Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
I always like to bake something a bit special at the weekend, a bit of a treat. Lately I have been experimenting with gluten free and sugar free goodies. This is because I am a type 2 Diabetic as well as having IBS, so eating causes me a bit of a double whammy.
Today I created a healthy chocolate chip oatmeal cookie that is not only gluten free but contains no sugar whatsoever. There is also no dairy or nuts in them!
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
Not all of my experiments turn out, but today this one did and I was so pleased. Cindy and Dan happened by not too long after I had taken them out of the oven and they both enjoyed one while they were here and Cindy took half a dozen home with her.
I thought perhaps Dad might enjoy them as well. He is also a type 2 Diabetic and Cindy is borderline. So we all need to watch our carbs and our sugars.
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
That's hard when you have a bit of a sweet tooth, and we all do. So its nice to know that it is possible to create something that is not only delicious, but also diabetic friendly and gluten free.
I still wouldn't go overboard eating them. Just saying! Too much of anything is never a good thing!
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES
Definitely not ordinary every day ingredients, but if you are keeping a gluten free and sugar free kitchen, these will fit right in!
- 1/2 cup (125g) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated swerve (can use regular sugar)
- 2/3 cup )133g) brown sugar swerve (can use regular brown sugar)
- 1 large free range egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (150g) gluten free all purpose flour (use one that measures 1:1)
- 1 1/2 cups (140g) quick oats
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt (I do not use this)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (185g) sugar free chocolate chips
- a few extra chocolate chips to pop on top (optional)
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
They are not calorie free for sure, but at least there is no gluten and no refined sugar. I have used swerve sugar substitute which comes in granulated, brown and icing sugar varieties. It is made from completely natural plant ingredients.
The gluten free flour I used was Bob's Red Mill. I have some here that is milled locally at the Valley Flax Mill (just around the corner from me), but I want to use up my Bob's first. You can use any gluten free flour that measures one for one.
My sister figured out the net carbs per cookie and they came out at about 8.8 carbs per cookie, which is not bad. Not keto but low carb for sure.
Lily makes great sugar free chocolate chips, but you can usually find a good sugar free chocolate chip at the grocery store. Any sugar free will work for these.
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES
Nothing could be simpler. They go together like any cookie. You may find the dough to be a bit crumbly but I use my hands to shape the balls and they smoosh together nicely!
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
Cream the butter and both sugars together for about a minute and then beat in the egg and the vanilla.
Whisk together all the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Fold these into the wet ingredients to combine well. Stir in the chocolate chips.
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
Shape the dough into 2 TBS sized balls and place on the baking sheet leaving at least 2 inches space in between. Press down lightly with the palm of your hand.
Pop a few extra chocolate chips on top of each. (optional)Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the bake time.
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before scooping them off onto a wire rack to cool completely. They might crumble if you try to scoop them off too soon.
These cookies are crisp, yet chewy and filled with an abundance of chocolate chips. You can cut back on the chocolate chips if you want to, but I was quite happy with the amount that I used.
.JPG "Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies")
Over all I was quite pleased with how these turned out. High fiber because of the oats, no gluten, no sugar at all and very low carb.
What more could an overweight Diabetic with IBS ask for? Not a lot I reckon!
AFTERNOTE - Although these were incredibly delicious on the first day, they don't keep very well. Although still edible, and still tasty, by the second day they had become rather hard. I am not sure if this is due to the sweetener used or the gluten free flour. Back to the drawing board.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Yield: 24
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min
These delicious cookies are not only gluten free, but also sugar free, nut free and dairy free. Made in one bowl and stuffed with plenty of sugar free chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125g) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated swerve (can use regular sugar)
- 2/3 cup )133g) brown sugar swerve (can use regular brown sugar)
- 1 large free range egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (150g) gluten free all purpose flour (use one that measures 1:1)
- 1 1/2 cups (140g) quick oats
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt (I do not use this)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (185g) sugar free chocolate chips
- a few extra chocolate chips to pop on top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.
- Cream the butter and both sugars together for about a minute and then beat in the egg and the vanilla.
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Fold these into the wet ingredients to combine well. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Shape the dough into 2 TBS sized balls and place on the baking sheet leaving at least 2 inches space in between. Press down lightly with the palm of your hand.
- Pop a few extra chocolate chips on top of each. (optional)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the bake time.
- Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before scooping them off onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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Coffee Bean Cookies. I saw these cookies earlier this week on a blog called One Happy Bite. I thought that they were really cute!
They look just like coffee beans! I don't drink coffee, but I am not opposed to eating it. I love the flavor of it in cakes and cookies, and I especially love the flavor of coffee mixed with chocolate! And I tend to keep some good coffee in for guests coming over, which makes these the perfect combo."
Not only were these cookies combining those two loves of mine, ie. chocolate and coffee, but they were cute, cute, cute!
I put them on my "To Bake" list!
The recipe makes about 40 smallish, bite-sized cookies. Soft and almost shortbread textured, they have a rich coffee flavor with a hint of chocolate.
I loved that they were not overly sweet. Which is what you would expect from a shortbread kind of a cookie. Mine did not turn out quite as cute as hers did, but I still thought they were cute, and what's more they had a very moreish texture and flavor.
As I said, I do not drink coffee. It is due to a health law in my church called the Word of Wisdom. We are not supposed to drink regular tea or coffee, but it says nothing about eating it.
As with anything it is open to individual interpretation. I do not drink it, but I do allow myself to eat foods flavored with it. There are some who won't, and that is fine.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE COFFEE BEAN COOKIES
Just ordinary simple ingredients.
- 1 TBS instant coffee granules
- 2 tsp milk
- 1 cup cake flour (140g) see note
- 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1/3 cup (76g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 7 TBS icing sugar (57g)
Note - If you do not have cake flour you can make your own. Measure out one cup of flour, remove 2 TBS and replace with 2 TBS of cornstarch.
I just used regular salted butter for my cookies. The original recipe called for unsalted butter, but I don't keep unsalted butter in my kitchen as a rule. I just use regular butter.
Corn starch is what they call corn flour in the UK. Cocoa powder is not drinking chocolate. It is unsweetened cocoa powder which has specifically designed to use in baking and cooking. There is no sugar or milk added such as is added to hot cocoa powder.
The two are NOT the same thing or interchangeable.
You will not need the white from the egg, but it doesn't need to be wasted. Egg whites freeze very easily.
I freeze them in ice cube trays and then pop them into a zip lock baggie, ready to be thawed and used for meringues or anything else that you will need only the egg whites.
HOW TO MAKE COFFEE BEAN COOKIES
These are very easy to make, but do bear in mind that the unbaked cookies have to chill in the refrigerator for an hour before baking. Because of this, don't preheat your oven until just prior to baking.
Place the milk in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in the coffee granules until fully dissolved. Set aside.
Place the butter into a bowl. Beat together with the icing sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg yolk until pale in color. Beat in the coffee until evenly distributed.
Roll the dough into a long log. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Using the palm of your hands shape into oval shapes, resembling a coffee bean. Place onto a large baking sheet which you have lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. (I left about 2 inches between each cookie but they really don't spread a lot.)
Press down the center of each cookie with the dull side of a butter knife or a toothpick to make an impression like the center of a coffee bean.
Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375*F/160*C/ gas mark 3. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes.
Cool and enjoy. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
I was so tempted to dust these with some icing sugar, but I restrained myself. They might have been prettier with the icing sugar, but then they wouldn't have really looked like coffee beans!
I remember seeing a guy walking around the grocery store once upon a time eating coffee beans. I can't think of anything less palatable, but maybe it is a cultural thing?
I could not eat a real coffee bean, but I can tell you I will quite happily munch on these tasty cookies! I can imagine they would go very well with a hot drink!
Coffee Bean Cookies
Yield: 40 small cookies
Prep time: 1 H & 15 MCook time: 14 MinTotal time: 1 H & 29 M
Bite sized chocolate cookies with a rich coffee flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 TBS instant coffee granules
- 2 tsp milk
- 1 cup cake flour (140g) see note
- 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1/3 cup (76g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 7 TBS icing sugar (57g)
Instructions
- Place the milk in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in the coffee granules until fully dissolved. Set aside.
- Place the butter into a bowl. Beat together with the icing sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg yolk until pale in color. Beat in the coffee until evenly distributed.
- Sift together the flour, corn starch, and cocoa powder. Stir into the butter mixture until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Finish by using your hands to knead, mix and press the dough together until smooth.
- Roll the dough into a long log. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Using the palm of your hands shape into oval shapes, resembling a coffee bean. Place onto a large baking sheet which you have lined with baking paper or a silicone mat.
- Press down the center of each cookie with the dull side of a butter knife or a toothpick to make an impression like the center of a coffee bean.
- Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/160*C/ gas mark 3.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. Cool and enjoy.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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Here we are on the eve of what is known as Valentines Day. Of course I no longer have a Valentine, but I do have people that I love and care about and so I thought I would bake some Valentine Cookies to share with them!
This is a lovely sugar cookie recipe. Crisp edged and sweet, chewy in the middle. Very easy to make. There is no rolling or faffing about involved. In short, my kind of cookie!
The original recipe made 36 largish cookies. I no longer need 36 largish cookies and so I cut the recipe in half. I small-batched it to make only 18 delicious cookies.
Have you been watching Love is Blind on Netflix? I totally loved the first series of it. I really enjoyed each of the couples that were participating in it. This time around I am not so sure how I feel about it.
