Orange Coconut Biscotti

Why did I make these orange coconut biscotti?  Because I can, I wanted to and mostly, because I had a huge bag of coconut in my pantry!  So, I'll add this to my biscotti repertoire.  I prefer a soft cookie like biscotti which is why I rarely second bake them.  It doesn't make sense to me to have to dunk them in order to soften them up to be edible!  But, that's just my opinion....

I also revised a recipe to include a chocolate drizzle on top.  Everything is better with chocolate and besides, it added to the visual appeal.  These would be fantastic with a chocolate or coconut ice cream!

Orange Coconut Biscotti 

1/4 lb (1 stick) softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla (I used orange extract in this recipe)

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted for garnish (optional)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and whatever extract flavor you want while mixing well.  Reduce mixer speed and add the coconut, then the flour,  baking powder and salt.  Divide the dough into 3 pieces and form each into a "log" about 12  inches in length.  Place onto a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until golden.

Remove, cool slightly and gently lift onto a cutting board.  Using a long serrated knife, slice into 1/2 inch diagonal pieces.  Drizzle with melted chocolate in a crisscross pattern.  And there you have it!  Enjoy.  

Keep in a tightly sealed container to insure the softness.

Five Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Still in the hunt  to find that perfect cookie!  It doesn't exist in my kitchen, but I found a recipe to tweak which has no added sugars!  And it tastes good!  Hooray.  The recipe included turmeric, however, healthy as it may be....I didn't want to go there, yet!  I figured Chinese 5 spice would be an interesting substitution for the turmeric.  It was, and we proceeded to make them disappear within 24 hours (or less).  I know they would never win a contest for the best looking cookie...who cares if they taste good and are good for you!


Five Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Tbsp Chinese five spice powder

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup almond flour

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 Tbsp applesauce

2 Tbsp tahini (or peanut butter)

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp honey

1/3 cup brown rice crisps (or rice crispy type cereal)

1/3 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

In a bowl, add all the ingredients, except cereal and chips, and mix well.  Add the cereal and chips blending well.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place small spoonfulls of batter onto a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes.  This recipe makes approximately 20-24 cookies.  Enjoy!

Italian Frangipane Mini Tarts

I know, Christmas has passed, but I wanted to share this recipe I made this year.    For so many reasons I've never been much of a baker.  Too little time when I worked,  too much altitude where I live and too much of a temptation to have all those baked goodies lurking in my home!

A new addition, which will become a tradition, was a recipe for frangipane bites or mini tarts.   These were made using almond paste and cake flour and each mini bite contained a "secret".  You can "switch up" the secret ingredient with maybe a ginger chunk, chocolate chip or dried cranberries.  For this trial I used dried apricots since they compliment the subtle almond flavor nicely.   Try your hand at it!  No need to wait for the holidays to make these.

Italian Frangipane Mini Tarts

1 stick or 8 oz. butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup almond paste

1/3 cup cake flour

about 15  dried apricots

1/3 cup sliced almonds (for garnish)

sugar or decorator's sugar (for garnish)

You will place paper liners into 2 24 cup mini muffin trays.  Combine all the ingredients from butter through flour in a food processor, blending until smooth.  Fill each mini muffin cup only about 1/3 full.  They will puff up.  Snip the apricots up and press a piece into each cup.  Sprinkle with a few sliced almonds and dust with sugar.  Bake for 14-15 minute in a 350 degree oven.  Cool and pop them in your mouth.

Scratch Christmas!!!

What does that mean?  Scratch, in this case, is an adjective not a verb.  No, it doesn't mean I would like to get rid of Christmas (although, I don't like the "happy holidays and the Xmas greetings").   Do we have to diminish everything important because we must be politically correct ALL the time?  There, I got it out...and I feel better!

