Thin and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

It seems everyone has a favorite kind of chocolate chip cookie. Mine is big, thick, chewy and slightly under cooked. I have made several like this, but sadly have not posted about these experiences. I guess I'll just have to make more! ;) This time I was baking to make someone else happy and thus the thin and chewy. I have to say, even though this is not my ideal cookie type they were pretty darn good.  The edges and top were crisp, and the inside was soft and chewy in that slightly undercooked way. Not at all dry or crunchy. After keeping them in an air-tight container overnight they were completely soft. The people who like cookies this way were very happy!

Thin and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
How I Did it:

2 1/4 cup bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1/8 - 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

2. Melt butter and let cool a bit, stirring occasionally.

3. In a large bowl, eat melted butter and sugars together until light and almost fluffy.

4. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla.

5. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients until just barely incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips, making sure thy are well distributed. Wrap tightly and place in the fridge overnight (or at least for a couple hours).

6. Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets.

7. Scoop tablespoon sized balls of dough onto sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each.

8. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center still looks slightly undercooked. Remove from oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

*If eaten shortly after cooking they will have a crisp edge with a nice gooey and chewy center. By the next day (storing them properly in an airtight container), they will lose the crisp and be even more chewy.

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies

I love coconut and of course we know how I feel about chocolate, so I had to try these Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies. I'm happy I added the extra coconut...I probably could have even added more! Do keep an eye on your coconut as you're toasting it as it goes from white to burnt very quickly. Don't skip this step though as it really adds to the flavor and texture. I always slightly under-cook my cookies, but next time I would cook them a bit less even as they weren't as moist as I usually like. Fantastic flavor!

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies
How I Did It:

1 3/4 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups toasted coconut
1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. Gradually stir in dry mixture until just combined.

3. Gently fold in coconut and chocolate chips until well distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight).

4. Preheat oven to 350 and line your baking sheets.

5. Scoop batter into rounded balls onto the baking sheet, placing at least 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are firm, and the center is almost set.

Super Gooey Almost Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie

So good  it's almost crazy, and so not horrible for you it is crazy! I can't make insane healthy claims as there is sugar and of course chocolate, but they are free of flour, butter, eggs, and full of protein! I got the idea after making Chocolate Covered Katie's Cookie Dough Dip. It's amazing as a dip. I wouldn't compare it to "regular" cookie dough, but I love it for what it is. Now what makes it over the top (in my opinion) is turning it into a super-gooey cookie. And it's so easy. Just spoon some of your dip into a microwave-safe bowl and...microwave it. Really, that's it. It forms a crust and the inside becomes even more creamy and of course there is the not so small matter of melty chocolate. Oh my.

Don't be scared of the beans. If you know they are there you will probably taste them, but strangely it's not a bad thing. I prefer to use navy beans as they are less "beany" in my opinion while still giving the dip its great texture. I also like to use a bit extra vanilla as it makes it taste less healthy.

If you are in the mood for something you can pick up with your hands, try Chocolate Chip Blondies with a Secret. Same bean idea, but baked.

Super Gooey Almost Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie
How I Did It:

1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 plus 2 tbsp dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Put all of the ingredients (except the chocolate) into your food processor and pulse until well combined. You may need to open it up a couple times to scrape down the sides (should only take a couple minutes at the most).

2. Pour into a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips. If you just want it as a dip you can eat it this way or refrigerate it to let it firm up.

3. When you're ready to make a "cookie" take scoop 3 tablespoons worth into a small microwaveable bowl (like a cereal bowl) and place as is into the microwave for about 1 minute or until it levels out and forms a crusty layer on top.

4. Repeat for anyone else who wants to try and store remaining "batter" in the refrigerator for more cookies later!

Tomato Vegetable Soup

What's better on a lazy cold day than a nice, brothy tomato soup full of veggies?

Tomato Vegetable Soup
How I Did It: 

32 oz san marzano whole peeled tomato

32 oz low sodium vegetable broth

1 celery stalk, chopped

6 carrots, chopped

32 oz diced san marzano tomatoes
3 tsp oregano
3 tsp basil
3 tsp parsley

1 summer squash, chopped
1 zuchinni, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped
40 oz green pigeon pea beans

1 bunch kale, de-steamed and ripped

1. In a large pot empty the San Marzano tomatoes. Using your (washed) hands, squeeze the tomatoes until only bite sizes chunks remain. If you really don't want to use your hands you can use wooden spoon - just stir vigorously, mashing the tomatoes against the side of the pot. Add broth and let come to a boil. 

3. Stir in celery, carrots, diced tomatoes and half of each of the spices. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes and then add in summer squash, zuchinni, peppers, pigeon peas, and remaining spices. Cook for another 15 - 30 minutes (depending how soften you want your veggies), stirring occasionally. 

4. Stir in kale well and let it cook down. You can keep cooking it if you still want your veggies softer or serve immediately. Once cooled, store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

Polenta Veggie Lasagna

I love polenta. These days everyone seems to be talking about polenta, but I can't remember a time when polenta wasn't part of my life. I used to look forward to my grandma making us polenta with her homemade tomato sauce and meat balls. Not quite as good as her risotto, but it was sure up there.

