#58) Chewy Ginger Cookies

So the in-laws came to town yesterday :) I can't remember the last time I seen my fiance so excited - he gets to see his parents, and his brother and nephew :) In order to make him even happier I gave in to his constant beggings for "real" cookies - with butter and eggs LOL

I am confident these little treats were a good choice because between him and his dad the whole batch is pretty much gone! When they came out of the oven the outside had a great crunch to it while the inside was warm and chewy... As they cooled the outside lost the crunch and they are now a truly chewy cookie.

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Steps

-Beat butter for 30 seconds.
-Add brown sugar, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. Beat.
-Beat in egg and molasses.
-Beat in flour.
-Chill dough for 1 hour.
-Roll into tablespoon balls and roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture.
-Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, until tops are cracked.

#57) Hawaiian Drops

This, boys and girls, is my new baking reality - no dairy, no fat, no yolk.... BUT, please don't feel bad for me because these cookies were awesome!!! Jam-packed with pineapple and raisins, the texture was soft and chewy, and with combo of brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup, the flavour had many layers and left me wanting more every time I took a bite.... I have to say, these new restrictions don't seem to be too hard to deal with, my only issue is the change in the texture of my sweet treats, but I am sure I will get used to that... And better yet, now my treats are healthier so I can eat more of 'em, right? :)

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup applesauce
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup pineapple, crushed with juice

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F and grease or line a cookie sheet.
-Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.
-Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Add applesauce, syrup, and honey. Mix well.
-Stir in raisins and pineapple.
-Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes.
-Spoon onto sheet by tablespoonful and bake for 20 minutes.
-Let cool on wire rack.

#56) Double Chocolate Chippers

I know, I know, this recipe doesn't fit in at all with my new diet restrictions - but, they aren't for me. They are actually for my students. I finished up my internship a couple of weeks ago and leave to head back to campus shortly so I wanted to bring them one last treat before I leave town.

Making these cookies was fun because my fiance decided to help out. I am not sure if I have ever mentioned here just how cute my man is - he is romantic, cuddly, funny, and sweet, but one thing he is not is "kitchen-inclined." That aside, he started creaming the butter and sugar, well, more like whipped, and then he beat in those eggs, again, more like whipped... When it came time spoon out the dough it was obvious the consistency was not right - baking it like it was would have given me some sort of meringue crossbreed - interesting, but not what I was looking for. So we added in more flour and cocoa and hoped for the best...

And better they were! These cookies have a very cocoa-y flavour and the texture is spot on. A somewhat cakey cookies with slightly crunchy edges. Although the maple flavour of the syrup doesn't come through as I had hoped they are still very satisfying cookies! (Now only if they fit into my new diet LOL... Hmm... maybe I will play with it a bit and see what I come up with.)

Thanks for your help babe <3

Ingredients

1 cup cake flour
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-In a small bowl, combine flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
-In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and maple syrup; beat until creamy.
-Beat in eggs to butter mixture, one at a time.
-Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. (I add it in thirds)
-Stir in chocolate chips.
-Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
-Bake for 8-10 minutes.

#55) No-Fat Banana Muffins

So a recent visit to the doctor ended in me being told I have a difficult-to-manage digestive issue... Well, that sounds fun! And when he said "difficult-to-manage" he wasn't joking: no dairy, no red meat, no egg yolk, less sugar, less fat, no alcohol, no carbonated beverages, minimal raw fruits and veggies... I will stop there as not to bore you. Based on that you can imagine the difficulty I am having in the kitchen, both with cooking and baking. I have a pretty good handle on the cooking side of things, finding new ways to dress up chicken and potatoes, but I am still struggling with the baking - I mean really, no butter and no egg yolks?!?!?!
This recipe is my first attempt at something safe for me, and I gotta say I wasn't super pleased, but wasn't super disappointed either. The muffins have a toughness to them, but it is almost forgiven due to the intense banana flavour.... You be the judge!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 egg whites
2 mashed bananas
1/4 applesauce, unsweetened

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F and line 12 muffin cups.
-Stir together dry ingredients.
-In another bowl, mix together wet ingredients. I left some small chunks of banana in my mixture and it was very nice in the end product.
-Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir just until combined.
-Divide between 12 muffins cups.
-Bake for 20-25 minutes.

#54) Mini Bakeapple Lava Cakes

We are invited out for Easter dinner today so, as usual, I took on the role of "dessert maker." The friend hosting dinner is the very same friend who recently gave me some bakeapples. I thought it only appropriate to make a divine dessert with these tart berries for the evening. I wanted to do a simple cake, nothing too fancy, because I am still in the experimenting stages with bakeapples and do not want to pair it with the wrong flavours. (As I have mentioned before, there are virtually no recipes written for bakeapples so it is all experimentation for me!). Then I thought, wouldn't it be cute to give everyone their very own dessert? Of course! So I divided the batter into my jumbo muffin pan and got these adorable little cakes. Slice them in half, pack some berry filling, and presto - individual desserts! I know many of your do not have access to bakeapples, or even know what they are, but I can tell you that this sponge cake paired with a raspberry or blueberry filling would be amazing! Play with it :)

Happy Easter!!!

Sponge Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
3 eggs, room temperature (beaten)
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp flour

Steps

-Cream butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until the mixture is pale in colour and light and fluffy.
-Add beaten eggs, a teaspoon at a time, beating well after each addition.
-Sift flour and salt and carefully add to the mixture, folding in with a metal spoon or spatula.
-Bake in greased pan(s) for 25-30 minutes, until golden and pulling away from sides.
-Let cool completely, cut in half (if applicable), and add filling*.
-Dust with icing/caster sugar.

*Berry Filling

Ingredients

2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 tbsp cornstarch

Steps

-Bring berries and 1/3 cup water to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
-Strain the berry mixture and return to heat.
-Add cornstarch to remaining water. Whisk into berry mixture.
-Add sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
-Cool completely.

#53) Salted Peanut Butter Cookies

These little treats will be taken to a class get-together for an evening class I teach. We will be hanging out with another class doing a more advanced course. Last time around I made the Banana Bites with Cinnamoney Frosting, but this time I was more in the mood for a cookie (that mood has been around for a while now if you haven't notice :p). These cookies lend themselves well to variations - creamy or smooth peanut butter, chocolate chips, and in my case, coarse salt. I tried adding the salt a couple of ways - over top of the dough before they were baked, and then on the freshly baked cookies. I like the second way better :) The salt adds another level to the cookies but doesn't overpower the nutty pb taste.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 egg
Coarse salt for sprinkling

Steps

-Line a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 350°F
-Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
-Cream together peanut butter, butter, and sugars. Add milk and egg. Beat well.
-Add dry ingredients in fourths. Do not overbeat.
-Drop onto lined cookie sheet by tablespoonful. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
-Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.
-Let cool on wire rack.

#52) Carrot Muffins & CC Frosting

This recipe was actually one of the first I posted here on Sweet Treats. Since the first time I used this recipe I have never used another... I have played with this one to get it right where I want it and doubt I will ever stray from it. It is rich, heavy enough, and packed with carrot, raisins, and pineapple. This time I decided to add some cream cheese frosting (well, I was more coerced to add cream cheese frosting bc fiance had a craving LOL). But I have to say I am more than happy with the outcome. Not a drop of oil or ounce of butter in the muffins means you can indulge in the creamy frosting, right?

Carrot Muffin
Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup raisins
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp applesauce
2 large eggs
3 cups grated carrot
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice and add by tsp if batter is too dry) *I added 2 this time, but it varies

Steps

-Sift together dry ingredients. Set aside.
-Add the pineapple, carrot, eggs, and applesauce to another bowl. Mix until combined.
-Add dry ingredients in thirds, mixing until incorporated after each addition.
-Pour into muffin cups and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

**I made 1 dozen regular muffins and 3 jumbos :)

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

1 pk light cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 cup icing sugar

Steps

-Beat together cream cheese and butter.
-Add icing sugar gradually.
-Beat to a thick consistency.
-Spread on cupcakes and lick the bowl :)

#51) Bakeapple Blossoms

Click here for an update on this recipe :) - June 3rd, 2016.



I know, I've been away a while, eh? Well, with finishing up my internship and last weekend's wedding show get-away, I haven't spent that much time in the kitchen. But with yesterday being the last day of my internship I thought maybe I should bring in some treats as a thank you to the staff. I didn't want to make anything too fancy because I didn't have a lot of time, so I decided to make some scratch shortbread. But that wasn't enough - they needed something more. So I took out a bag of bakeapples given to me by a good friend and made some of my no-fail berry cake filling, sieved out the seeds, and poured in into indentations in the shortbread. The result was exactly what I was going for - a simple treat with a interesting twist. They were huge hit and will stay in my back pocket now as a go-to recipe :) The cake filling can be replaced with any fruity preserve you like, but if you have access to bakeapples I would give 'em a try!!!

Bakeapple Cake Filling

Ingredients

1 cup bakeapples
1/4 cup water
7 tbsp sugar (adjust according to the tartness of your berries)
2 tsp corn starch

Steps

-Boil berries with 3/4 of the water. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
-Push the cooked berries through a fine sieve, discarding the seeds.
-Whisk corn starch into remaining water. Add cornstarch mixture and sugar to berries.
-Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Let cool completely.

Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients

1 1/8 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour

Steps

- Combine butter, sugar and extract in mixer bowl and beat until creamy.
- Add the flour, scraping often until well mixed.
- Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Work together with hands upon removing from refrigerator.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place them on silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Use a tsp measure to make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
- Fill the indentation with a small dollop of your fruit filling.
- Bake for 14 - 18 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
- Place cookies in wire rack and cool completely.