cups all-purpose flour 

1½ teaspoons baking powder 

½ teaspoon baking soda 

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

¾ cup granulated sugar 

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly 

½ cup whole milk (I used 2%)

½ cup sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)

2 large eggs 

2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons) 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

4 teaspoons poppy seeds (I only had 1 T)

Step 1 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners. 

Step 2 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, milk, sour cream, eggs, lemon zest and juice, and poppy seeds until well combined. 

Step 3 With a large rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not overmix. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cups and bake until puffed and set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the muffins, in the tin, to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins and let cool completely on the rack.

Vegetarian Burrito Filling

Instead of stuffing zucchini, I just diced the zucchini, largely borrowed from this recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and I found this to be a really tasty burrito filling. My additions and notes are in italics.

Ingredients

2-3 T canola oil
1 medium onion diced
1 lb plant based crumbles
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membrane removed if you want less heat)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground coriander
chicken stock as needed ok, so not totally vegetarian, but I found that the veggies needed some stuff
1 c frozen corn thawed
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, or a combination
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions 

In a large cast-iron skillet, soften the onion first with 2-3 T canola oil. Then, add plant based crumbles for about 5 minutes. Then, add spices, jalapeno, garlic, and zucchini. Keep adding chicken stock or water as needed to keep stuff from sticking. Add corn; it will cook quickly. 

Stir in the tomato sauce, and bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. I added a handful of chopped cilantro and cooked a bit longer.

Add to burritos with avocado, pickled onions, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.

NYT Take out Noodles

I changed this recipe enough and don't remember where I wrote the notes, so I wanted to save this here.

We have peanut and soy allergies in our house so I only used tahini and coconut aminos. I added chicken and topped with cilantro, mint and lime juice. I doubled the recipe for 2 lbs of fresh noodles. I think next time I will triple it for better coverage of the chicken. Such a keeper!

Without the chicken, it's one of those great recipes that you don't realize is vegan. I ate mine with kimchi on top. 

1 pound noodles, frozen or (preferably) fresh 

2 tablespoons sesame oil, plus a splash 

3 ½ tablespoons soy sauce I used coconut aminos

2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar 

2 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste I did 3 T tahini in place of the sesame paste and peanut butter

1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter 

1 tablespoon granulated sugar I didn't mean to half the sugar, but I did and thought it was plenty sweet (and I LOVE sugar)

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger 

2 teaspoons minced garlic 

2 teaspoons chile-garlic paste, chile crisp or chile oil, or to taste 

Half a cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch by 2-inch sticks 

¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until barely tender, about 5 minutes. They should retain a hint of chewiness. 

Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a splash of sesame oil. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame paste, peanut butter, sugar, ginger, garlic and chili-garlic paste. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss. 

Transfer to a serving bowl, and garnish with cucumber and peanuts.

Apple Pie Granola

I used Jesseca's Pumpkin Pie Granola as a template for making this apple pie granola. I'm still tweaking it a bit, but it shows promise.

Apple Pie Granola

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 t cinnamon I'm going to try this with 1 teaspoon next time
1 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts I used sliced almonds
1/2 cup Bare Baked apple chips smashed into smaller pieces again, I might do more here
1/4 cup coconut oil I used canola oil
1/3 cup honey I did 1/4 c and that was sweet enough for me (mostly because I didn't want to dirty another measuring cup)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce I'm thinking of trying this with apple butter next time or perhaps 3/4 c of applesauce instead of 1/2 c

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment and set aside.

Whisk together the oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, almonds, and pecans in a large mixing bowl.
Microwave the coconut oil and honey for just a few seconds in a small separate bowl until liquid. Whisk in your vanilla and applesauce. Ok, I didn't read this closely. Honestly, I put everything in the same bowl at once. I did do a lot of stirring because I worried that I wouldn't spread the flavors evenly, but I haven't had a problem doing it this way.

Gently stir your wet ingredients into the dry until fully incorporated. Spread onto your prepared baking tray in an even layer.

Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown making sure to stir once halfway through baking. Allow to cool completely on the baking tray before enjoying. I added the baked apple chips after baking and cooling. I really wanted to keep the crunch of the apple chips, and I worried about burning them if I baked them with everything else.

Recipe Notes
For a more clump filled granola make sure you keep the granola in a thicker layer. You may need to increase baking time by 10-15 minutes

Asher's S'more Cake

Another spur-of-the-moment recipe.

I hadn't really talked to Asher about a cake. Fortunately, after some searching on Pinterest (and explaining to him that I could only replicate cake and frosting flavors, not decorating), we settled on a S'mores cake.

But, I needed something fast, so I made the easiest and best Texas Sheet Cake in the world, putting only half the glaze on top of the cake.

Then, I crushed about 12 graham cracker squares and covered the cake with half a bag of mini-marshmallows. I put that under the broiler for about 4 minutes (3 would have been enough) and added another handful of marshmallows on the top and drizzled the remaining glaze.

I had quite a few kids waxed rhapsodic when talking about the cake at the party.

Chocolate Sponge Cake Roll with Peppermint Whip Cream

Ever since blogger upgraded their site, I've had a hard time blogging--it's pretty different from the old format. That, coupled with Pinterest, has left me pinning favorite recipes and putting my changes in the comment field rather than updating everything here. And, the ease of finding new recipes and pinning them for later means that I'll never try all my "Recipes to try" pins, but if you do, could you let me know how they turn out?

This is my favorite holiday dish. I posted that I was making it on Facebook and had a few people ask for the recipe. It's light, delicious, and the presentation is easy and festive. A small Christmas miracle?

Chocolate Sponge Cake Roll
Mary Clyde

4 eggs, separated
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla
3 T water
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3/4 c flour
1/3 c cocoa
1/2 c (approx) powdered sugar

2 c whipping cream
1 c crushed candy canes or peppermints (you want these pretty fine with a lot of candy cane dust because that will help sweeten the whip cream)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line parchment or wax paper on a 10-15 inch cookie sheet with a 1-inch ridge (also known as a jelly roll pan) and lightly grease

Blend egg yolks and vanilla in electric mixer at high speed until yolks are thick and lemon colored. Add water and mix. Set aside.

In another bowl, stir together baking powder, salt, cocoa, and flour. Add half of mixture with yolks and mix. Set aside.

In another bowl using clean dry beaters blend egg whites until soft peaks form gradually blending in the sugar until glossy peaks form. Fold in yolk mixture and flour mixture just until blended.

Pour onto cookie sheet, making batter even and smooth.

Bake for 10-20 minutes or until top springs back when gently touched.

Sprinkle top with powdered sugar. Remove wax paper and gently roll cake into a loose cylinder. Cover rolled up cake with clean dish towel and let cool (approximately 2-3 hours).

Whip whipping cream to desired consistency (I like it a little firmer than usual because it can ooze out of the cake if it isn't). Add crushed candy canes. Taste whip cream--sometimes, I find I need to add 1-2 T powdered sugar.

Unroll cake, spread with filling, then reroll cake in plastic wrap. The directions say to refrigerate overnight. I've gotten away with refrigrating for a couple hours. The key is to cut slices with a knife warmed in really hot water. Take the knife out of the water, wipe it dry, cut a slice. Repeat (you should have about 12 slices).

To be extra fancy make a chocolate ganache to drizzle over the cake.

THE Chocolate Cake

Now, if only I could find THE chocolate frosting!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 c boiling water
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 c Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 t instant coffee
10 T (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 c sour cream, room temperature
1 t vanilla extract

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, then dust with cocoa powder and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the boiling water, chocolate, cocoa powder, and instant coffee together until smooth.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until incorporated.

Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of the chocolate mixture. Repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture, and remaining chocolate mixture. Beat in remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.

Give batter a final stir with rubber spatula to make sure it si thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, smooth the tops, and gently tap the pans on the counter to settle the batter. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 15-20 minutes, rotating and switching the pans halfway through baking.

Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the edge of cakes, then flip out onto wire racks. Peel off parchment paper, flip cakes right side up, and let cool completely before frosting, about 2 hours.

Cook's Illustrated Classic Brownies

Since Emmeline has been born, I've had some extra calories to spare, so I've been looking for a favorite brownie recipe. I think I've found one, but I ruined a whole batch trying to use egg replacer so Asher could eat them. Sigh, eggs are necessary.

Chocolately with just the right consistency and that delicious crunchy, chewy edge of the pan. I'm not quite sure if this is my THE brownie recipe. I'm afraid more recipes will have to be attempted to know for sure.

Classic Brownies
Cook's Illustrated

1 c (4 oz) pecans or walnuts, chopped I didn't use these
1 1/4 c (5 oz) cake flour
1/2 t salt
3/4 t baking powder
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 6 1-inch pieces
2 1/4 c (15 3/4 oz) sugar
4 large eggs
1 T vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325. Line 9x13 pan with tin foil (make sure there's extra over the lip of the pan) and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Toast nuts if using.

Whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. When chocolate mixtureis completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs one at time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle nuts evenly over better and bake until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil.

Keeps in airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, but I've never had them around for 3 days to know if this is true.

Classic Bread Pudding

This recipe was torn out of a Martha Stewart magazine before I had children, but for some reason, I never made it before. It's delicious and made in individual ramekins, looks like a far fancier dessert than it is.

Classic Bread Pudding
Serves 8

2 T unsalted butter, softened for baking dish
12 ounces brioche or challah, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups milk trust me, whole milk
3 cups heavy cream
4 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1 c sugar I think this dish could benefit from an additional flavor, so I'm thinking of trying maple syrup in place of the sugar next time--what say ye, natural sweet expert, Kendahl? Would that work?
1/2 t salt
1 T pure vanilla extract
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/2 c raisins um, I used chocolate chips because I don't like raisins, but I'm thinking maybe next time craisins with some orange zest
1 c boiling water

Butter a 9 by 12 inch baking dish or 8 individual ramekins and set asid. Put bread in a large bowl; set aside. Heat milk and cream in a medium saucepan over med-high heat until just about to simmer; remove from heat.

Whisk eggs, yok, sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a med bowl. Whisking constantly, pour cream mixture in a slow steady stream into egg mixture. Pour over bread; fold to combine. Let stand 30 minutes, tossing and pressing occasionally to submerge bread.

Meanwhile, soak raisins in 1 c boiling water for 30 minutes. I skipped this.

Drain; stire raisins into bread mixture. Preheat oven to 350. With a slotted spoon, transfer bread to buttered dish; pour liquid in bowl over top. Using spoon, turn top layer of bread crust side up.

Set dish in a roasting pan; transfer to oven. Pour boiling water into pan to reach about halfway up sides of dish. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Let dish cool on a rack 10 to 20 minutes.

Hello Dollys

These cookie bars have a million names: magic cookie bars, 7-layer bars, etc. For some reason, my family calls them Hello Dollys. I told my sister to check this blog to get the recipe and then, got a text from her saying it wasn't on here...

...probably because I have it memorized because it's easy and delicious!

Hello Dollys

1 stick of butter
14 graham cracker sheets (you know, 4 little crackers still stuck together), crushed
1 cup coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 can of sweetened condensed milk

(Other people add butterscotch chips and pecans--1 cup of each)

Melt butter, mix with crushed graham crackers and form the crust in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Spread evenly coconut and chocolate chips. Pour milk over the top.

Bake at 350 until golden--I think this takes about 20 minutes.

Joyous Almond Cups

Whenever I make these peanut butter cups I always end up making these Almond Joy-esque cups as well.  I use the same mini cupcake pan, the same spot in the freezer to freeze the two layers, and we end up with two flavors of cups to choose from for a sweet, but nourishing treat.  This recipe is my version after being inspired, as usual, by a recipe from Kimi over at The Nourishing Gourmet.

