Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

This recipe is very easy but you need to be quick. Have all the ingredients pre-measured before you start for better results.

Combine in a medium sauce pan:
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cube butter or marg.

Bring to boil and boil for just two minutes--stirring constantly. Too long, they'll be dry. Too short, they wont set up. (Start timing the two minutes right when it starts boiling even if the cube of butter isn't completely melted.)

Immediately take off the heat and mix in:
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick oats
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Quickly spoon onto wax paper with a cookie scoop.  They set up as they cool and do not need to be refrigerated.  This makes a few over two dozen when using a 2inch cookie scoop.

YUM!

(I never claimed they were healthy. At all. Even a little.)

These ones are perfect

This batch got cooked a tiny bit too long, so they came out dry and a little crumbly.  But still delicious.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls - A Blast from Some Person's Past

I don't know why, but these remind me of childhood.  Not even my childhood necessarily.  But somebodies...  (is "somebodies" even a word?)
(Thank you for the recipe, Laura C!!!  Good luck with your PCS!!!)

Peanut Butter Balls

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup raisins or craisens
(I'm not gonna lie--I add 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup

Mix all ingredients together and form into one inch balls on wax paper.  (I use my trusty cookie scoop.) Refrigerate until firm.

These also remind me, a tiny bit, of what we called "Numeral Dough" when I was little.  I remember we made it in first grade and my mom also made it for us a few times.  It was a mixture of equal parts Peanut Butter, Karo Syrup, and Powdered Sugar (I THINK that's it...).  You mixed those three things and it made a soft dough you could roll into snakes, form letters, and then eat.  I LOVED Numeral Dough.  Yum!

Mix one of these recipes up and tell me if it makes you feel nostalgic!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our close friends here are some of the healthiest people we've ever met. They are definitely good influences on us in the nutrition department. (We actually eat veggies now!) This recipe comes from Janeen--the healthiest of them all--who also has a website with tons of health information and lots of recipes. This is one of the recipes from her site. (www.nutritionwise.org)

Just one warning: If you are making these for your family for the first time, do not say "Hey everyone! I made Chocolate Chip Cookies!" They'll be looking for the Crisco/Egg/White flour version and be sorely disappointed. (I may or may not know this from being the disappointed one.)

Try this instead; "Hey guys! I have a super healthy treat for you!" They'll be all bummed. Until they see the chocolate. Then they'll eat 'em and eventually become addicted.

You've been warned.

Janeen’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups whole (old fashioned) oats

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups walnuts or pecans, chopped fine or ground (toasting is an option)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Mix in separate bowl;

1 cup apple sauce

1 cup maple syrup or honey

4 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Combine wet and dry ingredients and let sit for 5 minutes. Drop spoonfuls on baking sheet. These cookies do not “spread” so I like to flatten them a little.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. It's hard to tell if they're done, but they do start to brown on the bottom. Let cool for 2 minutes before removing from sheet.

You can also experiment by adding cashews, cocoa or carob powder, raisins instead of c.c.’s, and/or peanut butter.

The only unhealthy ingredient in this recipe (besides the salt...and possibly sweetener...) is the chocolate chips, and we all know, chocolate could NEVER be bad. So enjoy these with a clear conscience!!! (I know I do.)

This recipe has been doubled so it makes a LOT!

Enjoy!

Caramel Syrup

I love this so much better than maple syrup!!!

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar (I've used all brown before. Same diff.)

1/2 cup water

1 cube butter

Bring all ingredients to boil and remove from heat. Then add:

1 tsp vanilla

Incredibly unhealthy and delicious on German Pancakes and French Toast!!!!

Recipe from my cousin Kimmy. Maker of all things sweet and delicious.

Chunky Sweet Potato Stew a.k.a. Dragon Stew

I got this recipe from Joel Fuhrman's "Eat for Health: Book Two". It was quick and easy to make but I knew the boys were going to take one look and throw a fit. They did.

But with much bribery ("No Crystal Light until your food is gone!") and coercion, they tried it, and actually sorta liked it, both finishing their whole bowl!!! VICTORY!

(Although Sam would only take a bite along with a bite of toast and Max said "It was good but I don't want it again." Hmmpf. I'm totally making it again..)

Here it is:

Chunky Sweet Potato/Dragon Stew

Serves: 2 - Prep Time: 25 minutes (It served 5 the way I made it. And it was super good served with toasted Rudi's Organic, 7 Grain with Flax bread!)