Not very many of them seem very sincere. I think there are a lot of playa's peppered in the bunch and I predict some very broken hearts.
I am not sure why these people went on the show, but I don't think their motives were pure from the start. I have seen tons of red flags, and out of all the couples who finally matched up, there is only one that I think has a snowball's chance in hell of making it through to the end.
Of course I could be wrong, and I hope that I am. Anyways if you are watching it also, I would be very interested in hearing what you think of this latest crew.
I am also watching the Japanese version of the show. I usually don't watch things like this, ie. the Batchelor or Batchelorette, Survivor, etc. But I do enjoy this particular series.
Do I think Love is really blind? I do believe that it is possible to make a completely emotional attachment to someone and to have all those feelings of love for them without ever seeing them. But sooner or later the physical has to enter into the relationship, and I am not sure if a week is long enough to form a strong enough emotional attachment to ensure that the physical doesn't matter.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE VALENTINE SUGAR COOKIES
Simple every day baking ingredients. These measurements are for the small batch and make 18 cookies.
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, room temperature
- 3 fluid ounces (85g) vegetable oil (I used canola)
- 3/4 cup (150g) white sugar
- 6 TBS icing sugar
- 1 TBS water
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups (315g) plain all purpose flour
For the frosting:
- 3 TBS (43g)butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (30g) sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 - 2 TBS milk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- drop of red food coloring
You will also need:
- candy cake decorations (optional)
You don't have to tint the frosting pink if you don't want to, or even use cake sprinkles, but I think for an occasion such as Valentines day, they really add a special touch!
Oh how I wish my grandchildren lived closer so that I could bake them some Valentine treats! That would be so much fun!
HOW TO MAKE VALENTINE SUGAR COOKIES
No special experience is needed to make these. If you have an electric mixer, hand or stand, you are in like flyn!! It really makes short work of the job! You can of course beat everything by hand if you don't, but it will take appreciably longer!
Pop the butter, sour cream, oil, both sugars, water and egg into a bowl. Mix for a few minutes with an electric hand mixer until well combined.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and slowly beat into the creamed mixture until everything is combined. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place onto the baking sheets leaving about 4 inches between each. Press each ball down using the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in sugar to 2 1/2 to 3 inch circles.
Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should be light brown on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before proceeding.
Place all of the ingredients for the icing into a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until you have a smooth fluffy frosting. (Use the lesser amount of milk at first. Only add more if your icing is too thick.)
Spread the icing generously on top of the cooled cookies and sprinkle with some cupcake sprinkles if using. Allow to set completely before serving.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator because of the sour cream in the frosting. I placed wax paper between the layers to help maintain the integrity of the decorations.
If you want a crisper cookie, you can leave the cookies in the oven for up to 15 minutes if you wish when first baking. I did half of them this way.
Also they will soften once decorated, so if you want them to stay crisper, don't decorate until just prior to serving them.
So do you love to watch romantic films? I am so-so with those. I like a good romantic comedy. I think of all that I have seen When Harry Met Sally is my favorite one.
Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan make the cutest couple. You find yourself wondering why they waited for so long to get together!!
I just love these cupcake sprinkles I got from Sweepolita. I bought them a few months ago. This is actually two different ones. I got a bottle of big candy hearts (about 1/3 inch) and a bottle of mixed reds, pinks and whites, in candy shot and non-pareils. They also have the odd hearts and balls in them. Very pretty. I love the blue hearts.
These were perfect for decorating these cookies. I think they made them quite pretty. I can't wait to give them to my daughter and her husband!
In the meantime, Happy Valentines Day to you all! May it be filled with love and fun and good food!
Valentine Sugar Cookies
Yield: makes 18 cookies
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Sweet, delicious and covered with a rich sour cream frosting. Both together are amazing.
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter, room temperature
- 3 fluid ounces (85g) vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (150g) white sugar
- 6 TBS icing sugar
- 1 TBS water
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups (315g) plain all purpose flour
For the frosting:
- 3 TBS (43g)butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (30g) sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 - 2 TBS milk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- drop of red food coloring
You will also need:
- candy cake decorations (optional)
Instructions
- Make the cookies first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a couple of baking sheets with baking paper.
- Pop the butter, sour cream, oil, both sugars, water and egg into a bowl. Mix for a few minutes with an electric hand mixer until well combined.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients and slowly beat into the creamed mixture until everything is combined. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
- Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place onto the baking sheets leaving about 4 inches between each. Press each ball down using the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in sugar to 2 1/2 to 3 inch circles.
- Bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should be light brown on the bottom. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before proceeding.
- Place all of the ingredients for the icing into a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until you have a smooth fluffy frosting. (Use the lesser amount of milk at first. Only add more if your icing is too thick.)
- Spread the icing generously on top of the cooled cookies and sprinkle with some cupcake sprinkles if using. Allow to set completely before serving.
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