Even more so than the peanut butter cups, these joyous almond cups have a lot of coconut oil incorporated into the recipe.  Coconut oil has many benefits.  Coconut oil has a lot saturated fat.  But don't fear.  This saturated fat is good for you.  Yes you read that right.  The saturated fat in coconut oil is comprised of medium chain fatty acids, 50% of which are the fatty acid lauric acid.  Medium chain fatty acids are more easily digested, reducing strain on the liver, pancreas, and digestive system.  Coconut oil benefits a sluggish thyroid by this same logic: it takes less energy to digest coconut oil, freeing up your thyroid to heal and function better.  Coconut oil helps with energy levels and weight loss.  Coconut oil heals you from the inside out.

So when you wonder why I go through all the trouble of researching coconut oil, finding different kinds of coconut oil, and then incorporating it into my diet despite my lack of love for it's flavor, this is why.  I feel better when I have it in my daily diet.  I know the science behind it and am more than happy to have it's help healing my body.

Now let's get back to the treat part.  I make these either with or without chopped almonds.  Sort in the vein of sometimes feeling like a nut...But when I do add the nuts I make sure they are from my soaked and dehydrated stash.  Soaking nuts overnight in salt water helps neutralize the naturally-occuring enzyme inhibitors present in most nuts.  Then dehydrating them returns them back to their crispy state.  The almonds I used in this recipe were soaked, dehydrated, and then toasted for 20 minutes at 300 degrees just to bring out their flavor a little before I chopped them and added them in.

Joyous Almond Cups

coconut base:

1/2 cup gently melted coconut oil

1/4 cup gently melted raw honey

1 1/4 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1/2 cup chopped almonds, preferably soaked and dehydrated, then toasted for 20 min. at 300 degrees

chocolate topping:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3 tablespoons raw honey

3/4 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon coffee liqueur

1. Make coconut base: Combine melted coconut oil and raw honey.  Whisk well to combine.  Add shredded coconut and almond extract.  

2. Using a small ice cream scoop, divide among 24 mini cupcake molds.  Sprinkle each one with a little of the chopped almonds, dividing evenly.  Place in the freezer on a level surface for 30 minutes to harden.  

3. In the meantime, make chocolate topping: combine cocoa powder, honey, and coconut oil in a glass bowl set over simmering water.  Whisk until coconut oil is almost completely smooth.  Remove from heat and continue whisking, adding vanilla and coffee liqueur.

4. Remove frozen coconut bases, and spoon a little of the chocolate topping on each cup.  Place back in the freezer for another 30 minutes until frozen and set.  

5. To remove, pop out with a spoon or butter knife immediately after removing from the freezer.  Store in the freezer, or else they will melt.  To eat, I like to remove from the freezer and let sit for a few minutes to soften.  Enjoy with cold, whole raw milk, yum!

(cross-posted at k-land)

Peanut Butter Cups

I love these peanut butter cups.  I made them last February for R for Valentine's Day.  I wrote the other day about looking for candy for Christmas at the store, but coming up empty.  Even in my compromising mindset I couldn't find anything that would work.  So I am making a few different candies and confections to help satisfy M's and E's sweet teeth on that magical morning.

But back to the peanut butter cups.  I have tweaked the recipe just a bit.  I watch Ina Garten on the Food Network quite a bit, and on her show Barefoot Contessa she occasionally shows how she tests recipes.  Ever since she explained how chocolate is enhanced by a little bit of coffee I have been paying attention to how she pairs them in different recipes.  She says that you do not end up tasting the coffee, but the chocolate tastes better.

Sometimes she uses leftover brewed coffee, sometimes it's instant coffee or espresso granules, and sometimes it's coffee liqueur.  I have Kahlua, so I have used that recently in any chocolate recipe I make.  I just eyeball between a teaspoon and a tablespoon.  I don't know enough about how they make instant coffee crystals to use them confidently, and I don't brew coffee at home.  (The caffeine affects my adrenals and such.)

Oh, and one last thing: after I use up the natural peanut butter in the jars in my fridge I want to make my own peanut butter.  It's very handy to have peanut butter around, so I think it's worth the trouble to soak peanuts in salt water, dehydrate them and then put them through the food processor.  The point of doing all of that is to avoid the enzyme inhibitors present in peanuts and nuts in general.  The soaking process neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors, helping you to not only digest them better but absorb more nutrients from the nuts.