This Christmas was a "made from scratch" event in the kitchen.  For Christmas Eve, we had our Feast of the Six Fishes.  Yes. it's seven fishes, but we had too much food and I chose to scale it back.  We started with appetizers like my son's bacon wrapped scallops (the best by far) and baked not fried coconut panko shrimp with a spicy apricot dipping sauce.  The appetizers were eaten in such a frenzy that I neglected to capture them with a picture!  Oh no!  Moving on we gathered around the table for traditional seafood pasta with more shrimp, scallops, clams and cod.  Yum.  A small salad of butter greens sprinkled with pistachios and goat cheese topped with caramelized pears accompanied the seafood bucatini.

And because I didn't want to put up with the crowds and traffic (or out of laziness on my part) I decided to make cannoli shells, previously purchased in the past, from scratch.  I don't recommend doing this on the eve of Christmas Eve!  I was surprised how easy the process went.  I had the cannoli shell forms hidden in the cupboard and I've never used these in well over 15 years.  Shameful...

I kid you not. They're from scratch.

In addition to the meal we arrived at grandma's earlier in the week to do a bit of Christmas cookie baking.   My son made sugar coated rosettes while his bride whipped up molasses spice cookies.  Grandma busied herself by creating a pumpkin pecan pie and I tried my hand at a new recipe.  Mini frangipane tartletts.  I'll make these again, for sure!  (recipe to come).

Rosettes, molasses spice and frangipane bites

I asked myself so many times this year why I went to so much trouble preparing everything from scratch.  Hmmmm....not sure, except that it all comes from my heart...I enjoy it....and This year my mind needed to stay busy.  I hope everyone's Christmas was special and blessed!

Traditional Anise Flavored Biscotti

As a young girl my best friend was Italian.  My mother would often visit with JoJo's mom down the street for afternoon tea or coffee.  This was during an era when most mom's did not work outside the home except for volunteering at school or church.  I never minded going over to JoJo's except that her family always had these strange looking and equally strange tasting cookies.  What's a biscotti?  What I was experiencing at such an early age is exactly what I made in my kitchen the other day!  Now they aren't so strange.  If fact, they were darn good!

These days, I make biscotti for my best friend, who is also Italian.  He also happens to be my BEST friend for the last 40 years...and my hubby.    Even though these biscotti are on the plain side, they don't lack for flavor and they certainly didn't last very long in this home!

Traditional Anise Flavored Biscotti

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp anise extract

1 - 2 tsp orange extract (I thought this would give it more flavor but optional)

3 1/4 cups flour, all-purpose

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 egg white, beaten

1 -2 Tbsp sugar (regular granulated)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   In a large bowl beat the oil, eggs, sugar and extracts.   In a smaller measuring cup or bowl combine the flour and baking powder.    Add the flour into the egg/sugar mixture and blend until a heavy dough begins to form.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces.   (NOTE)  Working on a floured board,  form them into 12 inch or so long log shapes.  Slightly press down.  Brush some egg white onto the surface and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, turning the pan halfway through the cooking process.  When golden brown remove from the oven and slide them off onto a clean cutting board to cool slightly.  With a serrated knife slice them into 1/2 inch slices.  I usually don't "second bake" my biscotti...I like them on the chewy side.  You can though.  Just put back onto the cookie sheet cut side up and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.

NOTE:  

For this batch I made one loaf plain and one with chopped almonds.  This is where you would add them.

Chocolate Ginger Biscotti

When hubby and I travel I try to make healthy snacks to go along for the ride, especially when it involves air travel.  Chances are usually 100% that you'll have a "glitch", missed connection, delays, etc, etc.  For the trip down to Riviera Maya this past week, I started my Christmas baking with these chocolate ginger biscotti, knowing they wouldn't last but a few days.  Yes, they were that good!  My only regret was that I didn't make more...could have sold a few to the other passengers as they forked over $8.00 for a salty, tasteless airline snack pack!

More about our trip, later...  Right now you should run to your kitchen and give these a try.  

Chocolate Ginger Biscotti

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour

2 large eggs, for the batter

1 egg for brushing the tops, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp vanilla

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, cut up

1/2 cup mini or regular size chocolate chips

2 Tbsp water (depending on the dough consistency)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl stir the pecans, sugar, baking powder, 2 cups flour and the chocolate.

In a smaller bowl, stir the 2 eggs and vanilla until blended.  Add to the flour mixture, then add the ginger and stir.  Wet your hands and start to "work" with the dough.  It will be very sticky.  If it is too dry add some of the additional water until you can form a ball.  If they are too sticky, add some additional flour.  Cut in half. 

On a floured surface, shape each half into a "log" shape about 12 inches long, 3 inches wide and 3/4 inch high.  Place the loaves onto a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Brush with the 1 beaten egg.

Bake for 40 minutes, turning the pan half way through the cooking time.  They should be golden brown.  Remove and cool for about 20 minutes.  Lift the loaves onto a cutting board and using a serrated knife, cut into 3/4 inch slices.

Traditional biscotti get their crunch by baking twice.  I don't like them hard unless they're for dunking.  If you choose to bake twice, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Cool and hide store.  The chocolate and spicy ginger is a great combination.  Love them!

Christmas Baking??

Tell me it isn't so!  I happened to glance at the calender yesterday and realized Christmas is less than three weeks away!  I don't know about you, but I always have high hopes and good intentions for "doing it all" this time of year.  My Christmas tree went up the day after Thanksgiving.  Check and done!  Sometimes I think I do this for my cat.  That way she'll think she's an outdoor kitty for at least a few weeks.  She sits next to the manger scene under the tree for hours and keeps the wise men company after she "inspects" (tries to reach and remove) the shiny objects hanging on the tree.

Every year I feel a strong  urge to bake cookies, breads and just anything sweet!  This year I'm holding back so I can lose a few more pounds or at least not gain so much during the Holidays.  I'll be making tiramisu for Christmas dinner but I have to wait until the last minute to prepare that.  I pondered making an old recipe for pizzelles, those delicate, crunchy fried dough shapes.  Too messy!  Years ago I'd make those cookies you find in the store that you cut and bake, then frost and decorate.  Always good but, too easy!

My amaretto balls are wonderful to pop into your mouth, but I think I'm the only one who eats those....nope!  Santa likes my spice cookies with molasses in the batter...possibly.  Perhaps I'll come up with a new Christmas version of biscotti.......or mini turnover cookies using fig jam and some with nutella!  Last year, I was feeling rather ambitious when I made cannoli.   Not so, this year!

Santa's spice cookies

Snickerdoodles

Italian brunch bread

What do you make for Christmas cookies?  I'd love to hear your thoughts....  All I know is that I'll be designating 3-4 days before Christmas to do most of my baking.  Wish me luck!

Lavender Chocolate Chip Biscotti

I may have found my calling.  I  imagine life in a small coastal Italian town where biscotti abounds and people come to my shop to taste my latest biscotti creations!  A girl can dream, right?   I'm currently on a biscotti baking bender!  Not those hard tooth breaking kind where a cup of coffee or glass of milk is a requirement for dunking (softening).  My biscotti are crunchy on the outside but chewy till the last bite.

As you know I like to cook or bake with secret ingredients.  This time I sprinkled a bit of culinary lavender into the batter.  What a pleasant surprise!   Now, to figure a way to market them.  Yes, they were that good!  Stay tuned for more flavors and variations of my "Beloved Biscotti".

This recipe makes between 40-50 biscotti. (2 loaves cut roughly into 1/2 - 3/4 inch slices)  I made both with lavender but only one had the addition of blueberry craisins.  Both were quite wonderful.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (toasted or not)

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 tsp culinary lavender, crushed

1/2 cup chocolate chips or small chunks

2 large eggs, for batter

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup blueberry flavored craisins (optional)

2 Tbsp water (depending on dough consistency)

1 egg, beaten for brushing the tops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl hand mix the hazelnuts, sugar, baking powder, flour, lavender and chocolate chips.  

In a smaller bowl stir in the 2 eggs and vanilla.  Add to the flour mixture along with the blueberry craisins, if using.  Flour your hands and use a well floured surface (bread board) to start working with the dough.  It will be VERY sticky and will look like a mistake.  Persevere!  It will come together.  If it's too dry, add some of the water.  If it's too wet add a bit of flour.  Form a ball and cut in half.

