December 25, 2024

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

December 15, 2015 by

Cookies…such a lovely tradition of giving during the Christmas holidays.  There are cookies to make for exchanges. There are cookies to make to fill tins and baskets that are given to friends and loved ones.  There are cookies to make for the cookie monsters in your own home!

2013-12-15 23.12.46

Chocolate Chip cookies seem to be a big-time favorite; how about at your house?  My recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies starts off with making a basic mix. This is a great recipe to double (even triple!) so that you can make a batch AND have the basic mix ready to quickly throw together another batch!  Or perhaps you could take the second batch and put into a large Mason jar and gift someone with it! And we (the grandkids and I) have been known to leave out the chocolate chips (oh!no!) and substitute another mix-in such as mini M&M’s or some chopped nuts.   Here are a couple of recipes I found on the web for various types of mix-ins; some of these are so interesting!   Have fun!

relish.com – Chocolate Chip Cookies 7 ways
FoodNetwork.com – 10 mix-ins to update your Chocolate Chip cookies
huffingtonpost.com – 12 ways to make your Chocolate Chip cookies even better

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie MIX
(makes approximately 4 cups; enough for 4 dozen cookies)

ingredients:
2+1/4 cups good quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup coconut sugar (or table sugar)
12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:
place all ingredients (EXCEPT for the chocolate chips) into a large bowl and whisk together well.  if using immediately, pour in the chocolate chips. if not, pour the mix into a storage jar and add the chocolate chips right on top; seal well.

♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2013-12-15 21.25.04

ingredients:
1 batch of above GF Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
8 tablespoons butter (unsalted), room temperature
2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
1+1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (NOT imitation, please!)

directions:

  • preheat oven to 325.  line two (2) large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside
  • using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the room temperature butter and eggs ‘til thoroughly incorporated; stir in the vanilla
  • pour 4 cups (or one batch) of the Cookie Mix into a very large bowl. by hand, stir in the liquid ingredients to thoroughly blend
    add the chocolate chips (or mix-in of your choice); stir ‘til evenly distributed
  • drop balls of dough (approximately 1+1/4″) onto the prepared baking sheets.  place the baking sheets (one at a time) into the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up
  • after the chill time, put cookies (one sheet at a time) into the oven
  • bake for 12-14 minutes (depending on the size of your dough balls) or ‘til the bottoms are beginning to brown
  • remove from the oven. (I carefully lift the parchment from the cookie sheet directly onto a cooling rack—works beautifully!)
    when cookies are thoroughly cooled, store in an airtight tin or jar.  whether you and your loved ones eat ’em or share ’em…enjoy!

*To make these cookies dairy-free, simply substitute 1 stick of butter-flavor shortening for the 8 tablespoons of butter; and purchase chocolate chips with no milk or milk products.  I use the Ghiradelli or the Enjoy Life brands.

 ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥

Merry Christmas from Mr. hayden and I!

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

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Lemon Basil Cookies

October 16, 2015 by

Lemon Basil Cookies

If your FaceBook newsfeed or email are anything like mine, you’ve got dozens of recipes to view every day.  From pages you ‘liked’ to friends sharing recipes, I’m bombarded with recipes for tasty treats all day long!  However, I saw this recipe for Lemon Basil Cookies on the Elana’s Pantry website, and I said to myself – that’s the one I’m going to make today!

I still have lots of basil growing in my flower bed, so that was handy to come by.  Almond flour is easy to find at the store now, and you can also make your own if you choose.  These cookies are herbal and fresh tasting, with a nice balance of flavors.  In fact, I tasted a bit of salt in mine from the salted butter I used, which offset the sweetness.  You may choose to add another tablespoon of honey, because these cookies are not overly sweet.  Try them and see – perfectly balanced, deliciously different!

Lemon Basil Cookies  (Recipe from Elana’s Pantry)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup coconut butter (I used regular butter and they came out great!)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the almond flour, salt, and baking soda.
  3. Add the butter, honey, basil and lemon zest.  Blend again until a ball of dough forms.
  4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, or use a Silpat mat.  Scoop a teaspoon full of dough and drop it on the parchment paper.  These cookies spread, so give them some room!
  5. Cook for about 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for an hour.
  6. Store in a sealed container.  This made about 18 cookies for me.
Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet

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Thumbprint Cookies

December 15, 2014 by

It is the season for cookie baskets and cookie exchanges. How many dozen cookies have you made already? How about you, Coleen…(you ask?) Ummmm, zero….well, ‘til these! (I know, I know…better get on it!) Yup, part of my plan for this week. Here’s what I am hoping to accomplish.   I would LOVE to hear what varieties you are making for your loved ones this year!!!

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Mexican Wedding Cookies (Snowballs)
Gingerbread Hearts
Pignoli Cookies (here’s my recipe)
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal
Italian Almond Cookies (Robert’s constant request-here’s my recipe)
Spritz (my all-time, hands-down, yes, please! favorite)

But these are where I started. I just love thumbprint cookies! Most of you know that I bake/cook gluten-free. These also are paleo, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. (Hope that is helpful to a few of you!) And all of that helps to keep these within my healthy but oh-so-yummy POV!  Enjoy!

Thumbprint Cookies

ingredients:2014-12-14 21.36.14
1/3 cup arrowroot flour
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
5 tablespoons coconut sugar**
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, room temperature
all-fruit marmalade or jam (I used ginger/orange and raspberry)
1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

directions:

  • preheat oven to 350
  • line baking sheet with parchment paper
  • in a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (first 5)
  • in mixer bowl, combine the wet ingredients (next 4) for 1 minute
  • add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine with mixer
  • take tablespoon-sized balls of dough and quickly roll into a ball
  • dip into egg wash and then run through chopped nuts
  • place on lined baking sheet about 1″ apart
  • make an good-sized indentation with your thumb (or a wooden spoon handle)—but don’t poke through the bottom
  • fill the indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon marmalade/jam
  • bake for approximately 15 minutes ‘til just lightly browned; remove from oven
  • carefully transfer to a cooling rack
    makes 15 to 20 cookies

** NOTE: these are on the not-so-very-sweet side…you may want to add additional sugar!

 ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

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Whole Wheat Ginger Snaps

December 5, 2014 by

Whole Wheat Ginger SnapsI saw Coleen’s post on Monday for her delicious-looking cupcakes, and I could almost taste them!  She used molasses, which got me thinking about that dark, almost smoky-sweet flavor.  I knew what I wanted – ginger snaps!  So I poked around online, found a recipe I liked, modified it for my house, and voila:  Whole Wheat Ginger Snaps!

These go great with milk for the kids, or coffee for grown-ups.  Heck, get a double dose of spicy and have these cookies with a chai latte!  There are plenty of pantry staple spices here, but the two kickers are molasses and candied ginger.  Check in the dried fruit section of the store.  I keep my candied ginger in the freezer – it will keep indefinitely (and if it’s out of sight, I won’t eat the whole bag in one sitting!)  I like to have it in the house because a big bite of it can calm a nauseous tummy.

If you have a cookie exchange this season, wow them with these boldly flavored cookies.  Your friends will thank you!

Whole Wheat Ginger Snaps

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (or use 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon finely ground pepper)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 sticks butter, room temperature
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup candied ginger, minced

Directions:

  1. First, put the butter in a large bowl and let it come to room temperature.  Put the egg next to it.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour with the baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and garam masala.
  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar.  Mix in the egg and molasses.  Add in the minced candied ginger.
  4. A little at a time, mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture.  Refrigerate for one hour.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350*F.  On a Silpat liner or parchment paper, scoop out teaspoon-sized balls of cookie dough.  These will spread out, so give them some room.  I used a melon baller and it worked well.  Bake for 13 minutes.
  6. Let cool on the cookie sheet for a minute, then remove to a wire cooling rack.
  7. Don’t let the kids see these before dinner or you will be pestered until it’s time for dessert.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

 

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Samson’s Carrot Cookies

May 2, 2014 by

Samson's Carrot Cookies resize

For Christmas, I got my kindergartner The Disney Princess Cookbook, and I’m so happy I did!  With pretty princesses on every page, it features real recipes (and not just cake mix plus applesauce-type concoctions) that are great for parents and kids to make together.  I have her read the recipes, and she’s learning about following directions, measurements, and even fractions!  We’ve made a few things from her cookbook, but the one we like best is Samson’s Carrot Cookies.

Samson, if you don’t know, is the name of Prince Phillip’s horse in “Sleeping Beauty.”  These cookies are soft and cake-like, with carrots, apples, and cranberries.  (We omitted the walnuts since my girl is allergic, but I know they’d be delicious!)   These make great bribes for little girls who stay in their beds all night, too.  (Yep… guilty!)   Try them this weekend with your favorite little prince or princess.

Disney Princess Cookbook resize

Samson’s Carrot Cookies

(from The Disney Princess Cookbook)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • (we added 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.  It’s not in the recipe but it was a lovely addition)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup shredded carrot
  • 1/2 cup shredded apple
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries (raisins would work too)

Directions:

  1. Heat the oven to 375*F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon,  nutmeg, and ground ginger.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and melted butter.  Then beat in the egg with a fork.
  4. Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until the batter is smooth.  Then stir in the oats, shredded carrot and apple, walnuts, and dried cranberries.
  5. Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart.
  6. Bake the cookies until they just begin to turn golden brown on top, about 8 minutes.  (NOTE: The recipe says ‘8 minutes’, but I found 12 minutes was more like it in my oven.  Let’s say check at 8 minutes, but be prepared for 4-5 more!)  Leave them on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

Laurie Samson's Carrot Cookie resize

Hey Mom, I stole another cookie off the counter while you were writing your blog! Want a bite?

