Healthy and Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

September 30, 2015September 30, 20152 Comments

I love blogs with beautiful photos of ridiculous things I might not ever make. But truth be told, sometimes I want to see recipes I’ll actually make.

So recently, while I was brainstorming ideas for Peanut Butter & Co.’s Peanut Butter/Oat extravaganza, I decided to share a recipe I make all the time.

I have an enormous sweet tooth. I want to eat cake every single day.

No really. Every. Single. Day.

But I also want to be healthy. So sometimes I make compromises and find ways to tone down my sweet tooth and still be satisfied.

Peanut Butter + Oats + Banana is the perfect way to do it. They’re not terribly sweet, but they do the job when I want a big fat cookie without all the extra fat and sugar.

Peanut Butter and Co. teamed up with Bob’s Red Mill to do what they are calling #Oatober. I love both oats and peanut butter, so I couldn’t help but participate.

I seriously made these cookies every other week in some variation or another. Today I’m sharing an oatmeal, raisin, date inspired cookie, but I’m thinking I’ll try a pumpkin version later this month.

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Healthy and Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter
2 cups of oats, blended in a food processor
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips
5 dates, chopped

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. You’ll get a thick dough. Form dough into balls and flatten slightly to form a cookie shape.

Lay cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until golden on the bottoms. Allow to cool and serve!

That’s it. They’re super easy and perfect with a cup of tea. I really do make them all the time. Sometimes I omit the chocolate chips. Sometimes I do raisins. I also tried making this with Peanut Butter and Co’s new Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter and they were all sorts of awesome!

What’s your favorite Peanut Butter/Oat Combo?

Almond Joy Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Second #C2CCS

October 22, 2014October 21, 20144 Comments

Hi friends! I’ve been on the DL the past few weeks. I’m in a sort of blogging/life rut, so I had been taking a bit of a break. Luckily, I have some blogger friends to help get me out of the rut.

One of my favorite parts of blogging is getting to know people. I know it sounds silly and cliche, but I’ve made a few real life friends as a result of blogging. Real life friends are amazing (looking at you Allison and Samantha), but it’s also great to make friends online, especially when they motivate you to bake treats and send you some.

You might remember last year, I made some Molasses Ginger Apricot Cookies? Then I sent those cookies to some ladies and they sent me some cookies back and we called it the Coast to Coast Cookie Swap. Well here is the second installment of that! Because isn’t sending your friends cookies a good idea? It is!

Planning what kinds of cookies to send to other foodie/cookie lovers is hard. I brainstormed for a while and these cookies turned up by mistake. I wanted to make some cookies for a coworker who was doing an awesome job. I liked them so much I decided they needed to happen again. I’ve actually made these cookies three times in the past two weeks.

Trust me. They’re worth it.

In exchange for these cookies, I received a few goodies in the mail:

White Chip Cranberry Cookies from Natalie

Delicious Spiced Cookies from Coco

Take 5 Cookies from Jazzy

Additionally, Allison made some Grain Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that I wish I got to try!

Let’s be honest, exchanging cookies (or all baked goods in general) is an amazing idea. You should try it. Start by making these and sharing them with your friends.

Almond Joy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick of butter
1 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 cup roasted coconut chips
1/4-1/2 cup honey roasted sliced almonds

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add 1 egg, then vanilla and continue to be beat for about a minute. Add in flour mixture. Mix until almost combined. Fold in chocolate chips, coconut and almonds until dough is just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough, if not you’ll get flat cookies!

Place dough in the freezer while oven preheats to 350F.

Once oven has pre-heated, form dough into walnut sized balls. Place on parchment paper-lined pan and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until golden around the edges.

After a few minutes, transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely then share with a friend and enjoy!

What’s your favorite cookie to share with a friend?

P.S. Sharing cookies is awesome, but baking with a friend is even more fun! Check out these Salted Caramel Eclairs I made with Sam at the Little Ferraro Kitchen!

Lemon-Rosemary Cut Out Cookies

February 8, 2014February 8, 20148 Comments

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find holidays exhausting, and I can’t deal with the over-the-top decorations. Pinterest is currently reeking of Valentine’s Day. Everything is red and pink, dipped in chocolate and covered in bright sprinkles. That’s fun, but sometimes it’s overwhelming.

For me, Valentine’s Day should be unique to you and your special someone. This Valentine’s Day, skip the red velvet dark chocolate dipped strawberries covered in pink, red and white (<— not an actual thing), and give these a try.

They’re different, interesting and tasty. I don’t know about you but I love rosemary and lemon together. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, in my opinion.

And let me just go ahead and say… If you have a tea party, because every once in a while we need to relive our childhood and have full blown tea parties, I’m going to request that you make these cookies.

Lemon-Rosemary Cut Out Cookies

adapted from AllRecipes

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
white chocolate chip, sprinkles, royal icing, etc. for decorating

Beat together butter and shortening until fluffy, about a minute. Add sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add egg and beat another minute. Add lemon zest and rosemary and beat for 1 minute. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 1-2 hours).

