Pumpkin Mookies

I love autumn. The moment that first swell of cold hits me in the street in September, I get a thrill of anticipation that sends me to the store in search of pumpkins and squash. I lived in New York for a while and I remember how excited I got as I drove to school and saw the first leaves turning from green to red. Now, in California, I don't get to watch the leaves turn, but I can still get my pumpkin fix!

Here's a tasty little treat I came up with today which is simply and awesomely autumn-y. :) They were supposed to be cookies, but they came out with more of a muffin consistency than I had anticipated. So, for your munching pleasure: mookies!

Pumpkin Mookies

(makes 18-24)

2/3 cup IC's EZ Homemade Pumpkin Butter (recipe at the bottom)

2 tbsp almond milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup Grade B maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tbsp flax seed meal

~1 cup all purpose flour

~1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Set oven to 325 F. Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together your liquid ingredients until they are smoothly combined. Sift in the powder ingredients, then stir until the batter is consistent and lumpless. 

Spoon out 1-2 spoonfuls batter onto the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

IreniCineri's EZ Homemade Pumpkin Butter

(makes 2 claussen pickle jars full)

1 can canned pumpkin

3/4 cup apple cider

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1.5 cups brown sugar

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat. Simmer there for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. 

Let stand on the stovetop for about 15 minutes, then scoop into your prepared jars.

This pumpkin butter makes an excellent autumnal addition to baked goods and pastries, but can also be enjoyed simply spread on a piece of toast or (if you're feeling decadent) sucked off a spoon. 

Note: You can buy mason jars at Costco or Michaels. Personally, I just save all my jars from everything, clean them, and store them until I find a use for them. (You will see one of the many uses I have found for them when I get around to talking about my fun halloween decor...)

Go on! Have a peace!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Fall

I was in the mood for some guilt-free treats with a twinge of fall, so I put together a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe with some tasty alterations for your fall snacking pleasure.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Fall

(makes ~2 dozen cookies)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup plain, unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup almond milk

2 tbsp tapioca flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or 1 cup carob chips if you prefer - I like both)

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, ground

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Grind pumpkin seeds in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can grind them in a coffee grinder. Shake out the ground seeds into a wide shallow bowl or a rimmed plate.

Prepare a pair of cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the sugar and applesauce until well combined. Next, add the almond milk and tapioca flour and beat until the batter is smooth and clump-less. Mix in the vanilla last.

Add half the wheat flour, all of the baking soda and salt, and combine well. Then add in the remaining flour and carefully fold in the chocolate chips and dried cherries. 

Scoop small spoonfuls of the dough and roll into a ball between your palms. Dab the outside of each dough ball with the ground pumpkin seeds and place on the cookie sheets about three fingers width apart, flattening slightly either with your fingers or a fork.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Then let cool on the cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. 

Go on! Have a peace. :)

Finger-lickin' Nana Puddin'

My grandmother makes the best banana pudding ever. I mean, EVER. A single bite of it is lasting ambrosia. It is a happy time whenever I get to visit her, period, but the icing on the cake is a delicious batch of banana pudding waiting for me. Now. The trouble is her recipe involves cool whip, which is full of hydrogenated oils and less than ideal not to mention the excess sugars in the pudding and sweetened condensed milk.

So, here's what I did. I made up a new "healthified" banana pudding recipe, which is very tasty in its own right. You may decide for yourself which route you take. Maybe you'll make both and have a tasting party for your tongue. Who knows?

Finger-lickin' Nana Puddin'
(Makes 6-8 servings)

3 super ripe bananas
2 ripe bananas (can be mushy or just ripened), thinly sliced
7.5 oz extra firm tofu
18 oz soft tofu
2 shakes cinnamon
1 heaping tbsp raw honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 box vegan vanilla wafers (or non-vegan, if you like - just check the box and make sure you know what everything in it is)

Take the overripe bananas, tofu, cinnamon, honey, almond milk, and vanilla and put all into a food processor or blender. Mix until all creamy and smooth.

Next take a bowl (tupperware or glass) and set a layer of wafers in the bottom.

Spoon in some of the blended mixture over top then layer in more wafers and banana slices.

Repeat until you have used up all the banana slices and the blended mixture.

Add one last layer of wafers on top and put into the fridge to set. Should be ready to eat in about an hour.

