Chocolate, Oat, and Nut Cookies

Some families bond over sports. Others, the outdoors. Some share values. Mine? I bonded with my mother and sister over about a bajillion batches of cookies.

I was brought up under the doctrine that anything could be cured—boredom, the sniffles, crankiness—through the cathartic creation of a batch of cookies. (Feeling sad? Let’s talk about it while we whip up some oatmeal raisins.) Admittedly, to this day, I bake cookies for emotional reasons. Upon moving out and starting a life of my own, baking sessions became affordable therapy (feel that breakup fade away as the butter is whipped into submission and fluffy sweetness). I gave love, thanks, appreciation, and I’m sorrys wrapped into a basket of crispy-on-the-outside-and-soft-in-the-middle confections. It was my thing.

Alas, a girl can’t eat as many cookies as her 5-year-old (or 20-year-old) self once could. Since discovering I’m lactose intolerant, and my sister deciding to forgo gluten, the demand for my traditional treats trickled off. The past few years have a been an ongoing experiment in trying to recreate the inherent magic in my mom’s original confections—sans stomach ache and snug jeans.

With work off this Friday (gotta love those teacher-in-service days), and a visit to my sister for her birthday in store, I decided it was a ripe opportunity for experimentation (just the push I needed to get out of my banana bread and granola rut). These chocolaty oatmeal wonders, with their soft chocolate chunks, nutty bite, and buttery-without-the-butter dough answer an old-fashioned cookie craving. True, they’re hardly sugar free, but, hey, cookies that taste this good sans butter and white flour are a birthday-worthy win in my book. Happy birthday, Sis!

Holiday French Toast

What better way to celebrate a three-day weekend than with a scrumptious, eat-it-in-your-pajamas breakfast? In honor our day off, I cooked us up some vanilla French toast (topped with maple syrup and a sprinkle of powdered sugar, of course) and served it along with some peppered bacon from my local meat market. I do use real sugar in the batter (just a tablespoon!), because it helps the toast caramelize in the hot pan. A little almond extract gives it that extra bit of pizzazz, and serving it is easy—just let eaters dress their own from any range of toppers. Oh, and this dish is gluten-free, too. (Thanks to the folks at Rudi’s Organic Bakery for making such versatile, non-dry gluten-free multigrain bread.)

Tropical Dark Chocolate Bark

Well, it's 2011 and I didn't wake up with a kill-myself hangover on January 1. I think that qualifies as starting on a positive note. I'm back in Oregon after visiting family for the holidays and, oh my, is it freezing here. (I mean, not THAT freezing since I'm a hearty cold-weather person now...) 

I’ve been on a cleaning frenzy since I got home (thank GOD for getting home), and I think it would take me approximately three more days to actually make a dent. I know I'll lose my momentum once I'm working all day, but I'm trying to deep clean the whole house, donate old stuff, and rid my life of clutter. That’s what we’re supposed to do for a fresh start, right?

Another 2011 goal for me is to focus on quality over quantity in my food consumption. For example, instead of a dessert made of white flour and sugar that only leaves me wanting more, I’m hoping to create sweets that satisfy in smaller portions. My first attempt at that is some dark chocolate bark, sprinkled with organic dried fruit I picked up on the cheap in the bulk bin aisle.

Ingredients

3 cups dark chocolate
1 cup dried pineapple, chopped (low sugar or no sugar added)
1 cup dried apricots, chopped (no sugar added)

1. Melt the chocolate according to your melting preference. I poured mine in a dish and melted it in the microwave, taking it out and stirring it every 30 seconds to prevent burning. It could also be melted in a double boiler on a stovetop.

2. Spread the chocolate across the bottom of a greased baking dish, smoothing it in a shallow layer.

3. Sprinkle the chopped pieces of dried fruit across it.

4. Allow to cool completely before slicing into squares.

Rich and Moist Chocolate Swirl Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze

I meant to make two yummy little breakfast bowls—a cozy breakfast for two. A warm, vanilly, spiced bowl of quinoa, sparkled with a dazzle of summer cherries and a pretty little ribbon of pecans sprinkled across the top. In fact, I did make this. I stirred it, warmed it, and served it up, only to come face to face with what actually became my morning…and then the rest of the tear-filled, dramatic (maybe a touch overly so), everything-I-thought-I knew-was-suddenly-unsure day. A day that called for something sinful, decadent, and (forget the sweet) bitter—a chocolatiness that the sheer baking of it made me feel like I was creating a dark (albeit extremely yummy) illustration of how I felt: depressed and very, very angry.

But I suppose I should start at the beginning.