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Roll out dough on a clean floured surface. Cut to desired shapes. I used small hearts and medium sized hearts, to keep with the Valentine’s day theme, but you can use whatever shape you like. Lay on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden on edges. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the cookie. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Once the cookies have cooled, you can serve them as is, or decorate them. I chose to dip mine in white chocolate and cover them in white sparkling sprinkles. If you do, just microwave some white chocolate chips, add a bit of oil to get it runnier, then dip and place on parchment paper to harden for a few hours. Alternatively, you can get your royal icing skillz on and decorate that way. I gave that a whirl too, but still not pleased with my decorating skills so no pictures of that.

You might be thinking: Rosemary in a cookie? Are you nuts? But it works. I promise. Go ahead, take a chance and make these for Valentine’s Day or a tea party.

How do you feel about putting herbs in your sweets? I’m a big fan of raspberry and sage together!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter the Dark Chocolate Dreams Giveaway. Head over to Facebook and enter by clicking the “Giveaway” tab on my page.

Refugee Auction: Get Foodologie Treats and Help Someone Out!

November 15, 2013November 13, 20131 Comment

Hi All! What would you say if I told you I could send you some of these?

Well, not today… but let me explain. I’m in Peru but a few months ago, my awesome friend Liz asked if I could help her out with an organization she’s been involved with for a few years: Refugee Center Online (RCO)

RCO is an awesome organization that “provides educational opportunities and general information about American society, and connects refugees with services, programs, and organizations in their new communities.”

This year, they’re holding their first e-auction, with 100% of proceeds going directly to support refugees in the US! Awesome cause so I’m helping out by donating auction items!

Up for auction is an assortment of holiday cookies baked with lots of love by me! I’ll pick a few of my favorite cookies and send you a few dozen! If you’re a reader, I’ll even let you request your cookies of choice! You can also bid on lots of other awesome stuff. Head over to Ebay (HERE) to check out the auction items and get your hands on some cookies for a good cause!
The auction runs from today, November 15th until November 23rd. Don’t miss out! Check it out!Feel free to share this with anyone you think might appreciate the cause or the treats 🙂I’ll talk to you all when I get back from Peru! Happy Almost Thanksgiving!!!

Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Bars

July 18, 2013July 19, 20133 Comments

I somehow had the bright idea of joining the company softball team. If you knew me in real life, you’d be surprised that I would make such a choice. I’m not really a “team sports” kind of girl. Not because I don’t like exercise. No no. I love Crossfit. Running is fun. Spinning is amazing.

At first you might think, oh so you’re a solo rider. Well not really. What softball has that running, Crossfit and spinning don’t is that softball involves a hard object flying at your face. I’m not good at that. You see, I’m what we like to call “accident-prone.”

The truth is, if there’s an opportunity to get hurt, chances are I will. I’m set to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in November and my sister is already researching altitude sickeness and ways to prevent it. She’s not even going on the trip with me and she knows it’ll be an issue for me.

In fact, the last time I tried to play a team sport was a summer softball league the summer before 9th grade. I broke my finger mid way through the summer. Lesson learned.

But now I’m older, and conquering fears and trying new (ish) things is totally my thing. So why not. I’ll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, let’s talk about these guys.

I know you’re drooling because any mention of the word “snickerdoodle” makes babies smile and men squeal in joy.

Ok I can’t take credit for these. I got this recipe from my favorite cookie cookbook given to me by my friend Rhoda (who also published an awesome cookbook!).

I want everyone to buy this book because I think it’s so awesome. What I didn’t think was awesome was the name of the recipe. Buttermilk Cinnamon Bars. Boring. So since I made some changes (like adding chocolate chips, among a few other changes, I decided to rename these to more accurately describe the taste.

Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Bars

Adapted from Blue Ribbon Cookies

2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350F. In a bowl, combine sugar, flour and butter. Using your fingers, combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Take two cups of that mixture and combine it with coconut and chocolate chips.

Press into a 9×13 baking dish lined with parchment paper. With the remaining sugar/flour/butter mixture, add egg, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, buttermilk and vanilla. Blend together. Pour mixture oven base and bake for about 45 minutes, or until fully cooked in the center.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. (I let it sit out overnight) Once cooled, remove bars from pan by lifting parchment paper. Cut bars into about 40 squares (or fewer large pieces…).

I promise these will be a hit. They’re like snickerdoodles and chocolate chip coconut cookies on a date, because that makes sense.

Either way, enjoy them, pin them and wish me luck on this softball endeavor.

How are you at team sports? Play any? Tell me!

P.S. Have you entered the Peanut Butter & Co Giveaway? You can earn entries daily! Get to it here: http://bit.ly/147k7k8

Banana Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 3, 20138 Comments

2 great things inspired this blog post. They both start with a B. The first is Bacon.