Enjoy!

Mouthwatering Muesli Cookies

I have returned home, cleansed of blood and debris (I was shooting a zombie film), and thought a nice way to say hello again here would be to offer sweets. So here's a treat for all of ya'll who are still reading/subscribing/feeding good things to the people you love.

Mouthwatering Muesli Cookies
(makes about 24)

1 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1.25 cups muesli (I used Trader Joe's Fat Free Blueberry Muesli, which is awesome. It has dried blueberries, raisins, currants, and apples in it and is made with whole rolled barley flakes and whole rolled rye flakes.)
~1/4 cup water

Set oven to 375F.

Stir the melted coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla extract together, then beat in two eggs. Add flour and stir. Fold in muesli. Add water little by little until the consistency is a little looser. The batter looked a little runny when I put it onto the cookie sheets (covered in parchment paper like always) but they fluffed up nicely in the oven.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. Longer if you like them a little crispier. Please note that they continue to become crispier as they cool, as well.

These are so tasty, and they make your kitchen (and the rest of your house) smell delectable. :)

Go on! Have a peace!

Date Dusted Angel Cakes

My dad's birthday was last week, but he was stuck in the Ukraine for it. So this weekend, when he came to visit me, my mom and I decided that I would make his birthday cake.

Now, my dad has a sweet tooth and he really likes angel food cake. So I thought I would make him a healthified, gluten-free version of angel food cake that he could enjoy without guilt.

Date Dusted Angel Cakes
(makes 12 servings)

12 egg whites
1/3 cup warm water
1.5 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup "sweet" sorghum flour, sifted
~1 cup date sugar, processed to super fine and sifted

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Set a rack on the top rung of the oven.

In a food processor, spin the sugar for about 2 minutes until it is a super fine dust. Sift half of it in to the sifted flour and save the other half for later.

In a large bowl, use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine the egg whites, water, almond extract, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar. Whisk quickly for about 2 minutes - you'll see a change in the consistency eggs. [I recommend stretching before you do this; your arm gets tired quick. :) ] Now switch to a hand mixer - on medium - and slowly sift in most of the leftover sugar (save about 1/4 cup for later), beating continuously. [When you sift the date sugar, you'll end up with little hardened date bits that will not sift. Don't throw these away and don't put them in the mix; save them into a little bowl and use them to sweeten tea or coffee later.] Once you have achieved medium peaks in the egg/sugar mixture, slowly sift the flour/sugar mixture in gently over the top of the foam. Gently fold the flour in using a flexible spatula. Continue until all the flour is combined.

Using a flour-based spray (like Baker's Joy), coat the insides of a 12 tin cupcake tray.

Use a deep spoon and carefully spoon the mixture into the tray. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle a little dusting of the remaining processed date sugar over the tops of the cakes. Return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes.

Place a cooling rack over a paper towel, and cool the cakes upside down in the pan for about an hour.

Gently remove the cakes. Serve with whipped cream and halved, fresh strawberries.

Mine came out a little dense, but still very tasty. The flavor of this cake is deliciously, subtly sweet.  Some recommendations from my chef pal Dave, after the fact: no flour in the cake pan [the angel food texture needs to be able to "climb the sides"]; make sure not to overstir; try using almond flour rather than the sorghum [it's a little lighter].

Happy birthday, Dad!

Awesome Granola Goodness

I was in the mood for some healthy snacking options, so I went looking for all the things I loved and tried to figure out how to combine them into one nutritious dish. These granola bars are what I came up with. The toasted flax seed meal gives the granola a slightly smokey, warm taste, the fruits make it chewy and sweet, the nuts give it a delicious crunch. I made these not too sweet, because my lack of exposure to processed sugar has made my tongue and body more sensitive to such things - did I tell you all about Valentine's Day? Someone brought over this amazing smelling strawberry layer cake. I had a small slice and felt dizzy and jittery the rest of the night, like I'd drunk six cups of caffeinated coffee. Yikes!  All that said, if you're sweet tooth is unstoppable, you can add more honey, agave, or even maple syrup. If you're sweet tooth rules you, add cacao nibs to the top of the bars after they've baked and put them back in the oven for another 1-2 minutes so they melt over the top.