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Cookie Week – GF Chocolate Chip Cookies

December 16, 2013 by

2013-12-15 23.12.46

Cookies.  A lovely tradition of giving during the Christmas holidays.  There are cookies to make for exchanges.  There are cookies to make to fill tins and baskets that are given to friends and loved ones.  There are cookies to make for the cookie monsters in your own home! (I have one of those…do you, too?)

Our own Dana, Wendy, Amy (and me!) who blog here for At Home w/ GCH are each sharing a favorite cookie recipe!  Dana started us off last Friday with her Monkey Bites (Paleo Banana Chocolate Chip cookies).  They looked so moist and yummy!  And today I am sharing Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookies. *See below for adaptation for a dairy-free version.*  Can’t wait to see Wendy and Amy’s delicious contributions later in the week, too!

AND…we will be having a ‘virtual’ cookie exchange over among our Girlfriends Coffee Hour – Fellowship group.  Come join us Tuesday through Friday as our sisters post a picture of their own homemade cookies…and possibly share their recipe, too!

My recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies starts off with putting together a basic mix.  I would strongly suggest doubling the ingredients so that you can make a batch AND have the basics mix set to go to quickly throw together another batch!  Or perhaps you could take the second batch and put into a large Mason jar and gift someone with it!  Just sayin’!!!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix2013-12-15 21.10.34

(makes approximately 4 cups; enough for 4 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:
2+1/4 cups good quality all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup coconut sugar
12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Place all ingredients (NOT the chocolate chips) into a large bowl and whisk together well.  If using immediately, pour in the chocolate chips.  If not, pour the mix into a storage jar and add the chocolate chips right on top.  Seal well.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:2013-12-15 21.25.04
1 batch of above GF Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
8 tablespoons butter (unsalted), room temperature
2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
1+1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (NOT imitation, please!)

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 325.  Line two (2) large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
  • Beat together the room temperature butter and eggs to thoroughly incorporate; stir in the vanilla.
  • Pour 4 cups (or one batch) of the cookie mix into a very large bowl.  Stir in the liquid ingredients and thoroughly blend.
  • Drop balls of dough (approximately 1+1/4″) onto the prepared baking sheets.  Place the baking sheets (one at a time) into the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up.
  • After the chill time, put cookies (one sheet at a time) into the oven.  Bake for 12-14 minutes (depending on the size of your cookie balls) or ‘til the bottoms are beginning to brown.
  • Remove from the oven.  (I carefully remove the cookies ON the parchment paper from the cookie sheet directly onto a cooling rack—works beautifully!)
  • Store in an airtight tin or jar.  Enjoy!

*To make these cookies dairy-free, simply substitute 1 stick of butter-flavor shortening for the 8 tablespoons of butter; and purchase chocolate chips with no milk or milk products.  I use the Ghiradelli or the Enjoy Life brands.

 ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

Merry Christmas from mr. hayden and i!

♥  coleen

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Monkey Bites (Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies)

December 13, 2013 by

 

monkey bite cookies

Christmas cookies are a tradition at my house – and yours too, I’m sure.  My Dad lives for Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies.  My favorites are peanut butter, with or without jam thumbprints and crushed walnuts.  When I worked outside the home, I made dozens of cookies each year for Christmas, sharing them with co-workers and other friends and family.  Now that I am home with my girls, I have to be much more careful – I can’t have all those cookies around, since I don’t have anywhere reliable to offload them, and I DON’T want to eat them all myself!  So I am committed to striking a balance between festivity and nutrition.  Enter:  Monkey Bites!

These cookies have all the flavor (and more!) of your typical chocolate chip cookie, but instead of being filled with flour and sugar, you get bananas and oats.  These are soft cookies, and I keep them in the fridge when I’m done.  But the best part of Monkey Bites is that they use three of these:

overripe banana

So if you are looking for a healthier chocolate chip cookie (or you have a few squishy bananas to contend with), try these Monkey Bites.  And feel free to customize:  butterscotch or peanut butter chips would be delicious, or add dried cranberries or cherries to pair nicely with the chocolate chips.  The sky is the limit!

Monkey Bites

Ingredients:

  • 3 overripe bananas
  • 2 cups oats
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup (or about half a bag) of chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375*F.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet or use a Silpat liner.
  2. In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients, mixing well.
  3. Using a spoon and fork, scoop up a largish tablespoon of cookie dough and place on baking sheet.  You’re going to have to mold it into shape, because these don’t spread.  Mine are about 2″ in diameter and about 1/4″ high.  Try to make them a uniform size so they bake evenly.
  4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.  You want them to be firm, and the chocolate chips should be starting to melt.  These are soft cookies but you don’t want them squishy.  Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then store covered in the fridge.  You can put them in a toaster oven to warm them and crisp them up a little.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

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