Last night
I posted about how I was working on giving Martha's
Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies a healthy makeover. I am happy to report that the makeover was a success and the healthier version is absolutely delicious, so I am back to share the adapted recipe. As I mentioned in my last post, the biggest changes I made to the recipe were to replace all the butter in the recipe for unsweetened applesauce, up the amount of whole wheat flour, and add a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon for more flavor. Texturally the resulting cookie was much softer and more cake-like than the original cookie. I actually found the new texture extremely satisfying and a perfect change as I was aiming to create a treat ideal for breakfast.
I am interested in trying a few more changes with these cookies. Next time I think I will reduce the amount of chocolate chips in the recipe and replace them with more walnuts for added texture. For those who enjoy raisins (I am not among the raisin fans of the world), you could also replace the chocolate chips with raisins for an even healthier cookie. I'm also curious about possibly adding some whole or ground flax seeds to the cookie for some omega-3 goodness. Cookies are very forgiving, so I'm sure you could play around with additions or replacements to your heart's content.
I wrapped my cookies tightly, 2 at a time, in plastic wrap and placed them inside a Rubbermaid container to store in the freezer. Portioning them and freezing them makes for a quick breakfast or snack. Simply grab a few cookies from the freezer and let them defrost at room temperature or warm them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, until warm and the chocolate chips are nice and gooey. Yum!
Banana-Walnut Oatmeal Chip Breakfast Cookies
adapted from
Martha Stewart
makes about 30 cookies
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (2 individual Mott's applesauce containers)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 large) mashed ripe banana
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degree. Whisk together flours, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. Put applesauce and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fully combined. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla, mix until incorporated. Thoroughly mix in mashed banana. Add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop (I used
this scoop), drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 14 minutes (mine took 14). Let cool on sheets 5 minutes then transfer them to wire racks to finish cooling. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days or can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 2 weeks.
I thought I'd share a few new (old) additions to my kitchen. I found two darling vintage daisy canisters and a set of eight fantastic mugs while doing some thrift shopping this past weekend with a friend. I also picked up a set of three white lotus bowls which I have been dying to have! You can see a peak of one of them next to the daisy canister.
As you can see, I am currently using the smaller canister to hold packets of sweetener. The larger is being used as a vase. They will probably end up in my studio holding thread or other sewing snippets.
I am crazy about the colors in these printed mugs. The set of eight had two different prints in these same colors, the bird print you see here and a cute print with little houses. I'll share a photo of the other print soon.
I've been keeping fresh flowers around the house frequently since Christmas. I bought these flowers on Sunday to brighten up the kitchen. The bouquet is such a springy color palette, soft purples and greens with a hint of yellow and pink.
I created this new cameo necklace a couple of days ago. I just love long and bold cameo necklaces. They feel so retro and whimsical. I'm working on several similar designs with floral and woodland cameos for spring. I'll be taking this beauty to Street Scene in Lexington in a couple weeks when I restock my designs.
Today's lunch consisted of left over White Bean Turkey Chili with a Black Bean and Guacamole Burrito. I made the burritos for dinner last night and they were seriously the best burritos I've ever eaten (even better than Qdoba--though, admittedly, I am partial to their nachos). I filled whole wheat tortillas with cilantro lime brown rice, homemade guacamole, and a mixture of red onion, garlic, japaleno, tomato, corn, black beans and lots of spices. I topped them off with a sprinkle of fat free cheddar cheese and browned them in a cast iron pan. So good! And I'm officially addicted to homemade guacamole. It had such a bright, fresh flavor. I'll be making these burritos again soon, for sure!
Last night I made the most delicious (and healthy) White Bean Turkey Chili. I've been working on cooking up low-fat meals full of veggies and whole grains with the occasional addition of lean protein and salmon. I have been trying out new recipes and really relying on fresh produce and lots of herbs and spices for flavor. It's been one delicious adventure.
Photos from hungrygirl* on Flickr.
Last night I posted about how I was working on giving Martha's Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies a healthy makeover. I am happy to report that the makeover was a success and the healthier version is absolutely delicious, so I am back to share the adapted recipe. As I mentioned in my last post, the biggest changes I made to the recipe were to replace all the butter in the recipe for unsweetened applesauce, up the amount of whole wheat flour, and add a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon for more flavor. Texturally the resulting cookie was much softer and more cake-like than the original cookie. I actually found the new texture extremely satisfying and a perfect change as I was aiming to create a treat ideal for breakfast.
As you can see, I am currently using the smaller canister to hold packets of sweetener. The larger is being used as a vase. They will probably end up in my studio holding thread or other sewing snippets.
I am crazy about the colors in these printed mugs. The set of eight had two different prints in these same colors, the bird print you see here and a cute print with little houses. I'll share a photo of the other print soon.
I've been keeping fresh flowers around the house frequently since Christmas. I bought these flowers on Sunday to brighten up the kitchen. The bouquet is such a springy color palette, soft purples and greens with a hint of yellow and pink.
Click the photos to view them larger.
After sewing my first Jane Market Bag last May, I've been meaning to sew a few more ever since. My collection of fabric was rather small and I didn't have enough fabric to sew another bag until a trip to Jo-Ann Fabric a couple of months back. After picking up enough fabric for a few of these fantastic bags, I was ready to get to sewing. Sort of. My first market bag ended up a little bit smaller than Alicia Paulson's pattern since I was short on fabric. This time I decided to go larger than the original Jane Market Bag. I have this fantastic shopping bag that the hubby picked up at a career far on campus; it holds so much without being too big. I decided to measure that bag and then adjust the dimension of the Jane Market Bag accordingly. This took quite a bit of planning as I checked and rechecked the calculations on my new dimensions. Unfortunately after figuring out my new pattern and starting to cut the fabric to size, I got distracted a few months back and all but abandoned the project. This weekend I finally picked it back up and finished my darling bag. The result is a pleasantly roomy bag which I cannot wait to fill up with flour and sugar and all sorts of baking essentials!
I listed a few pairs of new earrings in the shop tonight! The first pair is a bit more vibrant than my usual color palette, but I think they are playful and perfect for the spring and summer weather so many folks are craving lately.
