Carrot Walnut Cookies

I've been searching for a cookie recipe that's not a traditional sweet dessert and I think I've found a good one in this recipe from Whole Foods (link). Alex noticed immediately there isn't any sugar and looked disappointed since I'd described them as "cookies," but I'll be testing them out during a birthday party at work tomorrow, so we'll see. I'm hoping they'll be a nice alternative to all the desserts others do bring in.



1 c raw unsalted walnuts
1 c rolled oats
1 c raisins
1/2 c whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 t baking powder
1 1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
2 carrots, grated
1 apple, grated
1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/4 c apple juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine walnuts, oats and raisins in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger.
3. Add carrots, apple, banana and apple juice and stir until combined.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoons an inch apart on greased baking sheets, making about 24 cookies. Press down on each cookie with the back of a fork to flatten slightly. Bake until tops and bottoms are lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

I sub'ed unsweetened applesauce for the grated apple and an egg for the banana, and it turned out just fine. I'm quite happy with this recipe and do intend to try it the way it's meant to be sometime. Until then I hope it's a hit with others so I can keep making them! ...Or maybe not: more for me then! ;)

Reese's Soft Chocolate Cookies

This is a recipe I got off the back of a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips. I had all intentions of making PB fudge with the chips, but I needed a quick cookie idea the other day and these did not fail me! Enjoy!

1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
2 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 2/3 c (1 10 oz. bag) peanut butter chips*

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs.
3. Sift in flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Combine slowly.
4. Mix in peanut butter chips.
5. Drop teaspoon-fulls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Cookies will be soft in the center.

*Can be substituted with chocolate or white chocolate chips. I also think nuts would go well in these cookies, particularly walnuts.

Schneeflöckchen/Snowflake Cookies

Mom, Kate and I have been baking Christmas cookies together as long as I can remember. My favorites were always ones called Snowflakes (Schneeflöckchen in German), so it was my duty each year to bake the Snowflakes. Mom and I had our baking day last Monday and not even two weeks later, Alex and I have polished off quite a bit of them, including all of the Snowflakes. So I made more. I misplaced my recipe from mom, but a quick Google search resulted in this awesome blog: Islaborg. This is a little different from the recipe mom has since her schooling and the yield is slightly lower, but the taste is perfect. Islaborg does a good job explaining why they're called Snowflakes: not because of their looks, but because of their melt-in-your-mouth quality. These cookies truly are addicting- enjoy!



1/2 c flour
1 1/4 c cornstarch
1/2 c + 1 t powdered sugar
3/4 c butter, softened
1 t vanilla sugar (or 1/4 t extract)*

1. Combine sugar, butter and vanilla to a slightly fluffy paste.
2. Sift in flour and cornstarch and and knead to a smooth dough.
3. Wrap the dough in tinfoil and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or place a sheet of baking paper on it.
5. Take the dough out, unwrap and use approximately 1 tbs of dough to form a small ball, place on baking sheet and continue with the rest of dough until you've filled the baking sheet. These cookies will spread a little when they bake, so leave some room in between cookies.
6. Use a fork dipped in powdered sugar to flatten the cookies, this will create a pattern that is characteristic for Snowflake cookies.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Make sure they don't brown, they're supposed to be white and somewhat flaky.
8. Let cool and store in an airtight container in a cool place.

*Cookies are supposed to be white, using vanilla extract over vanilla sugar will slightly color the cookies.