Peanut Butter Cups

peanut butter base:

3/4 cup natural peanut butter, preferably from soaked and dehydrated peanuts

1/4 cup gently melted coconut oil*

2 tablespoons raw honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup chopped nuts, preferably soaked/dehydrated/roasted at a low temperature (300), optional**

chocolate topping:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons raw honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon coffee liqueur

1. Mix peanut butter and coconut oil together until smooth, using a rubber spatula.  Add honey and vanilla and stir until smooth.  Using a small ice cream scoop, divide among the 24 mini cupcake molds in a mini cupcake pan.  Put into the freezer for 20 minutes or so while you make the chocolate topping.

2. In a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stir chocolate, honey, vanilla and coffee liqueur with a wooden spoon until almost smooth.  Remove from the pot and set onto a hot pot holder while you continue to stir until completely smooth.

3. Remove mini cupcake pan from freezer and spoon chocolate mixture onto each peanut butter cup, smoothing a little with the back of a spoon.  Place back into the freezer until solid, about 20 minutes or more.

4. Remove with a spoon or butter knife.  They should pop out with a little elbow grease, as long as they are completely solid.  If they mush together at all, put them back into the freezer for a few minutes and try again.  Store in the freezer until you want to eat them.

5. To eat, I like to take a few out and let them rest on a plate for a few minutes to soften.  And, of course, my favorite way to eat them is with a cold glass of whole, raw milk.  Enjoy.

*You can use virgin coconut oil (which will taste like coconut), or expeller-pressed coconut oil (which will have neutral taste).  I prefer the expeller-pressed, but I have tried it both ways and the coconut flavor does work in this recipe.

**(I didn't add these, E can't chew them very well; he choked on a swiped cashew yesterday when I wasn't looking, scary!)

(cross-posted at k-land)

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Okay, so I have wanted to make chocolate hazelnut spread for a long time.  I don't like that Nutella has sugar in it, nor milk powder and soy lecithin.  Plus, I like soaking my nuts before I eat them, that way the enzyme inhibitors are neutralized and they are much easier to digest.

Soaked, Dehydrated, and Roasted Hazelnuts

4 cups raw, organic hazelnuts

sea salt

filtered water

1.  Get out a large glass jar and fill halfway with filtered water.  Add 2 tablespoons sea salt and stir with a wooden spoon.  Add hazelnuts and cover with a cloth or coffee filter.  Let sit at room temperature overnight.

2.  The next day, pour out water and put hazelnuts onto a baking sheet or dehydrator sheet.  If using a dehydrator, dry at low heat, less than 150 degrees.  You can do this in the oven if you oven will set a temperature that low.  Or you can set it as low as possible and open the oven every now and then to let the temperature drop.  Dehydrate either way for 12 hours or more, until the nuts are nice and dry and crisp.  How do you know they're done?  Taste one!

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

2 cups (soaked, dehydrated, and roasted) hazelnuts, cooled

1/2 cup raw honey

1/3 cup organic cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoon Homemade vanilla

1 teaspoon coffee liqueur (I used Kahlua)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, gently melted (I used expeller-pressed so there is no coconut flavor)

1.  Place hazelnuts, honey, cocoa powder, vanilla, coffee liqueur, and sea salt to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Then turn on the processor and add melted coconut oil in a slow, steady stream.  Add more or less coconut oil depending on the consistency you want.  Serve.

Real Chocolate Chip Cookies

M has been begging me for chocolate chip cookies.  I had not found a good real food recipe yet, so I didn't have one on hand when he asked.  I spent some time perusing Teh Interwebz for a good recipe to modify, but nothing really spoke to me.  Then I remembered that my sister T has a good recipe in the Martha Stewart Cookies book that I had made before.  So I tracked that one down, modified it with real food and it turned out beautifully!