On the floured surface roll each piece into a log shape approximately 12 inches long, 3 inches wide and only 3/4 inch high.  Do the same with the other loaf.  Arrange on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  Brush with the beaten egg.

Bake for 40 minutes, turning the baking sheet around halfway through.  The loaves should be golden colored.  Remove and cool for 20 minutes before slicing.  Resist the urge to eat them.

After cooling slide them onto a cutting surface.  Using a serrated knife cut into 3/4 inch slices.

At this point you have a BIG decision to make.  For traditional biscotti (harder), reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees.  Place the cut biscotti onto the same parchment covered cookie sheet.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes.  I like my biscotti softer so I either don't do the second baking or only bake the second time for 10 minutes.  You can choose.  Remove when done, cool and store in an airtight container.

Here are the chocolate lavender blueberry biscotti!

Best Ever Homemade Power Bars

As mentioned in the previous post, these power bars are the best I've ever tasted and no baking involved!  The inspiration came from a cookbook my almost daughter-in-law loaned me called Super Natural Cooking.   It's all about incorporating whole and natural ingredients when cooking.  I got a little creative with some of the ingredients where I could, but why change a good thing.

I made the power bars for our recent road trip to the coast and they were the perfect snack instead of the traditional "road trip Cheetos".   Chock full of nuts, fruit, ginger bits and chocolate...you'll love them, too!  I recommend buying most of the nuts, oats, raisins, etc. in bulk.  It's much more inexpensive and you'll have a bunch on hand to whip these up.  You'll want a second batch!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 1/4 cup rolled oats

1 1/4 cup nuts (I used 1/2 c chopped hazelnuts, 1/2 c pecans and 1/4 cup chopped almonds)

1/2 cup oat bran

1 1/2 cup crisp brown rice cereal

1 cup chopped raisins or flavored craisins (I used 1/2 mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cup blueberry craisins)

3 Tbsp chopped crystallized ginger

1 cup brown rice syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup cane sugar (I used vegan cane sugar)

1/2 tsp salt

Grease a 9x13 pan with the coconut oil.  In a large bowl combine the next 6 listed ingredients, thru ginger bits.  Mix well and set aside.  In a small pan add the brown rice syrup, vanilla, sugar and salt.  Bring to a slow boil, stirring and reduce heat and cook for about 4 minutes.  Add this to the dry oat/nut mixture.  Stir until well blended.  Pour into the 9x13 pan and press down with moistened (wet) hands or spatula.  Cool to room temperature.  No baking.  When cool, cut into bars.  This recipe makes about 16-24 bars.  They can be refrigerated for future use or covered and left at room temp as long as it's not too warm.  Delicious!!

Sugarless Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't have a fondness for cookies?  Somehow, they transport me to my childhood.  Whether they were  Tollhouse chocolate chip made by my mother or snicker doodles or rice crispy treats at grandma's house, cookies were always a welcome comfort dessert. 

I stumbled across this basic recipe for applesauce cookies from delish.com and made several revisions.  Instead of the required nuts, I just poured in some mini chocolate chips.  Must eat chocolate......yummmmmmm!  That's my new meditation chant phrase!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup quick oats

3/4 cup raisins

1 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375.  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In another bowl put your wet ingredients, stirring well.  Blend the dry with the wet.

Spoon the dough  onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Cool and eat.  Makes about 3-4 dozen.

Raisin Bran Chip Cookies

I'm always looking for a healthy alternative to sweets.  I do have a sweet tooth!  I found this recipe right on the back of hubby's cereal box, and it looked worth trying, but tweaking!  This is what I came up with.  It's worth mentioning that they didn't last a full 24 hours!  Oh no...that just means they satisfied that sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup oil

2 Tbsp water

2 egg whites slightly beaten (I used egg beaters)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups raisin bran

1 cup flour

1/4 cup nuts,  chopped (I used pecans)

1/4 cup or less mini  semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix the sugar, oil, water, eggs, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  Add the cereal and flour stirring well.  Add the nuts and chips.  Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.  Remove and cool completely.  Store in a tightly covered container.  (I skipped that part, they disappeared quickly)  Makes between 2-3 dozen cookies.

Quilt-Free Fruited Truffles

It appears as if I never do any baking.  The fact is I don't produce enough baked goodies to become good at it.  I try.  But, another reason you don't see many decadent treats on this blog is because I'll  have to eat them.  Someone has to do it! 

Last week my first Christmas cookies slid out of the oven.  They're gone!   I followed a recipe from a book I just finished, "The Christmas Cookie Club", by Ann Pearlman.  It's worth the read.  Instead of shelving it, I chose to make a few of the cookies, the molasses ginger crisps (they were amazing) and the fruited candies (similar to my amaretto balls, but without the guilt).  I changed some of the ingredients (of course) and this is what I came up with.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup each of raisins, dates and prunes.  (I used 3/4 cup golden raisins and 1/4 cup regular raisins...I ran out)

1 cup walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)

1/2 cup crystallized ginger

1 Tbsp amaretto

For rolling, I used confectioners sugar and  cocoa.

In a food processor, combine the fruit, nuts and ginger.  Pulse until well blended and the mixture comes together (in a big clump)  Add the amaretto (optional) and pulse to mix in.  With wet hands make walnut size balls.  Roll into the topping of sugar or cocoa.  Refrigerate for later.  Makes approximately 36.

NOTE: If you or children are allergic, you may want to try crushed vanilla wafers instead of nuts!

Lavender Lemon Drop Cookies

Over the past few years. I've been dabbling in culinary lavender recipes.  It's great in sweet and savory dishes and smells heavenly!  I now have a couple of bushes in my backyard and some have decided to spread amongst the rocks.  The plan is to let them be and to strategically add to them every year until my yard is filled with their beauty and relaxing scent!

Future backyard

I've tried making lavender pancakes, cookies and cakes and look forward to finding other ways to use this intoxicating herb.  Maybe a vanilla lavender ice cream! 

I found this recipe online from the Avonlea West Island Retreat in British Columbia.  The name suggests a serene and scenic place!  I followed it very closely because sometimes baking and me don't see eye to eye.  This time the result was good and I'll certainly make these again.

Makes about 3 dozen

10-12 sprigs of fresh lavender

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

zest from 1 lemon

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude)  Lightly grease cookie sheet.  Peel off the lavender florets.  Cream butter and sugar in a mixer.  Add the lemon zest, juice and vanilla.  Then beat in the egg.  Blend in the dry ingredients.

The dough will be slightly sticky.  Drop by teaspoon onto the cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes until a  light golden color.  Pop them in your mouth and relax!

A Special Birthday to a Special Lady

Happy Birthday, Grandma. Even though its been about 30 years since she left this earth, her influence and memories remain strong. I spent many moments with her and developed quite a bond. As much as I'd like to write more about her, I don't want to divulge too much. She is a main character in my book. Yes, the book is coming along!

But, I didn't want the day to pass without honoring her memory and wishing her a happy birthday! My grandmother had a "severe" sweet tooth and taught me everything she knew! I was a good student! She loved her piece of pie but I didn't want to bake a pie. I'm not that great at baking. So, in her honor I made the simplest cookies ever. To make it special for her I used orange marmalade. It seemed as if she always had marmalade to go on her toast. Very French!

This recipe is almost embarrassing it's so easy. Set the oven to 400 degrees. Use 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry. After defrosting it, roll the edges into a tight jellyroll. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Dip one end in sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Make a small indent with a spoon and spoon your favorite jam into the center. Sprinkle with more sugar and bake for 20 minutes or so. Sweet, simple and lovely just like my grandma!

Spice Cookies for Santa

I remember many a Christmas Eve when my sister and I would lay in our beds and quietly listen for Santa's sleigh bells and reindeers screeching to a halt on top of our roof. I just knew I'd be able to hear them if I listened long enough. I'm sure nobody else did this, right? As a tradition we would bake cookies for Santa and leave carrot sticks for his reindeer, especially Rudolf! In the morning we would check our stockings and always rush to see if Santa enjoyed our cookies. For some reason the carrot sticks would still be there, maybe a little chewed up on the ends but the cookies were always gone. I don't remember what kind we made. It's been many years.

