But I keep making cookies. It's a problem, truly. My only saving grace is training for a half marathon. I can justify a cookie now and then.
The problem with these? I can eat them all day. Okay, who am I fooling...I can eat any kind of cookie all day. There is a reason my nickname is Cookie Monster.
I absolutely LOVE these cookies. Not only because they are delicious - they are also simple to knock together.
And? They remind me of the cherry crisp we used to get on our lunch trays in grade school. In a good way.
Cherry Almond Oat Bars
Makes: 16 bars
2 1/4 cups flour 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into pieces 1 cold egg 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 cup cherry preserves (I like BonneMaman - you could probably use canned cherry pie filling too. Or substitute your favorite preserves.)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 inch baking pan with foil (hint: form the foil around the outside of the pan then drop it into the inside of the pan).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and use your clean hands to mix the dough until coarse crumbs appear. Beat egg and almond extract in a small bowl, then drizzle over dough mixture. Knead with your fingertips till clumpy.
Place 2/3 of the dough into the foil lined pan and press into the bottom to create an even layer. Spread the preserves atop the dough. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the preserves.
Bake until the edges are slightly golden - 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely, then turn them out of the pan. Remove the foil and cut into squares (use a pizza cutter - so easy!).
This post is dedicated to Jenny, who is going to kill me if I don't post something on this here blog. Which, yes, has been dreadfully neglected! I will work on that! I promise! I honestly haven't been cooking much these days unless you count Instant Breakfast shakes, grilled cheese and Ensure - but now that I am no longer a caregiver, I get to cook the stuff I like again (the person I was caring for has completed cancer treatment and is back at her home).
That said, I AM watching what I eat, so I'm not making this right now. Why? Because it is so good I could sit and eat the entire pan with a spoon.
Oh yeah, I love the name of this dish too. I'm not sure where this recipe is from (I got it from a luncheon), but I would wager either a garden club or church cookbook.
Apple Impromptu
4 cups sliced apples ¼ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¾ cup sugar ¾ cup butter 1 large egg 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla ¾ cup flour ¾ teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange apple slices in a 9-inch greased pan or pie plate. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. While apples are baking, cream together ¾ cup sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour and baking powder. When apples have baked for 20 minutes, remove from oven and spread topping mixture over all. Return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. You can garnish with whipped cream, if you like.
Makes six respectable servings or one embarrssing/comfort eating sized serving.
A few months back I purchased a mini muffin tin and I can't tell you why, but I'm obsessed. Probably because a) mini things are cute and b) I don't feel so bad eating several when they're MINI.
I love these muffins because they're not too sweet. I've never been a fan of store bought muffins - which are basically unfrosted cupcakes. You can adjust the sugar in these muffins to your taste, and I've also made them with Splenda, and they turned out surprisingly well. This recipe also can be made with nonfat dairy products over full fat, if you're concerned about the fat content.
This recipe makes about 12 full sized muffins or 36 mini. Gather:
Wet Ingredients:
2 cups flour 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon salt
Dry Ingredients:
1 egg 3 1/2 Tablespoons warm melted unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt 3 Tablespoons milk
3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray your muffin tin lightly with nonstick spray (you can use any size muffin tin you like).
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Add the dry to the wet and mix together with a few light strokes - do not over mix. The batter will resemble biscuit dough. Gently fold in blueberries.
Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling 3/4 full. Bake for about 10-11 minutes for mini muffins, 13-14 for standard size - check with a toothpick - if it comes out clean, they're done.
Let rest in muffin tin for 2 to 3 minutes.
These freeze beautifully and are great for little hands. Though the blueberries may cause a bit of a mess!