I haven't been making much food in the past several days, since developing a nasty cold given to me lovingly by my boys.  It was nice to mix up some cookie dough and make the house smell warm and homey while knowing that the next morning my little M would wake up to cookies for breakfast.  I didn't worry about the fact that they were eating cookies for breakfast, and here's why:

grass-fed butter is good for you

palm shortening is good for you

sprouted whole grain flour is good for you

sea salt is good for you

pastured eggs are good for you

rapadura is good for you (in small amounts, not at every meal)

cacao nibs are good for you

I made these cookies, and they were not only good for my kids, but tasted pretty good too.  The recipe yields a flatter, chewy cookie.  The rapadura and homemade vanilla give a nice earthy, carmel flavor.  The cacao nibs give a nice chocolatey crunch.  Enjoy it with glass of crisp, clean raw milk and afternoon snacktime is a big hit.

This recipe makes quite a bit of dough.  Feel free to freeze half the dough in logs wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a freezer bag.  That's what I did.

Real Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) grass-fed butter (I used Kerrygold)

1 cup palm shortening* (I used Tropical Traditions, it's made by non-exploited workers)

3 cups rapadura, or other whole sweetener* (I used Rapunzel I bought from Azure Standard)

4 large eggs (I used duck eggs.  Yes, duck eggs!)

2 teaspoons Homemade Vanilla Extract

3 1/2 cups sprouted whole grain flour (I used soft white wheat berries)

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (I used Celtic Sea Salt)

2 teaspoons baking soda (I used aluminum-free from Food Wise)

1 1/2 cups cacao nibs (I bought these in bulk at Whole Foods)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  In a stand mixer, cream butter and palm shortening until creamy.  Add rapadura and cream together until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  

2.  Into a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda.  Whisk with a wire whisk to remove lumps and sift ingredients together.  Add to wet ingredients in stand mixer slowly.  Mix until combined.  Fold in cacao nibs.

3.  Drop by large spoonfuls (2-3 tablespoons) either with a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop.  Space at least 2 inches apart to give them room to spread.  Bake two cookie sheets at a time with racks placed in the upper and lower thirds of your oven.

4.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.  Remove from cookie sheets and let cool on cooling racks.

Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Bars

I've had the ingredients for this recipe for about a month, but finally, made them last night. They're really easy (especially if you freeze semisweet chocolate chips and then, finely chop them in a food processor). The cinnamon is an especially delightful addition.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/07/chocolate-toffee-shortbread-bars.html

Basic Brownies

These brownies have such a nice flavor. I can't really describe it, but it reminds me of Cadbury chocolate or something. At any rate, they are easy and yummy. I just sprouted some wheat berries a few days ago and yesterday dehydrated them and ground them up to use for flour. Soooo worth it to make treats :)

Basic Brownies
from my friends Taryn and Corey

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
8 T. (1 stick) unsalted grass-fed butter (I used Kerrygold)
1 cup rapadura/sucanat/palm sugar
2 pastured eggs
½ cup sprouted flour (I used soft white wheat)
pinch sea salt
½ tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and line with buttered parchment paper an 8-inch square pan. Set aside.
Combine chocolate and butter in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring occasionally. When just melted, remove from heat and continue stirring until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in sugar. Beat in eggs on at a time. Gently fold in flour, salt and vanilla.
Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 20-25, or until barely set in the middle. Cool on a rack completely before refrigerating for at least 4 hours, wrapped. Then remove and cut into even squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Red, White and Blue (Coconut) Cupcakes

I have had some coconut flour ready to be used for a while now, so I made these cupcakes over the holiday weekend. The cupcakes were moist and full of berries. I am going grain-free for a little while, so the fact that they are grain- (and dairy-) free was nice so I could have some. I had to have them with a glass of (raw) milk, and they were delicious!

Red, White and Blue Cupcakes (from The Nourishing Gourmet)

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs, gently beaten with a fork
1/3 cup of honey
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. In a medium size bowl, place the coconut flour, sea salt, and baking powder. Whisk to remove any lumps.