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, thickly sliced (I will dice it smaller next time. The boys didn't like the stringy onions)

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes with juice (low or no salt) (I used no-salt petite diced tomatoes)

1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Mine was super large!)

1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans or white kidney beans (low or no salt), drained. (I used the whole can.)

3/4 tsp dried rosemary (Didn't have any. Left it out.)

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds, or cut into bite-sized pieces

black pepper, to taste

Mrs. Dash seasoning, to taste

Since I used a HUGE sweet potato and the whole can of beans, I needed a little more liquid. So I added half a can of low sodium chicken broth.

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes, until slightly softened, separating slices into rings. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Mix in stewed tomatoes with juice, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans and rosemary. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season to taste with pepper and/or Mrs. Dash.

One Serving Contains (if you follow the original recipe exactly...)

Calories: 286.5; Protein 9g: Carbohydrate 48g; Fat 8.5g; Sodium 73.1mg

Enjoy eating a healthy, flavorful meal with no guilt!!!

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Doug is the one who likes to try new recipes in this family. I like to stick to "tried and true" so I don't waste my time or ingredients. But I must admit, using America's Test Kitchen recipes leaves very little room for error. They've tested a million different ways to make the recipe so they're SURE the one they give you will turn out. And we have ALWAYS been pleased with the results. These cookies Doug made were no exception; adorable, chewy, and delicious!

(Instead of frosting them, I just made a runny powdered sugar glaze and dipped them in it. They turned out perfect.)

Happy Holidays!!!

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

from "The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book"

(Thanks for the awesome Christmas present Jay-Bird! We love it!)

3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed (5.25 ounces) dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light molasses

2 Tbsp milk

1. Process the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 10 seconds. Add the butter and process until the mixture is very fine and sandy, about 15 seconds. With the machine running, add the molasses and milk in a steady stream through the feed tube and continue to process until the dough comes together, about 10 seconds.

2. Divide the dough into 2 even pieces and roll each out to a 1/4-inch thickness between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment, stack them on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 15-20 minutes.

3. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Working with one piece of dough at a time, transfer it to a clean counter and gently remove the top sheet of parchment. Stamp out cookies using cookie cutters. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets with a thin metal spatula, spaced about 3/4 inch apart.

5. Bake the cookies until they are light golden brown and show a slight resistance to touch, 8-11 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. (Do not overbake.)

6. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Faezer's Peanut Butter Pie

If you're looking for a yummy new recipe that will likely become a family favorite, you've got to try this. It ain't easy, but it's WORTH IT!!!

First, here is the history of this tasty treat. I’m relying on memory here, so I hope I get it right. My mom, Faezer, first made this in college for her boyfriend. (Not my dad.) She got the recipe from hismom because it was his favorite dessert. I think she said his family was from “the south”. (So maybe that's where it originated.) We’ve had it every year for Thanksgiving my whole life and it’s DEFINITELY a family favorite. YUM!!!!!

World Famous Peanut Butter Pie

First you need one baked pie crust. (Although we usually double the recipe and make two.)

Step 1: Custard Filling

2 cups scalded milk
½ cup sugar
3 Tbsp. butter or marg.

3 Tbsp. flour
Pinch of salt
3 egg yolks (save the whites)

Scald 2 cups of milk in a heavy pan. (It’s scalded when foamy bubbles start to form around the sides and it starts smelling “cooked”. Use Med/MedHigh heat and stir constantly.) Add sugar and cold butter then set aside to COOL. (So that flour and eggs won’t go lumpy.)
When the milk mixture is room temp./cool add flour, salt and egg yolks. (Don’t try to save time by pre-mixing the flour and yolks. It will only lead to pain and suffering.)

Step 2: Peanut Butter Topping

½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup peanut butter (Fae says crunchy is best)

Mix until it is as fine as meal. Put 2/3 of mixture in the bottom of crust. The other 1/3 is for sprinkling on top of the meringue.

Step 3: Meringue

3 room temp. egg whites (see! I told ya to keep ‘em.)
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Put room temp. egg whites in clean glass bowl or measuring cup. Mix well on high, gradually adding 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar. When it comes to stiff peaks, pile on top of custard filing, spreading meringue to edges of pie crust to prevent shrinking. (Fae always does it perfect so there are pretty little peaks all over the whole top.) Sprinkle remaining P.B. topping over meringue and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until little peaks are golden brown. Refrigerate until it’s dessert time. ENJOY