Peanut Butter-Granola Balls

When you need a quick snack for the kids or are just craving something sweet, these granola balls are perfect.  Made with honey and natural peanut butter, they're a better alternative than Krispie squares made with marshmallows.  I love how sweet they are and the peanut butter taste isn't overwhelming.

They come together quickly as the ingredients are heated on the stove, then blended, scooped onto a baking sheet, and cooled in the fridge for 15min.  These would be perfect on a hot summer day when you don't feel like putting the stove on.  This recipe doubles nicely as well.

PEANUT BUTTER-GRANOLA BALLS
from Everyday Food Magazine, April 2007

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup natural peanut butter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup crisp rice cereal (I use Nature's Path Rice Puffs)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup dried fruit (I've used raisins or dried apricots sliced into small pieces)

In a small saucepan over medium, heat honey, peanut butter, and butter. Stir until loosened and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cereal, oats, and dried fruit.

Drop mixture by the tablespoon into mini paper cupcake or candy liners (I scoop them by Tablespoonful onto a baking sheet lined with Silpat). Place on a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Printable Recipe

Happily submitted to Frugal Fridays over at Life As Mom and Family Friendly Fridays over at Mommie Cooks!

Enjoy!

from the book "Little Verses, A Big Golden Book"
by Miriam Clark Potter
pictures by Mary Blair
1953, Golden Press Inc.

Recipe: The Whole Wheat Tollhouse Cookie

This lovely recipe comes from the Bob's Red Mill Baking Book where they've put together a healthier version of the famouse Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie.  The result is a thin, crispy, buttery, chocolately, nutty, delicous cookie.  Does it get any better than that?  My kids went crazy for these cookies as they're perfect for dipping in milk. 

THE WHOLE WHEAT TOLLHOUSE COOKIE
from Bob's Red Mill Baking Book

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (yes, that does say 10 Tbsp's)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or cover with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream the butter with the brown sugar until light in color, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg until well incorporated. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend well. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Printable Recipe

I love to try new chocolate chip cookies recipes.  Here's other's I've made:
Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nuts from Martha Stewart's Baking Book
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Whole Wheat and Soy Flours from The More With Less Cookbook
Oatmeal-Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pine Nuts from me!

Enjoy!


Today, instead of a vintage children's book, I have to share with you this adorable lady we met last weekend during our county's local farm tour.  My girlfriend and I stopped by an old school house to have a peak in the windows.  Within moments of us arriving there, a lady on a tractor came up to see us (and what we were up to I'm sure).  She was so sweet.  This elderly lady drove that tractor like she was born on it.  She even made a cell phone call to a farmer to tell him about some troubles she was seeing with his cows running across the field nearby.  She said she went to school in the old school house and that it closed in 1955.  It's owned by the community now, and the ladies use it every 2nd Saturday night for a game night.  She invited us to join them because if they don't use the building they'll lose it.  My friend and our kids were facinated by this lady.  What a treasure she was to meet.

Recipe: Oatmeal-Flax Choc Chip Cookies with Pine Nuts

Mmmm.. cookies for breakfast!  Why not?  These lovelies are filled with goodness from oatmeal, ground flax, dark chocolate and pine nuts.  I'm sure they must be better than some sugar-filled cereal, eh?

These cookies are chewy with subtle crunch from the chocolate chips and nuts.  I've spiced them with Saigon Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice for extra kick.  They're very filling and perfect for a quick bite before you get your day started.

OATMEAL-FLAX CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH PINE NUTS
from the kitchen of Mum In Bloom

2 eggs
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
6 Tbsp. ground flax

1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. hot water

2 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. Saigon Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 package dark chocolate chips

Beat eggs in mixing bowl until frothy.  Beat in both sugars.  Add cooking oil, vanilla and flax.

Dissolve baking soda in hot water.  Stir into egg mixture.

Add oats, flours, salt, spices and still well.  Gently mix in pine nuts and chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls (not too big) onto greased baking sheet (I use my Silpat).  Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes prior to transferring them to a cooling rack.  Cool completely, store in an airtight container.

