Annalise

easy, homemade microwave sweet potato chips

06/18/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Microwave sweet potato chips? Really?!

That’s exactly what I thought when I first heard of this! I have been ignoring the concept, until I started intensely craving sweet potato chips today and decided to do something about it.

Usually I make sweet potato fries, in the oven. They are delicious, but always lack the ‘crunch’ I crave.

I was so skeptical of using the microwave, as I’m not a huge microwave user in general, but the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense.

Have you ever tried to microwave something soft and moist, like bread, cake or cookies? And you know how hard and dried out they get if they stay in there even a few seconds too long?

Well, use that drying-out to your advantage for some homemade chips!

A light toss in some oil & spices and thin slices of sweet potatoes turn into crunchy, golden chips in just minutes!

Heaven!

easy homemade microwave sweet potato chips

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

10 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

1 medium sweet potato

Ingredients

parchment paper
1 medium-large sweet potato, washed
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the tray of your microwave.

Slice the sweet potato as thinly as possible (preferably with a mandoline). Toss the slices in a bowl with a teaspoon of melted coconut oil and some salt & pepper.

Lay the coated slices out evenly on your parchment-lined microwave tray. Cook on high for 4+ minutes (this number will depend on your microwave and how thick the slices are). Start at 4 minutes and then keep adding about 30 seconds at a time until the chips are just brown.

Take them out of the microwave and let cool a few minutes for maximum crunch. Toss with a bit more salt if desired!

(I like to add chipotle chile powder and garlic powder to mine, with the salt & pepper. A salty/sweet version with cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar would be delicious too!)

http://sweetannas.com/2013/06/easy-homemade-microwave-sweet-potato-chips.html

www.sweetannas.com

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - appetizers, recipes - gluten free, recipes - healthy, recipes - kids, recipes - natural, recipes - snacks, recipes - tips and tricks, recipes - toddler, recipes - toddlers, recipes - trim healthy mama, recipes - vegetarian ·

double chocolate espresso chip cookies

06/06/2013 by Annalise · 1 Comment

Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. And a bit of espresso beans. Because coffee just makes everything better, am I right?

You can leave the espresso beans out of these cookies if you’d like. But personally I never skip a chance to add a little coffee into my life!

These cookies are incredibly gooey, rich, chewy and just plain delicious. Chocolate-lovers heaven. One cookie goes a long way, so this recipe will serve a crowd, or feed your freezer beautifully!

(You do know how well cookies freeze, right? If you didn’t… now you do! Cookies are amazing freezer-treats. They pretty much even improve with a bit of time in the freezer – in an airtight container, of course -, getting chewier and more flavorful as the cookies rest. Perfect for last-minute company or a special treat for yourself. 5 minutes or so on the counter, or a few seconds in the microwave, and they are as good as new – if not better!)

Ok, so now I have a question… for my own curious mind. Do you love chocolate?

I think you know what I’m asking…

I like chocolate just fine. But I don’t usually crave it and if there are other options, it’s just not going to get first place in my life.

But some of you… some of you live for it. And there is something about chocolate-lovers that just makes my heart smile. Don’t ask why. Because I really don’t know. I just think it’s so sweet! (No pun intended! Ha!)

So, how do you feel about chocolate? Love it? Hate it? Like it just fine, but don’t care either way?

Feed my curiosity please!!

double chocolate espresso chip cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted & slightly cooled*
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups chocolate-covered espresso beans, or other type of chocolate chips

Directions

*If you haven't already melted your butter, do it now before you start assembling everything else and place it in the fridge for a few minutes while you gather your ingredients.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter & sugar until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, vanilla & salt until smooth, and then beat in the cocoa powder and baking soda until combined.

Mix in the flour until just combined and then stir the chocolate chips and chocolate covered espresso beans, if using.

Place the dough in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF while the dough chills. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop the dough out onto the parchment papers, using a medium (about 1 1/2") scoop, placing the dough about 2" apart to allow for spreading room.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just set and no longer shiny. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheets until they are firm enough to move to a cooling rack, and then cool completely. Store in the freezer for best results!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/06/double-chocolate-espresso-chip-cookies.html

www.sweetannas.com

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - cookies and bars, recipes - dessert, recipes - desserts, recipes - freezer, recipes - make ahead ·

cardamom vanilla slice & bake sugar cookies

06/02/2013 by Annalise · 1 Comment

I love cardamom. In just about everything.

It reminds me of my family, of Norway, of comfort and the holidays… and coziness in general.

It is absolutely one of my favorite things.

Totally a random tidbit, but we have an amazing local ice cream shop (Elevated Ice Cream, in Port Townsend) that even sells cardamom ice cream. I can’t wait until the next time I can grab a chance to go buy some to have with these cookies (and maybe a shot of espresso poured on top! Yum!).

These cookies are lovely, buttery, crispy little gems that are just perfect for dipping into a steaming mug of coffee.

And I actually think I like them better after they’ve been frozen for a few days and the flavors have had a chance to meld together.

So… these are perfect, easy, make-ahead cookies. Make the dough when you’ve got a few minutes, roll it and pop it in the fridge or freezer. When you’re ready, slice them up and bake ‘em!

triple chocolate, chocolate chip mint cookies

05/28/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

These cookies are addicting… chewy, rich, minty, & so packed full of chocolate you can hardly stand it.

(And don’t even get me started on the dough… It was so hard for me to step away from the mixer bowl!)

I actually only baked half of the batch in cookie-form, and then I patted the rest of the dough into a skillet to make a giant pan-cookie. (I kindof got lazy… and I really needed to quit being tempted to sneak bites of dough!)

It was a necessary intervention.

healthy peach berry crumble smoothies

05/27/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

These smoothies are a healthy meal in and of themselves. All the sweet, luscious flavor of a summer-fruit smoothie and a juicy, peach berry crisp, without any of the guilt.

Dairy-free, sugar-free, and flavor-FULL!

(By the way… if you’re on the Fast Metabolism Diet like I was, this is a Phase 3 breakfast or lunch!)

Chia seeds and coconut oil give you the healthy fats your body craves, and no one (ahem, toddlers!) will ever know there are fresh greens packed inside their treat!

((Commence the silent cheering so as not to wake the house-full of sleeping kiddos!))

I don’t know about you, but my kids just don’t really eat too many green foods willingly. And any way I can sneak more good-stuff into their tummies is a good thing!

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