That word inspires so many people to eat copious amounts of things. I feel like Bacon is particularly fitting today, as it’s Super Bowl Sunday. I would be a big fat liar if I told you I wasn’t excited for today, but I’ll be honest. I’m more excited for the food than for the game, and only marginally more excited for Beyonce (that’s the second B…).

She’s my lady, and I love her. Probably as much as most people like bacon.

So my contribution to Super Bowl Sunday (aka this…

are these cookies

Banana Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter
6 slices of bacon, cooked and fat reserved*
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cup banana chips, roughly chopped

Cook bacon in a pan over medium heat until crispy. Place on to a paper towel and allow to cool. Once cooled, chop and set aside. Reserve 1/4 cup of bacon fat.

Cream together butter, 1/4 cup bacon fat, and sugars. Add each egg, beating about 1 minute after each. Add flour and baking soda, beat until almost combined. Fold in bacon, banana chips and chocolate chips. Chill dough in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 350F.

Form dough into walnut sized balls, and place on parchment paper-lined baking pan. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown (this varies on the size of your cookies and your oven). Allow to cool completely and serve. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

*Note: if you don’t want to use bacon fat, omit bacon fat and use 3/4 cup of butter instead of 1/2 cup.

So make sure you get on this quick. You’ve got a few hours until Beyonce (and the Super Bowl). Run and get some bacon then make these cookies!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

December 11, 2012December 12, 20121 Comment

These should probably be called Chocolate Crack Cookies.

They’re that good. If I were Santa Claus, I would totally want these waiting for me with a huge glass of milk. I don’t even like milk, but I’d take it with these cookies.

The first time I made these was in grad school in 2009 with my friend Rhoda. We made a bunch of different cookies to give to people for the holidays. This was one of them and I remember it being amazing.

So do Santa, your neighbor, your boyfriend, your mom, whoever a favor and make them these cookies.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

adapted from Blue Ribbon Cookies

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
About 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Melt chocolate in the microwave (30 seconds at a time, stirring in between blast session until completely melted). Drizzle oil into chocolate while stirring. Once combined, add sugar and mix in. Beat in 2 eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until just combined. Don’t over-mix. Chill dough in the freezer for about an hour or in the fridge for a few hours.

Once your dough has chilled, pre-heat oven to 350F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and place powdered sugar in a bowl.

Form dough into walnut sized balls (I made mine a little bigger that than because I’m terrible at calculating size). Roll in powdered sugar and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. This should make about 24-30 cookies (the recipe says 40, but obviously I have a heavy hand in my cookie forming…)

Bake 10 minutes. They might look undercooked but that’s okay. Remember my rule about undercooked chocolate things… they’re delicious. Trust me.

Allow to cool complete and serve with a glass of milk… and a side of carrots and celery for the reindeer… or to balance out the sugar, whatever you want to believe.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies

September 19, 2012September 19, 20125 Comments

This is what happens when you are cheap and you go to the grocery store hungry.

Ok that’s not really what happens. What happens is you buy butterscotch chips that are 50% off, then rack your brain for 2 weeks trying to figure out what to make with them. Don’t worry if this happens to you make cookies. Cookies are generally a good idea.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies

adapted from Food Network

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, cream together brown sugar, butter and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Add whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt until almost combine. Fold in butterscotch chips.

Form dough into golf ball sized balls, place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden on the bottom. Place on a cooling rack to cool. Then serve!

Makes about 20 cookies.

In other news, these cookies were the first thing I made in my new kitchen.

Then I roasted vegetables, made another avocado pie and make an EPIC birthday cake for a co-worker’s bday tomorrow.

Slowly but surely, I’m catching up. What should I make next?

Date Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 31, 2012May 31, 20123 Comments

I’m nearly fully convinced that peanut butter is the most amazing thing there is. It goes with pretty much anything.

Peanut butter and jelly. A classic.

Peanut butter on celery, pretty much the only thing that makes celery palatable.

Peanut butter and chocolate. Divine.

Peanut butter and banana. Mouth-watering.

These are pretty much the basics. But my newest obsession: peanut butter and dates. Words can’t even describe…

Even better, peanut butter + dates + chocolate. A guaranteed winning combo.

Give it a try, in cookie form that is.

Date Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar. Beat in egg. Add flours, baking soda and salt and mix until almost combined. Fold in chocolate chips, peanuts and dates, careful to not overmix.

Place golf ball sized amounts of dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool on a cooling rack. Serve and enjoy! Makes about 24 cookies.

Foodologie

A Blog about Balancing Health with a Constant Desire to Eat Cake

Tag: Cookies

Lemon-Rosemary Cut Out Cookies

Lemon-Rosemary Cut Out Cookies

Refugee Auction: Get Foodologie Treats and Help Someone Out!

Banana Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Banana Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies

Date Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Date Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies