recipes – freezer

crazy healthy good chocolate chip pan cookie

05/13/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

Ok, maybe not super healthy, because this does have sugar in it. But even that sugar is organic, and part of it good-for-you coconut palm sugar!

What does this cookie not have? Flour, eggs, butter… seriously. I know. Stop it already, right?

This cookie sounds crazy. Almost horrible. But so crazy that it is worth trying, if only just to say you did.

(Yep, that’s why I tried it. My friend kept talking about it, for like – years, and I thought she was just a tad bit nutso. But I also got tired of wondering why she kept talking about it and so, maybe just a little to shut her up if it was not good, I tried it.)

And you know what? I am so glad I finally tried it!

And you will be glad you tried it… and your friends and family will never know it’s so healthy, I promise!

I tested this out on myself, my husband, my kids, and even my father-in-law… and everyone agreed that it does not taste one bit healthy.

Crazy, huh?

Ok, so what makes it so healthy, besides all that stuff that’s not in it? Beans. Garbanzo beans (aka Chickpeas. They are the same thing.) to be exact. Lots of beans. And some apple sauce. Weird, weird stuff. So weird, you have to try it to believe it.

Seriously. GO make this cookie. You won’t regret it!!

crazy healthy chocolate chip pan cookie

Ingredients

3 cups garbanzo beans (2 cans, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats
1/4 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened is fine)
1/2 cup Wholesome Sweeteners organic coconut palm sugar (can substitute for more brown)
1 cup Wholesome Sweeteners organic dark brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
(optional: additional chocolate chips and coconut for sprinkling on top)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 10" cast iron skillet, or a 9x13" baking dish, and set aside.

In a large food processor, combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips and pulse until well combined.

Dump the dough into a large bowl and stir in the chocolate chips. Spread everything into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving... with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top if you want to really trick your friends, I mean... be decadent!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/05/crazy-healthy-good-chocolate-chip-pan-cookie.html

www.sweetannas.com

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - cookies and bars, recipes - dessert, recipes - desserts, recipes - freezer, recipes - gluten free, recipes - healthy, recipes - kids, recipes - make ahead, recipes - natural, recipes - snacks, recipes - tips and tricks, recipes - toddler, recipes - toddlers, recipes - vegetarian ·

giant double m&m chocolate chip cookies

05/04/2013 by Annalise · Leave a Comment

I needed to bake yesterday. Needed to. Like a fish needs water. My heart was aching for it.

Dieting may be good for my waist, but it sure is not good for my heart.

So, despite the beautiful, warm, sunshiney day, I tied on our aprons and we all got to work.

The boys took turns dumping, stirring and tasting. Maren watched and pigged out on Cheerios, and I breathed in the joy of my happy place.

Yesterday. Was a good day.

These fun, giant, plate-sized cookies are what came out of our fun! Because you can’t go wrong with chocolate chip cookies, and… well, m&ms just make everything happier, don’t they?

At least, they do for a 2 year old! (Haakon is obsessed with “MemEms” as he calls them!)

Use two kinds of m&ms for these cookies… regular and minis, dark and peanut butters, regular and pretzel, just mix it up for a fun little twist on the classic!

giant double m&m chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, melted & slightly cooled
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup m&m candies
1/2 cup mini m&m candies

Directions

Melt the butter if you haven't already and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda & salt and set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth.

Mix in the flour mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and m&ms. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop a full 1/2 cup of dough out, round it into a ball and then split it apart into two halves (like you're cracking a egg in half). Place each half craggly side up on a baking sheet, 4 or 5 cookies to a sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are just golden brown around the edges. Don't overbake them!

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets at least 10 minutes. Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the freezer (these are great make ahead cookies... but I guess most cookies are!).

http://sweetannas.com/2013/05/giant-double-mm-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

www.sweetannas.com

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

pumpkin pie slow cooker steel-cut oatmeal

04/30/2013 by Annalise · 1 Comment

Do you only eat oatmeal in the fall & winter? Or do you love it enough to eat it all year like I do?

I’m pretty sure I could eat oatmeal every single morning for the rest of my life and not get sick of it. If only the rest of my family felt the same way! ;o)

So, I try to limit myself and also to change things up for them as much as I can.

I absolutely love making oatmeal in the slow cooker. Less than 5 minutes of prep and I get to wake up to a hot breakfast and a house that smells amazing!

Steel-cut oats are so good for you too… they, ahem, keep things moving rather nicely.

Also, oatmeal reheats beautifully, in case you didn’t know that!

You can make this oatmeal even healthier if you leave out the sugar and butter. (Fast Metabolism Dieters – this is a great phase 1 recipe!)

So, make a batch of this, and portion out the rest into freezer containers and reheat them as you need them. Fast, easy, healthy breakfasts on the go!

pumpkin pie overnight steel-cut oatmeal

Ingredients