Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Valentine's Day is coming up and what better to give than homemade sweets?  How about homemade healthier sweets?  Anytime you can sneak some fiber, protein, vitamins, and or minerals into your food, without sabotaging the taste, is a win in my eyes.  Whole wheat flour is great for you, but the taste is a little too earthy for most.  Did you know that white whole wheat flour has the same nutritional value as whole wheat flour?  The two flours are made from different wheat plants.  White whole wheat flour does not contain the compound in (red) whole wheat flour responsible for that wheat like taste.   The end result is a more mild product that still has a good nutritional advantage over refined white flour.  


This recipe calls for brown sugar which I showed you how to make in my last post (here).  Try it and you might impress yourself.


Ingredients:

• 7 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Splenda
• 1 large egg white
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Cup white whole wheat flour 
• 1/4 Cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 3/4 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Makes approximately 17 large cookies.


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix melted butter and sugars in a medium bowl until creamy.

Add in egg white, heavy cream, and vanilla extract making sure to mix thoroughly.

Gradually mix in flours, baking soda, and salt.  Note: I never mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  I just throw the ingredients in and get an arm workout.  
Lastly add chocolate chips.

Lay cookie dough approximately in 1 inch rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet making sure not to overcrowd the cookies.  Softly flatten the cookies.

Cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Continue baking batches of cookies and or store dough for future use.  

Verdict: Chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, just like a chocolate chip cookie should be.  Plus each cookie has 1 gram of belly filling fiber.  

Candied Pistachio and Bourbon Cream Topping for Pumpkin Pie

I'm not a whiskey girl, but I love how a little vanilla, spice, and cream can make Bourbon so classy and indulgent.  This topping with give you a pleasant warmness without growing an hair on your chest.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pumpkin Pie 
• 3/4 cup pistachios, shelled
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 cup (8 ounces) Mascarpone cheese
• 1 Tablespoon bourbon
• 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Dissolve sugar, maple syrup, and water in small saucepan over medium heat mixing often.  Once sugar is dissolved, remove pan from heat, and mix in pistachios.  Using a slotted spoon drain excess syrup from pistachios and spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake pistachios for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let pistachios cool.  

Meanwhile thourougly mix Mascarpone cheese, bourbon, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl.  Serve pumpkin pie slices with a dollop of the bourbon cream and a sprinkle of candied pistachios.  

Thanksgiving 2011 - A sneak peak

Featuring:

Drunken Turkey and Gravy
Easy Cornbread Stuffing
Healthier Mashed Potatoes
Mom's Delicious Cranberry Sauce
Harvest Fruit Salad
Steamed green beans
Wine of your choosing
Easy Pumpkin Pie with Candied Pistachios and Bourbon Cream

Easy Pumpkin Pie

This recipe makes two pies.  One pie for me, and another to share with the family.  

Feel free to use homemade pie crust or prepared frozen shells in this recipe.  If you can find French Picnic pastry circles, however, I highly recommend that product.  The dough is decadent, rich, and tastes homemade, without the hassle of making your own dough.  French Picnic pastry circles, if available, can be found in the frozen foods section.  

Ingredients (for 2 pies):

• 1 (30 ounce) can pure pumpkin (not canned pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans fat free sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 pre-made pie crusts

Directions:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Prep pie crusts accordingly. 

Note: I thaw the frozen French Picnic pastry circles for 10 minutes and then mold the dough into pie pans.  This step does not have to be perfect people.  

Mix pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and spices in a large bowl.  Pour pumpkin mixture evenly into each prepared pie crust.  

Bake the pies at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook an additional 40 minutes.  When the pie is done a knife inserted 1 inch from crust should come out clean.  Allow pies to cool before garnishing.  

I make these pies the night before serving allowing adequate time for pies to set.  I love sweetened and condensed milk alone, but it really adds to this recipe.  The pie is subtly sweet with a nice hint of spice and not too dense.  Combined with the French Circle pastry and you have a perfect buttery, light crust.  It's a winner all around.  

Whip cream makes an easy topping, but for something a little more special stay tuned for my easy glazed pistachio and bourbon cream topping.  

Hot Cookies

I wish I had made these cookies, but I cannot take credit for them.

The picture was forwarded to me in an email that read, "The church threw my cookies out of the bake sale again!"

So brilliant.  I have to make these for a future event since the look very easy.  My guess is to roll out dough for a sugar cookie.  Cut out heart shaped pieces and chop off the bottom of the heart near the tip.  Cook as directed, cool, and decorate to your hearts content.