When I first saw the tubes of it that Trader Joe's sells I was so excited. I would slice them and cook them in a pan. They even have a polenta/quinoa option which is delicious. I told my grandma about my discovery and she gave me some quick cooking polenta. And boy is it quick! I would make a double batch and eat half of it runny and the other half the next day after it had become more solid. They also make regular, finely ground corn meal that cooks almost as fast, but my latest discovery is stone-ground corn meal. I orginally bought it as it's a bit more nutrious in that it retains (at least some of) the hull and germ. It's more coarse and due to the oil in the germ, more flavorful! I didn't realize it would taste so much better until I found myself scraping the remains from the pot to nibble on. I used to douce my polenta in tomato sauce and shook my head at the plain polenta that would stick to the spoon b/c it was just bland on it's own. I guess now I can come up with some new recipes. This one uses only minimal tomato sauce, but you could always add more (or less).

Polenta Veggie Lasagna
How I Did It:

5 cups water
1 1/2 cups stone ground corn meal (or finely ground if you prefer)
10 oz frozen spinach, defrosted with liquid
1 cup frozen chopped stop light peppers
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
15 oz tomato sauce of choice*
3/4 cup of shredded cheddar jack cheese

1. Lightly grease two 8x8" baking pans (I used one 8x8" and one 9x9") and set aside.

2. Boil water and cook the corn meal until is has thickened up. You will need to stir frequently to avoid it sticking. Pour into both of the pans, spreading out with a spoon to make sure it is flat and even. Place in the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes.

3. While the polenta is in the fridge, prepare the veggies. In a large skillet place the spinach, peppers, and onions. The water from them should allow you to cook without oil, but if you need to you can add some olive oil or water. As they are cooking, add in the spices.

4. Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the baking pans of polenta from the fridge. Layer all of the vegetable mixture on top of the 9x9" polenta, spreading it out evenly all the way to the edges. Coat the vegetables in a layer of tomato sauce. Gently flip the 8x8" polenta square out of its pan and place it, bottom side down, on top of the veggie and sauce layers. Coat with more tomato sauce and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until  the cheese is melted and the tomato sauce starts to bubble.

*I like to make my own sauce from San Marzano canned peeled tomatoes or tomato puree to which I add my own spices, etc, but you can use your favorite canned tomato sauce.

Vegetable Quinoa Soup

Did you know that 2013 is the "International Year of Quinoa"? Interesting, but not why I decided to include it in this soup. I love quinoa for it's taste and consistency and it is surprisingly high in protein as well. Oh, and did I mention all of the health benefits? I loved it in this vegetable soup. It was a great replacement for the traditional noodles of a "vegetable noodle soup" and really gave it a great stew-like feeling. The photo above was from the day it was made. Keep in mind that it will continue to absorb moisture making it thicker (goodbye broth). Personally, I love nice thick soups, but if you don't then add extra broth (or less quinoa and veggies). For maximum enjoyment, don't be shy about keeping your vegetables nice and chunky or the quinoa will steal the show.

Vegetable Quinoa Soup
How I Did It:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped
3 tsp garlic
5 parsnips, peeled and chopped
6 carrots, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped

1 bunch swiss chard, chopped and stems kept separate

64 oz low sodium vegetable broth

3 tsp basil
3 tsp thyme

1 handful green beans, chopped in 1/2 or 1/3
1 green pepper, sliced and chopped
28 oz San Marzano diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup quinoa

1. Heat oil in a large pot and add in onion and garlic. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent. 

2. Stir in parsnips, carrots, celery, and swiss chard stems. Add 1/4 cup of broth and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the rest of the broth along with the basil and thyme, turn up the heat and let cook, covered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in green beans, peppers, and diced tomatoes and cook for another 15 minutes. 

4. Stir in the quinoa and cook for another 15 minutes and then add the swiss chard greens. Cook for another 10 minutes (or longer) on medium/high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week.

Cookies 'n' Cream Brookies

If you love chocolate, you know how good brownies are. I don't mean "cake-like" brownies...I mean real brownies in all their fudge-like glory. Sometimes though you want something a little more...presentable? Well, when you want the taste and texture of a brownie, but the class of a cookie, brookies are what it's all about! I have made chocolate cookies before, but never a chocolate cookie this fudgy and delicious. As good as they were, it beats my chocolate snowball cookies in chocolatey-fudginess. Really, they are so soft and chewy and packed with flavor. The recipe is adapted from what I found at Andrea The Kitchen Witch  who was using the brookie recipe in the Clinton St Baking Company Cookbook. If you look at the ingredients there is much less added fat and flour than other cookies. I'm not saying it's healthy, what I am saying it's mostly chocolate and sugar. :) I have gotten into this thing where I only make part of a batch of cookies so I don't have to stress about what I am going to do with them all. Eat them, I know. There is only so may you can eat though before they are not at their best. If you need (want?) more though just double everything.

Cookies 'n' Cream Brookies
How I Did It:

(makes about 12 cookies)

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp unsalted butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate
1 large egg
1/4 + 1/8 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
7 oz cookies 'n' creme kisses, halved


1. In a small/medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a double boiler, melt the oil, butter, and chocolate and stir until well-combined and smooth. Take off heat and let cool, stirring frequently.

3. While the chocolate mixture is cooling, in a separate bowl whisk together the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla.

4. Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in broken kisses.

5. Pour into a shallow pan and place in the freezer for 6 to 8 minutes. You just want it to harden up, do not let it freeze. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare cookie sheet with your Silpat or parchment paper.

6. Remove from freezer and scoop rounded balls (slightly larger than tablespoon size) onto prepared baking sheet, keeping each 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes until the edges look dry and the tops have started to crack a bit.

7. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to cool completely on cooling racks.