Printable Recipe

Enjoy!

1969, Coward-McCaan Inc.

Recipe: Biscoff Cookies

Yes, I found a knock-off recipe for this fabulous cookie!  The best part is that it's a bar cookie so it's super easy to make.  I made these yesterday afternoon and I'm sure they'll be gone by the end of today from me the kids. 

These buttery shortbread cookies burst with cinnamon flavour and have the perfect texture.  They don't fall apart when you cut them or lift them out of the pan either.  I bet you have these ingredients in your pantry now and could even make them today :)

BISCOFF COOKIES
The Art Of The Cookie

2 c. all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used Saigon Cinnamon - yum!)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg,baker's ammonia and salt together; set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on low speed, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together. Add the vanilla extract.

Gradually blend the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

The dough is thick but not too stickey. 

Spread it in the pan with your fingers.

Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a 9x13 greased pan. Decoratively score the dough with a fork or small knife, if you wish.

I used a cake server to make a decorative pattern.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes (mine was 25 min), or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container. Well-wrapped shortbread may also be frozen.

Printable Recipe

Happily submitted to Frugal Friday over at Life As Mom :)
Enjoy!

from http://vintageprintable.com/wordpress/

Recipe: Quinoa, Apricot, and Nut Clusters

For this week's Martha Monday's Lyndsey over at The Tiny Skillet selected these Quinoa, Apricot, and Nut Clusters from Martha Stewart.  I liked these as they're crunchy and chewy with lots of cardamom flavour as I added a teaspoon of it.  Without the added spice, I think these would be very bland.  Our daughter had one for breakfast and said "I can't taste anything, just crunch".  As with many of Martha's recipes there are lots of steps to this one, but I did skip many of them :)

This was very expensive to make.  I've never purchased quinoa so maybe it's always this expensive?  Just these 3 ingredients alone were almost $20.00 and I had the rest of what was needed at home, thank goodness. 

If my husband likes these, then I'll make them again as they are so healthful.  Otherwise, they were too pricey and complicated.

QUINOA, APRICOT, AND NUT CLUSTERS
From Martha Stewart Living, October 2004


3/4 cup white quinoa (I used whole grain)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup shelled raw sunflower seeds (mine were already roasted)
1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios, chopped (mine were already roasted)
1 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Vegetable-oil cooking spray (I skipped this)
1 teaspoon cardamom (I added this to the recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve; drain. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil. Stir quinoa; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until most liquid is absorbed and quinoa is slightly undercooked, about 12 minutes; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, fluffing with a fork occasionally, until pale golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in a large bowl.

Spread oats on baking sheet; bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add oats to quinoa. Spread seeds on baking sheet; bake until lightly toasted, about 7 minutes (I skipped this step). Add to quinoa mixture; let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Toss nuts, apricots, sugar, and salt with quinoa mixture. Beat honey, oil, and vanilla into eggs; stir into quinoa mixture.

Line a 12-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment; lightly coat with cooking spray. Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto sheet for each cluster; space 3 inches apart. Flatten to 1/4 inch thick. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until crisp, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Store, loosely covered with foil, up to 2 days.

Makes 20

Printable Copy

Enjoy!

from "The Cratchits Christmas Dinner"
by Charles Dickens
Illustrated by Matilda Breuer
1953, Spenser Press

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies with Whole Wheat & Soy Flour

I'm always in search of the perfect chocolate chip cookie, especially one with more healthful ingredients.  These cookies did not dissappoint and were delicious. 

The dough was fluffy, they felt fluffy when I squashed the dough, they even had a fluffy texture after they were baked.  It must be the soy flour in them as I've never used it before.



This recipe is from the "More-With-Less Cookbook" by Doris Janzen Longacre.  The front of the book says "suggestions by Mennonites on how to eat better and consume less of the world's limited food resources."  Sounds good to me.  There are sooo many recipes in here that I want to try.  Luckily, our library has a copy of the spiral bound 25th Anniversary Edition (originally published in 1976) so I can take it out as often as I want.