Flash forward, 25 years later, as parents, we made sure Santa and his reindeers were taken care of. I enjoyed the time with my son as we busily baked and baked. Festively frosted and decorated sugar cookies were the most popular. Those "rolls" of cookie dough sure came in handy when I was working and short on time. But, this was a tradition that couldn't be left out during Christmas week, so I did whatever I could to welcome Santa into our home!

This year, I swore to myself that I wasn't going to bake as much. But, tradition got in the way and I proceeded to bake. This time I found a spicy molasses type cookie recipe I've been meaning to try. The results would be good enough for Santa and maybe a few elves. Hopefully someone can carry on those cookie capers with this great recipe! And you should always leave a glass of milk since Santa has acquired the "dunking" skill over the years!

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 c butter, room temperature

1 egg

3 T molasses

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ginger, ground

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp each of salt, ground cloves and ground nutmeg

additional sugar in a bowl for rolling

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the sugar and butter in a large bowl. Mix until fluffy, and add egg and molasses. In large measuring cup or bowl add sifted flour, baking soda and spices, mixing well. Add to the butter mixture and blend. At this point you can refrigerate and make them later, or not. Place additional sugar into a bowl. Using a teaspoon, scoop dough the size of a walnut, make into a ball and roll in the sugar. Put on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and try not to eat all of Santa's cookies! Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

Zucchini Oatmeal Spice Cookies

What a mouthful for a cookie name! These small cookies pack a big punch when it comes to flavor and you'll want a mouthful because they're almost "guilt free". I had a request to make more "healthy" cookies so I went to the pantry to see how I could switch it up. I found raisins and oats summoning me. I also had a small amount of hazelnuts waiting to be used. This is how I cook. My pantry has a way of dictating my meals.

I substituted a few ingredients from the chocolate zucchini cookie version I posted a few weeks ago and came up with the following equally good if not better healthy cookie. I even eliminated the butter and eggs in this recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 c applesauce

1 c brown sugar

1 1/4 c oats

1 T oil

1 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground

1 1/4 c grated zucchini

1/2 c raisins

1/2 c hazelnuts

1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl or stand mixer cream applesauce and brown sugar. Combine flour, oats, spices, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to the sugar mixture until blended. Add zucchini, mix and add nuts, raisins, and zest. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased or parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for around 15 minutes. These are soft, healthy and full of flavor. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

My next cookie extravaganza experiment will be a Zucchini chocolate chip oatmeal cookie! Yum!

Road Trip Chocolate Zucchini Cookies

We took a road trip of sorts last Wednesday. A quick ride to the OC in California and back a day later. I can't tell you how many times we've driven this road since we moved from there over 35 years ago! We can probably do it in our sleep. It was actually for my aunt's funeral and you just do what you have to do and always do what's right. More on that later.

When it comes to food and snacks on our road trip it has always meant, Cheetos! Although I'm not a fan of chips and crackers I love, love Cheetos. I even had a cat that would help me eat Cheetos. He'd sneak into the cupboard, pry open the door and dump them on the ground to eat them! Pretty smart!

Anyway, this trip was different, No Cheetos. How will I survive? Chocolate is always a good substitute so I came up with these chocolate, zucchini, of course, cookies. I used a recipe from allrecipes.com but changed a few ingredients to make it even healthier! They taste much better than they look. (They resemble a cow paddy, sorry.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet or simply use parchment paper.

Ingredients:

1/2 c butter, softened

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 c white flour

2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c rolled oats

1/3 c cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 c zucchini, grated

In a bowl cream the butter, and sugars until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla and spice. Combine the flours, oats, cocoa, baking soda and salt and gradually stir into the other mixture. Fold in the zucchini and drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for approx. 11 minutes. Allow to cool. Makes about 4 dozen soft cookies. Perfect for that road trip! Enjoy!