Peanut-Butter Frosted Chocolate Cake

(Trust me, it’s all about the frosting)

It’s been a bittersweet week. I’ve finally wrapped up my year of student teaching, and am all but officially a credentialed teacher in the state of California. It’s exhilarating, and I’m ready to move on, but at the same time it’s terrifying to look ahead toward absolutely zero job openings for new teachers, unemployment still rampant, and a whole summer without seeing my hilarious fourth graders. I told myself I wouldn’t, but I didn’t even make it halfway through the whole day without crying. My master teacher actually presented me a gift in front of the class, which included an Anthroplogie (!) gift certificate (aka my favorite of all favorite stores), and a little accordion-like book with pages created by each student, complete with their pictures and drawings. Tears. Some of my favorite gems, straight off the pages:

* “I learned from you how to be shareful.”
* “Yo quiero que te seas una maestra aqui.” (One of my students who learned English this year. She was my little Spanish teacher. Lucky for her, she picked up ingles much quicker than I improved my espanol)
* “You taught me to grafe.” (Perhaps I should have spent more time on spelling?)

I will miss you, my little estudiantes.

Along the bittersweet theme, boyfriend lost his job (someone made a BIG mistake, releasing that one). The good news is that this means he can come back from Michigan to the sunny Bay Area (woot), but now he’s got to find a new one somewhere, somehow. Hopefully it happens easily and close by (I’m confident that it will ☺ ).

Amid all this my sister ALSO lost her job. Luckily, I had stayed the night with her to attend a CPR class in her neighborhood, so when she got off of her (surprise) last day of work, we promptly zoomed across the Bay Bridge and landed straight in my kitchen to do the very best thing of all for lifting spirits (other than drinking about a bajillion Patron and sodas, which we also promptly got down to): We fired up the oven, broke out the bundt pan, and whipped up a bittersweet (I love themes) peanut-butter-cup inspired bundt cake.

Rosemary Lemon Bread

I've become slightly stuck on rosemary lately. After buying a bunch at the store, I decided to see how my love for the buttery flavored herb transitioned to baked goods. The outcome? Rosemary lemon bread--made bready thanks to my new standby, coconut flour.

The are definitely a bit more grown up--not the treat to serve to little kids or someone looking for a sweet, dessert-like bread. However, they're incredibly flavorful without being super sweet and are much more interesting than the usual banana bread. This recipe is definitely a keeper in my collection. Enjoy!

Nutty Banana Muffins

Continuing onward with my almond flour experiment, I decided to use some to whip up some nutty, dairy-free (obviously) breakfast muffins. Inspired by the fabulous Elana’s Pantry blog (a must-read for anyone looking for white flour alternatives or just loves beautiful pictures of cupcakes), I added a little arrowroot powder into my almond flour. Let me tell you, that woman knows her cakes. These muffins taste like muffins—springy texture, moist with banana, and filled with the occasional bite from the crunchy peanut butter I used.

Double Coconut Muffins

These dairy-free and gluten-free muffins use the two newest ingredients I’ve run across whilst spending way too much time and money in Whole Foods: coconut oil, which I’m now using as a butter substitute, and coconut flour, which may be my new favorite gluten-free flour. It isn’t dry, and it holds together well—meaning baked goods don’t crumble at first touch, which is always a positive.

These muffins are much more dense and less cakey than the traditional blueberry or banana, making them more filling—more of a cross between a muffin and a biscuit. Whatever you call them, they’re super tasty with a little almond butter or agave spread on top. The flavor isn’t overwhelmingly coconutty, although adding some more shredded coconut into the batter in the last step would bump up this flavor even more.

Winter-is-Over Agave Citrus Jam

We’re nearing the end of citrus season, so I recently bought a giant sack of my favorite winter fruit, cuties. The problem is, since the boyfriend recently moved to Michigan for the baseball season, I’m going through food a whole lot slower than usual. I looked at my huge bag of little cuties in the fridge and realized there was just no way I could finish all of them before they shrivel up into moldy balls. So I decided to make jam—and enjoy them all through summer.

Of course, traditional jam recipes are loaded with sugar and chemicals, which basically negates all the benefits of the fresh fruit. I decided to try it with just agave nectar, the fruit, and nothing more. The consistency wasn’t exactly that of store-bought jam, but it made a slightly more viscous (is that a gross word to use when talking about food?) spread that works just as well in terms of adding fruity flavor to toast, oatmeal, or muffins. The flavor is more balanced between the tart of the citrus and the sweet of agave, making it really feel like I’m eating those little cuties atop my toast.

Olive Oil Corn Muffins

Olive oil in a muffin? I was doubtful at first, too, but this recipe, inspired by one from Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites, packs both unique flavor and moist texture. After taking a bit, the first taste will be the sweet citrus and the bite of fresh corn, followed by the olive oil’s fruitiness.

Dairy Free Zucchini Muffins

Continuing my oat flour experimentation, I decided to try a few more batches of muffins. I’m always trying to eat more veggies, and shredding some into ooey, gooey batter is the sweetest way I’ve found to do this yet. Oh, and after tasting these little puppies, I now officially take back what I said about oat flour—these turned out incredibly moist. I’m sorry, oat flour. Can we be friends? 

Easter Bunny Cake (Gluten and Dairy Free)

What better way to infuse Easter with some spring festivity than by concocting a cake in the shape of a giant bunny? Granted, my clever guests got a few laughs out of my Easter "pig," but this is a lot easier than it looks. While mine didn't turn out exactly as I imagined, making it was a creative project that left me with a gluten- and dairy-free dessert that had even the non-health conscious eaters returning for seconds. Some tips and advice: