Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are our favorite "egg free" cookies. I have even (successfully) substituted half whole wheat pastry flour into these. ;) Don't over cook these tasty morsels. Error on the side of chewy.

1 ¼ cup flour

½ tsp baking soda

pinch Salt

¼ cup butter, softened

¼ cup sugar

½ cup honey

1 cup chocolate chips (or a mixture of pb chips, m&ms, reese’s pieces, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix dry stuff (flour, baking soda and salt) together in a big measuring cup or a small bowl. 

In a medium bowl, blend butter, sugar and honey together with a rubber spatula or a mixer on low speed.

Mix in dry ingredients. Add chips and mix until everything is all creamed together.

Use a couple of soup spoons or tablespoons to drop blobs of dough onto a greased cookie sheet or parchment paper.

Menu Monday: Carrot Muffins

Since I had two big cooking/baking weekends in a row,  I decided to play it down a little last weekend.


* = new recipe
:) = recommended
:( = not recommended


Friday 

• Leftovers = :)
• *Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting = :) :) :) 

Saturday 

• Pad Thai = :)
• Spring Rolls (from Costco) = :)
• Zucchini Spears = :)

Sunday

• Roast Dinner at mother-in-laws = :) :) :)
• *Dessert - Fresh Strawberry Tarts (I made these, but I probably won't make them again. They were so-so.

Tonight (It's our boy's half birthday, so he got to choose.)

• Hot dogs (Mmmm. Can't wait! ;)
• French Fries (aka homemade roasted potato spears... sssshhhh... don't tell him!)
• Raw carrots and ranch dip

The carrot muffins were a big hit with the neighborhood kids. I passed out mini muffins with a big dollop of frosting atop.


Carrot Muffins

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oat flour (can substitute with half white/whole wheat flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup wheat germ (optional)
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed (optional)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice

• 1/2 cup agave nectar/honey
• 2/3 cup coconut oil/canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup crushed pineapple
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans/walnuts (optional)

Mix wet ingredients. Slowly add to flour mixture, mix just until blended. Spoon batter into muffin cups.

Bake at 350° for about 15-20 minutes

Frost with any cream cheese frosting recipe. Anything is good with cream cheese frosting!

Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes on Menu Monday

I had another fun weekend trying some fun new recipes and using some good ole standbys.
* = new recipe
:) = recommended
:( = not recommended

Dinner tonight...
Left-overs! Yipee. :) :) :)

Dinner Sunday night...

• *Insalata Caprese Salad with homemade mozzarella = :) (I'll explain the homemade mozzarella in another post. So easy, so yummy!)
• No Knead Bread
• *Asiago Frisco = :) :) :) 
• Parmesan-crusted Chicken Breasts = :) I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but you'll get the point.
• Tomato Basil Ziti
• *Dessert/Lemon Curd in Phyllo Tarts and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries = :) (If you don't have the Joy of Cooking, trust me you would love it!)

Breakfast Saturday...
*Whole Wheat Oat pancakes = :) :) :)
Strawberries

Dinner Saturday...
Sushi with friends
Tuna casserole for kids. me = :) kids = :(


As promised, here is a favorite recipe. I adjusted this from a family fav that my kids call "Papa cakes." Every time we stay at my parent's house or cabin, my dad makes pancakes for my kids. They love them. I just tweaked the recipe to make them a bit more hearty.


Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes 

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup coconut oil or canola oil
• 1/4 cup agave nectar, honey, or sugar

Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Mix to together. Adjust consistency with more buttermilk or flour. Top with fresh fruit. Enjoy!


Makes about 24 pancakes. So we eat left-overs on Sunday morning! = :)


*Note: You can just omit the eggs. The baking powder, soda, and buttermilk make them raise just fine. I usually cook a batch without eggs for my little one, then add a couple of eggs for extra protein for the big kids.

Menu Monday

* = new recipe
:) = recommended
:( = not recommended


Dinner tonight...
Pan-fried Lemon Dill Tilapia = :)
*Sweet Potato Pancakes = :)
Green Beans
Watermelon

Dinner last night...
Frozen Pizza (that had been in the freezer a few months too many!) = :(
Salad with vinegrette
*Dessert/Melon Gelatin = :( (The thought of gelatin as an animal by-product grosses me out. Last night as I was watching Chopped, I heard about agar. It's derived from algae. Is that much better?)

Lunch yesterday....
*Fresh Shrimp and Veggie Spring Rolls with peanut dipping sauce = :)
*Lemongrass Soup = :)

Breakfast Saturday...
*Whole Wheat Oat pancakes = :) :) :)
Strawberries

Dinner Saturday...
Sweet and Sour Pork with Couscous = :)
Steamed Asparagus
*Dessert/Frogurt in Ogden = :) :) :)

I'll share our :) (recommended recipes in the very near future.) Here's a recipe on the menu tonight...

Sweet Potato Pancakes
2 large sweet potatoes
1 tsp. hot curry powder
1 egg
1 tsp. salt

Grate sweet potatoes and mix with with other ingredients. Cook by spoonfuls in a greased skillet (we use olive oil, canola oil, or coconut oil.) Turn only once. Serve with plain greek yogurt

Note: These are still yummy WITHOUT EGGS. Just omit the egg. It's a little crumbly but that beats an allergic reaction. :) Also, use lots of oil so that it doesn't stick! BTW, our baby recently tested negative to an allergy to soy and shellfish. Now, we just have to watch out for eggs and peanuts.

so many new recipes in one weekend = :(  
too many dirty dishes!