Tag Archive: Cookie

1. Burning

   March 11, 2012 7:54 pm 34 Comments

   

   “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”

   Jack Kerouac, On The Road

   
   These ginger cookies are for you, you with the fire in your belly. For you who has a burning thing inside your being that says “you must create, you must go, you must love, you must dive head first, you must stand up, you must be brave, you must not be afraid to fail.”

   Feed and surround yourself with the fuel that lights up your soul. People. Places. Things. Thoughts. Torch it all. It’s the one true thing you really have to offer this world. Don’t let others put it out. But more importantly, don’t get in your own way by worrying what others will think of that brain you were given, that heart that beats loudly in your chest, that burning thing you’ve cultivated and believed in. Throw it out and set it all aflame. Watch it glow. Watch it spread. Watch it change this world.

   

   Ginger Oat Cookies 

   slightly adapted from Jude Blereau

   • 1/2 cup dried dates, chopped
   • 3 cups rolled oats
   • 3/4 cup cooked oatmeal
   • 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
   • 1/2 cup glacé (crystalized) ginger, chopped
   • 1/2 cup coconut oil
   • 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
   • 1 tsp vanilla
   • 2 eggs

   Preheat the oven for 350.’ Cook the oatmeal on a stovetop first 1/2 cup of oats to 1 cup water. Set aside, let cool. Soak the dates in 1/4 of extra hot water, and mash with a fork. Add the vanilla to the date paste when room temp.

   In a large bowl, combine oats, oatmeal, nuts, and ginger. Add mashed up dates/vanilla as well as the coconut oil, brown rice syrup, and eggs. Mix together with your hands until well combined and coated. Mixture will feel wet and not overly sticky. Shape into balls and place onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned on the edges and top.

   More on the cake-y side than in cookie camp. I think these would make excellent morning-0n-the-run bars if pressed into a 8×8 pan and cut into squares.

   

2. Girl Scout Cookie Renovation

   February 25, 2011 4:46 pm 4 Comments

   The Girl Scouts have taken over. I can’t go anywhere these days without seeing adorable eight and nine year-old girls waving colorful boxes of cookies and alluring the sugar-addicted masses to support their (worthy and important) programs. I take a deep breath before I write this, because I don’t want to come off as a total cynic, but have you taken a peek at the nutrition labels on those bad boys lately? Yikes! How do those tiny treats pack such a harsh punch? Here’s what I found on the Girl Scouts website for the Samoas variety:

   140 calories per serving, 70 calories from fat. Total fat 7g, Saturated fat 5g. Sugar 10g. Ingredients: Sugar, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil and cottonseed oil, soybean and palm oil, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), coconut, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, sorbitol, glycerin, invert sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, cornstarch, salt, carmelized sugar, dextrose, soy lecithin, carrageenan, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate, natural and artificial flavor.

   Red flag! Cottonseed Oil! Last year I read an excerpt from Dr. Andrew Weil’s Eight Weeks to Optimum Health that asked readers to go through their pantry and throw out anything made with cottonseed oil. He considers it “unhealthy because it’s too high in saturated fat, but even more, it is notorious for containing natural toxins and unacceptably high levels of pesticide residues… cotton is not actually classified as a food crop, and farmers use many agrichemicals when growing it.” But cottonseed oil isn’t the only offender, try artificial food dyes, hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, GMO Soy products, GMO corn products, and artificial flavors to boot.

   There are ways to enjoy a little coconut-y chocolate-y goodness without all the processed gunk. It’s been a while since I’ve consumed an original Girl Scout confection but from what I’ve heard “on the street,”  cookie season just leaves people feeling guilty and unhappy. A cookie is still a cookie… it’s pretty hard to turn it into a “health” food, but we can strip it of unnecessary additives and use wholesome ingredients that treat your body with the tenderness and respect it deserves!

   Try this renovation on the classic Samoas and I dare you to tell me it’s not heavenly…

   Visit Sprouted Kitchen for the full recipe of “Dark Chocolate Dipped Macaroons.”

3. Oats, meet Figs

   July 14, 2010 4:27 pm Leave a Comment

   I didn’t know how much I loved figs until I impulsively bought a pound of them at the farmers market on Sunday. Figs have made friends with a lot of other ingredients since then, but oats and figs bonded more than the rest. This cookie recipe is healthy, delicious, and a perfect mid-day pick me up. They remind me a little of the classic “Fig Newton” that we all grew up on, but are considerably more sophisticated and wholesome. I snagged the ingredient list of the original “Fig Newton” straight from the Nabisco website:

   Enriched Flour (Wheat flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}Folic Acid)Figs Preserved with Sulfur Dioxide, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Whey (from Milk) Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil (Adds a Trivial Amount of Saturated Fat)Salt, Baking Soda, Calcium Lactate, Malic Acid, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier)Potassium Sorbate Added to Preserve Freshness, Artifical Flavor.

   Let’s get rid of the nasty, and focus on the beautiful and delicate fruit of the season. These are so easy to make, please do, and enjoy!

   • 2/3 cups Real Maple Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup
   • 1/4 cup Olive oil
   • 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
   • 1 1/2 cup Kamut Flour (or any other gluten free flour of choice)
   • 1 cup Rolled oats
   • 1/4 cup Chia seeds
   • 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
   • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
   • 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
   • 1 pinch salt
   • 1 splash Almond Milk
   • 6 Raw figs, halved

   Directions:

   1. Mix olive oil, syrup, and vanilla together in a large bowl
   2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, spices, seeds, and salt.
   3. Slowly combine dry ingredients to wet ingredients, the mixture will be on the drier side. Add just a little almond milk.
   4. Let mixture set for 10-15 min while you preheat the oven to 350 and cut the fresh figs in half.
   5. Roll out dough into 12 medium sized balls and press gently to flatten a bit. Set figs atop the cookie platform, sprinkle with a little cinnamon-sugar and bake for 12-14 minutes.
   6. Enjoy and be grateful for this beautiful life!