See how "fluffy" they are? 

I had to squash down the batter with my hand 

to make these flat and dense.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
from "More-With-Less Cookbook"

Cream together:
1 cup margarine or shortening (I used unsalted butter)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar

Add:
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat until fluffy.  Stir together and add:
1 cup white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cups soy flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda

Add:
2 cups or 12 oz. chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until light brown.

Printable Recipe

Enjoy!


from "The Children's Hour - Best Loved Poems"

1953 Spenser Press

Recipe: Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nuts

Do you ever get nervous when you try a new recipe?  I do.  I try new recipes at least twice a week but this one had me especially nervous as I was so hopeful it would turn out like I was expecting.  After my crispy crunchy cookie sucess with Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies I was searching for a crisp Chocolate Chip recipe. 



So, I went to the expert in all things domestic - Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.  I've had this cookbook for a while but haven't used it much.  It's really thick and hard to keep opened-up to a recipe.  I was also intimidated by all the "equipment" in this book, stand mixers, food processors, special baking trays, etc.  I scanned the recipes and saw the one for Chocolate Chunk Cookies.  The photo shows them nice and flat and dark... hmmm.. looks crisp?  I had all the ingredients (and now a stand mixer) and decided on a few adjustments I'd make to the recipe too.

I copied the recipe so I didn't have to wrestle with the book to keep it open (I'm a genious you see), and got ready to bake.  I don't really use semi-sweet chocolate anymore so I replaced it with Hershy's Dark Chocolate Chips and I added walnut pieces.  The dough was fluffy (delicious!) and very sticky to roll but it baked up quickly as you make 2 sheets at a time.  I got one of those Pampered Chef baking stones at a garage sale recently (for 50cents!) so I made some on that too.

These came out crispy, chocoately, and nutty.  Perfect for dipping in milk.  They brown very quickly so make sure to check on them after 13 minutes or so.   The baking stone was a dream to use.  The cookies made on this weren't as brown on the edges and baked more evenly.  I'll have to get another one of these stones ;o)

CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES
From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 large whole egg, plus 1 large egg white
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chunks (I used Hershy's Dark Choc. Chips)
(I also added 3/4 cup chopped walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 375F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the vanilla, whole egg, and egg white. Beat on low speed until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture in two batches; mix until just combined. Mix in chocolate.

Shape 2 heaping tablespoons of dough at a time into balls and place about 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are golden brown, about 18 minutes. Transfer parchment and cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

For a printable version of this recipe go here.

Enjoy and be sure to link in the comments below if you try this recipe too :)



from the book "When We Were Very Young"
by A.A. Milne
1950 E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc.

Recipe: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Do you like your cookies super crrrrunchy?  Then you'll love these chocolately crunchy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies.  The recipe is from Everyday Food Magazine's April 2010 issue.  This is the second recipe I've made from this issue since receiving it only a few days ago.

My husband loves crisp cookies to dip in milk but I don't make them very often.  It's difficult to get that crispy texture without burning them or having the cookie taste like cardboard.  I've added this recipe to my favourite file as I can see he'll request these again and again.

The cookies are rolled in cinnamon, sugar and chili powder but they weren't too spicy at all.  The recipe came together quickly but rolling each cookie did take time.  You bake them 2 cookie sheets at a time (which this recipe gives you the right amount for), so the whole batch is done in 10 minutes.  They stuffed the cookie jar to the top.

Brette over at Martha and Me made these Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies this week too.  Have a look at her results here.

I've been doing lots off cooking this week and hope to post these other recipes soon for my chicken and apple curry, buttermilk cheese bread, pudding cake and snow pudding.  I received two new cookbooks in the mail and have been very inspired indeed.

Enjoy!


from the book "The Happy Birthday Present"
by Joan Heilbroner
pictures by Mary Chalmers
1962 Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.