Awesome Granola Goodness
(makes about 21 pieces)

2 large bananas

2 tbsp spoonfuls of sunbutter (could use peanut butter)

2 tbsp earth balance spread

~¼ cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup steel cut oats

2 tsp cinnamon

½ cup flax seed meal

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup dried apricots, cut into small pieces

~¼ cup agave nectar

½ cup sliced almonds, unsalted (can be toasted)

½ cup walnut pieces, unsalted

½ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Parchment paper a square casserole dish, grease the sides.

In a bowl, toss the oats and nuts together. Transfer to the casserole dish and toast for 10 minutes.

Over low heat, toast the flax seed meal in a dry pan for about 1 minute. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the apricots and raisins to that mix.

In a soup pan, heat earth balance, sunbutter, honey, agave nectar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon over high heat, until it has all melted together become bubbly. Turn heat back to low.

Take out the toasted oat/nut mix and transfer to the flax seed/fruit bowl. Pour the butter/sugar liquid into the mixing bowl.

Set the oven to 300 F.

Stir until the mixture is well combined. Mash two bananas and stir until the whole mixture is thick and firm.

Pour the mix into the lined casserole dish. 

Put the casserole dish back into the oven for about 35 minutes.

Allow to cool for 30-60 minutes before slicing into bars. Then store in fridge for another 20-30 minutes. The cold of the fridge will help the granola jell into delicious, chewy pieces. 

Nom Nom Breakfast Cookies

My last batch of flour-free oatmeal cookies were delicious, but crumbly. This time, I decided to work on the crumbliness, while still not adding anything processed or guilt-inducing.

Nom Nom Breakfast Cookies

2 large bananas, mashed
3 heaping spoonfuls Better n' Peanut Butter (can use normal peanut butter or sun butter - if you choose to use peanut butter, avoid brands that add sugar and chemicals)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup rolled oats, processed to a fine powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup raisins (alternatives: cranberries, cacao nibs, dried cherries)

 Preheat the oven to 350 F. Paper two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mash two bananas. Stir in peanut butter (or alt of your choice), honey, and vanilla until well combined. Pour 1/2 cup oats into a food processor and grind into a fine powder. Add that powder, plus half a cup of rolled oats to the wet mixture. Add cinnamon and baking soda. Stir. Add in raisins (or alt of your choice) and remaining rolled oats.

Using a large spoon, scoop one large spoonful at a time on to the cookie sheets, leaving the scoops a couple inches apart. Flatten the cookie scoops with a fork.

Bake for about 16 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

These come out yummy and filling, with a delightful combination of textures - both soft and crunchy. Enjoy. :)

Kick-Ass Cookies

Most oatmeal cookies involve flour - which basically makes them normal cookies with oats mixed in. Here, I made up an oatmeal cookie recipe that is delicious, flaky, crumbly, naturally sweetened, and totally flour-free.

Oatmeal-Raisin-Pumpkin Seed Cookies, or Kick-Ass Cookies
(Makes 24)

1.5 cups rolled oats, for processing
1.75 cups rolled oats (I used Bob's RedMill Old Fashioned)
1 tsp baking soda
3 heaping tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
3 tbsp liquid egg whites
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds
1 cup seedless raisins

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pour 1.5 cups rolled oats into your food processor and process into a consistent powder. Pour that "oat flour" into a mixing bowl and add baking soda and cinnamon. Stir with a fork until well combined.

In another bowl (preferably slightly larger than the first), beat together coconut oil, agave nectar, egg whites, and vanilla until well combined with a hand mixer. Slowly add the oat flour into the oil/nectar mixture until suitably blended.

Now, fold in the oats using a spatula. Once those are well blended in, add the seeds and raisins. Fold again until all are well combined. Stick the bowl of batter into the fridge for about 20 minutes so it can sort of solidify. Now take the bowl back out and, using a spoon, form 2-inch balls of the mixture and place them onto the parchment paper about 2 inches apart from each other. You should end up with 4 rows of 3 (or 3 rows of 4). :) Use your fork from earlier to flatted each ball slightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about a minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely. (But first, steal one to taste test for yourself!)

Yummy, healthy, oatey cookies ready for guilt-free munching! Enjoy. :)

Part 3: Return of the Fortune Cookies!

"God, I think I've got 'em, I think I've got 'em! 

Such yummy cookies all the time! 

What's coming next ? What's happening now? 

Still it isn't over; I've gotta imagine what she wants! 

It isn't over; I've gotta imagine what she does... 

God, I hope I've got 'em, I hope I've got 'em! 

I've come this far, but even so: 

It could be yes; it could be no. 

How many cookies does she...?

I really need this fortune- 

Please, God, I need this fortune- 

I've got to get this cookie! 

I have to get it just right! 

I knew I had it, from the start..." 

-from "A Cookie Line" 

[All my musical nerds will get this joke... I think...]

So. Part Three of the Fortune Cookie Escapades. Usually, my second trial of a new baking recipe goes smoothly and wonderfully and I never have to change it again until I feel like it. But fortune cookies are hard, can I just say? Especially when I don't have any special tools for 'em. 

However, nevertheless, I think the impossible has been accomplished!

Here is the final (I think) and accurate (I hope) fortune cookie recipe as it was completed this evening. 

Super Fortunate Ginger Fortune Cookies

(Makes ~24 cookies)

3 egg whites

3/4 cups organic powdered sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 tsp chopped ginger

8 tbsp whole wheat flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Mix the egg whites, powdered sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and ginger together in a large bowl with a handheld mixer on low. Slowly add the sifted flour. Grab a small spatula and make sure you've gotten any excess flour that sprayed onto the sides of the bowl; stir. 

Spoon 2 teaspoons of the batter onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and spread it out in a very thin, wide circle, using a flat knife. You're only going to want to put a maximum of 4 (2 or 3 is better) cookies per sheet at a time. 

Place in the preheated oven, on the second to top rack, for ~6 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Now you have to move very fast! Put on a pair of *thin* cotton gloves to protect your fingers. Remove the tray from the oven quickly (but carefully!) and immediately:

1) flip each cookie over using a small flat knife (not the same one you spread with)

2) place a fortune on top of each flipped cookie, perpendicular to the direction of the wrinkles in the baked dough

3) fold each cookie in half over the fortune and then fold them back together into usual fortune cookie shape, pinching the top to hold it in shape

4) place each cookie inside a muffin tin to cool

This recipe will make about 24 cookies. You'll want to flip the parchment paper on your cookie sheet every batch and switch it out for a new sheet every third batch. Otherwise, the wrinkles that form from the moisture of the batter on the parchment paper will cause weak spots in your finished baked cookies. 

The cookies will need to cool for 1-2 hours. They harden and crisp as they cool. 

These little guys do not taste like normal fortune cookies. They're a little less sweet and they don't score the inside of your mouth because they're just not that uber hard. The ginger gives them a little zing, but not too much. 

Banana-Walnut Muffins

So there I was, looking at a pair of wilting bananas and I thought - banana bread? No. Too big and heavy. I know! I'll make muffins!

Banana-Walnut Muffins
(12 servings)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 overripe bananas
1/8 cup Splenda-sugar baking blend
3 tbsp egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
~1/4 cup walnut "baking bits" *you can get these in bags at Trader Joe's

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Mash the bananas in a bowl until they're really mushy. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir well with a spatula. Add the applesauce. Stir again. Add the baking powder and baking soda and salt; then slowly add in the flour.  Stir until well combined (don't forget to scoop up the bottom and the sides).

Next, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups and put in your preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Ta da! All done! And in no time at all. You can replace the walnuts with raisins or some other nut or fruit as you prefer. Carob chips would probably be awesome too. :) Enjoy.

Take Two! More Fortunate Fortune Cookies

Undaunted by our previous failure this evening (given the fact that we ended up with some delicious new cookies in the process), we decided to start from scratch and try again. With a little research sur la internet, we decided to return to the original plan but add much, much less flour. And by the last batch of cookies, we'd finally figured this thing out. :) Now I'm going to tell you how to make these so you don't have to do all the trial and error that we did.

More Fortunate Fortune Cookies (still with ginger)

3 egg whites

3/4 cups organic powdered sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 tsp chopped ginger

10 tbsp whole wheat flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix all ingredients together until very smooth. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and spread out into a very thin circle using a flat knife. You're only going to want to put 2-4 (maximum of 4!) cookies on a sheet at a time. I'll explain this later - just trust me. Bake these in the oven for about 6 minutes, or until the edges have turned just turned brown. 