2. Melt honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan, just until melted. (If you have over-heated it, let cool before combining it with the eggs.) Combine wet ingredients (eggs, honey, coconut oil, vanilla), and combine thoroughly into dry ingredients.

3. Fold in fresh or frozen berries. In papered or lightly greased muffin tins, put about 1/4 cup of batter in each muffin tin. Make sure to have some of the blueberries and some of the raspberries in each muffin indentation.

4. Bake for 375 degrees until the muffins are lightly browned on the top and a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the middle of the muffin (20-28 minutes).

Mint Berry Salad

At a feminist retreat I attended in March, my friend, Brooke, made this lovely fruit salad with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Then, she topped it off with a minty syrup. It looked stunning and was helpful for a queasy, morning sick stomach.

For Father's Day, I tried to recreate the syrup. Recipe sites like allrecipes.com and epicurious.com have suggestions for other fruit that would go well with the mint syrup. I followed Brooke's excellent example for mine, though.

Mint Berry Salad

1/2 flat of strawberries
3 pints of raspberries
3 pints of blueberries
3 pints of blackberries

Mint Syrup

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 plastic container of fresh mint leaves (mine said .66 oz)

Take 10-12 mint leaves and set aside. Put the rest of the mint (stems and all) with sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves.

Allow mint/sugar mixture to seep for 10 minutes. Strain and let cool.

Add 10-12 mint leaves and cooled syrup to blender. Pour to taste over mixed berries and serve within 10 to 20 minutes of adding syrup.

Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream

This is very similar to my other recipe for Vanilla-Maple Ice Cream, but in this one I used rapadura for sweetener and added cinnamon. Lovely spicy ice cream, the boys have enjoyed it today.

Cinnamon Vanilla Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups cream (I used raw)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used raw, whole)
3/4 cup rapadura
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Whisk together and set in fridge for 2 hours or so to let flavors mingle and sugar dissolve.
2. Whisk once more, turn on ice cream maker, and pour in. After ice cream sets up, put into a container and freeze overnight to get firm ice cream. Otherwise it will be like soft-serve.

Rhubarb Roulade

I made this for our monthly cousin dinner. It was really yummy. I was really nervous because I have never made a roll before and I have never cooked rhubarb before. But it turned out great so I thought I'd share.

Rhubarb Roulade

Gourmet Cookbook (Thanks Emily! I love this cookbook!)

For cake

4 large eggs, separated

8 T granulated sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1/8 t salt

3/4 c all-purpose flour

For filling

1 lb rhubarb stalks, trimmed and finely chopped

1/2 c granulated sugar

Garnish: Powdered sugar for dusting

Accompaniment: Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Special equipment: A 15-by-10-by-1 inch baking sheet

Make the Cake: Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350F. Butter baking sheet and line with wax paper. Butter paper and dust with flour, knocking out excess. (I used Pam, and it didn't work too well. When I do it next time, I'll either use butter or A LOT of pam).

Beat together yolks, 5T of sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes.

Beat whites and salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks. Add remaining 3 T sugar a little at a time, beating until whites just hold stiff peaks.

Gently fold one third of flour and one third of whites into yolk mixture, then gently fold in remaining flour and whites in 2 more batches, making sure flour is throughly incorporated.

Spread batter evenly on lined sheet and bake until top is pale and dry to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer sheet with cake to a rack, cover cake with a kitchen towel, and cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine rhubarb and sugar in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until rhubarb is reduced to a thick puree, about 8 minutes. . Spread filling on a plate and refrigerate for 5 minutes.

Assemble the roulade: Remove towel and position cake with a short end nearest you. Spread rhubarb filling evenly over cake, leaving a 1-inch border on each short end. Put a platter next to far end of cake. Beginning with short side near you and using wax paper as an aid, roll up cake jelly-roll style. Carefully transfer roll seam side down to platter, using wax paper as an aid. cool cake for 45 minutes.

Dust cake generously with confectioners' sugar. Slice with a serrated knife and serve with whipped cream.

Cook's Note:

The rhubarb filling can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered.

Mine is far from perfect, but for my first time I don't think it was too bad. Anyway, it still tasted delicious!