Now you have to move fast, which is why I said 2-4. We did four cookies at a time, but there were two of us each with our own jobs, and it was harrowing even then.

Put on a pair of *thin* cotton gloves. Remove the tray quickly (but carefully) and immediately: 

1) flip each cookie over

2) place a fortune on top of them

3) fold them in half over the fortune and then fold them back together, pinching the top to hold it in shape

4) finally, place each cookie inside a muffin tin space to cool. 

They will need to cool for 1-2 hours. They harden as they cool, however ours still retain a certain chewy moistness - delicious and pleasing, but still not exactly the consistency you'd expect from a fortune cookie.

And now we know how to make them for next time. This round, we wrote silly fortunes, but the next round is Valentine's Day.  Any suggestions for Valentine's themed fortunes?

Failed Fortune Flats, or Ginger Dollars

My roommate and I are planning a Valentine's Day/Chinese New Year menu so I thought we could make some Valentine's Day-themed fortune cookies. I altered Brooke McLay's yummy Vanilla-Ginger Fortune Cookie Recipe slightly, to bring a slightly healthier version with a little different flavor.

The only problem?  There was no flour in Brooke's recipe and the "batter" was really just yellowish water. Not very bake-able at all. So we added some flour, like you do. We just added a bit too much.

Our cookies came out as small, sand-dollar sized, slightly spongy cookies, with a gentle ginger flavor and a texture not entirely unlike a thin madeleine. Well. They were VERY tasty, but they certainly didn't fold into fortune cookies! So my roommate Janet says to me 'hey, I think we've just invented a new cookie!' - and so we had. Like the old saying goes, one woman's failure is... that same woman's fortune.

Failed Fortune Cookies, or Ginger Dollars

3 egg whites

3/4 cups organic powdered sugar

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 tsp chopped ginger
1/4-1/2 cup whole wheat flour (Start with 1/4 and then add by the tbsp until you have a thick-ish consistency.)

Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Mix all ingredients together until very smooth. Spoon 2 teaspoons onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper and spread with a flat knife until you've created very thin circles of batter. Bake in oven about 5 minutes, or just until the edges turn brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a drying rack to cool. They'll be edible in minutes.

Janet shaped the one in the middle to look like a heart and it came out really well, so these are eminently shapeable cookies. Next time, I will try them with a mold and see how they take. I think these would be delicious with some ginger or vanilla ice cream, or topped with a small sliver of caramelized ginger. But Janet and I found them utterly delectable all on their own.

Yum!

Zucchini Bread

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for all the love in your life by feeding the people you love with delicious food. This year, I brought a zucchini bread of my own machinations to make up for a rather embarrassing incident with a rice crispy treat attempt. Don’t ask. 

Healthy Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup Splenda baking sugar* (You can use 1/2 cup sugar if you want, but this tastes just as good.)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups shredded zucchini (~3 zucchini, depending on size)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins (thompsons seedless are great, or the big goldens)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat two 9x5 loaf pans with cooking spray (Baker’s Joy is what I use). 

In a large bowl, add the egg whites, oil, applesauce, sugar sub, and vanilla.  Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed until thick and foamy.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. 

For the zucchini, I used the thick holed end of a wide cheese grater. When you get down to the end, use a corn cob sticker or a fork to hold the zucchini to avoid chopping your fingers along with the mix. This is not a meaty bread.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg white mixture and turn the electric mixer onto medium speed until all is well blended. Turn off the mixer. The rest is by hand.

Fold in the shredded zucchini, then the walnuts, then the raisins and cranberries. Stir with a spoon or spatula until well combined.

The batter should be thick and not runny. If you need to thicken it, add whole wheat flour 1 tbsp at a time until satisfied.

Pour half of the batter into each prepared loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick stuck into the center of each loaf comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Let the bread cool in the pans on a wire rack. I used those predone loaf pans from the store this round because I was travelling with the bread and I wanted something with a cover. The ones at Ralphs come in three packs and are very handy. Just let the bread cool in those, stick the plastic top on, and you’re done.

If you’re using a normal loaf pan, let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaves out of the pans onto the rack to let them cool completely.

Each loaf should make 9 1-inch slices. Delicious.