Ari's Menu

Little changes making a big difference.


Starburst Cookies

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That sounds weird, right?

But think about it. Cookies are good. Starburst are good.

You like fruit in your cookies. Starbursts are like fruit, but bad for you. But don’t worry, the cookie part if less than bad for you, so it all evens out. Trust me.

Did you know that now there are packages of Starburst that come with just the red and pink ones??? Amazing. Is there any reason to eat a fruit flavored candy that isn’t red or pink? Like gummy bears…why do they even make the other colors? Why can’t they just stick to the red ones?!

You know what I think is weird? Gummy bears in ice cream! I do not prefer that. The cold ice cream makes them hard, and not gummy at all really. But a warm cookie makes a Starburst warm and gooey, like when you put taffy in the microwave. Yummmm.

Taffy, on the other hand, should only come in yellow. But that’s neither here nor there. As it turns out, Starburst inside a cookie is actually not weird, but delicious.

Especially if the cookie gets just a little crunch on the outside. Then all the textures and flavors work out in harmony and all that crap. Yes, my cookies are freaking harmonious. What are your cookies? Just melodic? Pssshhhh. Okay, I’m sorry. I had a music nerd baker moment. Don’t give up–LOOK AT THE COOKIES!!

 

Starburst Cookies

yield 1 dozen

  • 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbs fat free cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tbs light whipped butter, softened
  • 3 tbs turbinado sugar
  • 3 tbs Splenda
  • 1 tbs egg substitute
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 12 Starburst candies

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, sugar, and Splenda until smooth. Beat in egg substitute and vanilla.  Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
  4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and stuff each dough ball with 1 Starburst. Re-roll dough around Starburst, so that it is completely covered, then place on prepared cookie sheet,
  5. Bake 8 to 10 min, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 min before serving.
  6. Serve warm, fresh out of the oven for optimal Starburst consistency. If you make them ahead of time, you may wish to rewarm before serving.

Skinnified Sunday: Homemade Nutter Butter Bites

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Remember those cute little mini Nutter Butters? The Nutter Butter Bites? They’re half the size, so you get to eat twice as many. That’s the way it works, right?

Is there anything better than crunchy peanut butter cookie stuffed with sweet, creamy peanut butter filling?

Maybe if you mixed them into peanut butter fro yo. Will you please mix them into peanut butter fro yo??? I WANT TO EAT THAT!!!!

Before I left, I had an order for a dozen cookies from the bike shop, and they said they didn’t care what kind, so I made them these. The next time Steve went in, apparently they were all talking about it, because I got this awesome voicemail while I was in Ashland telling me how much the bike people loved my cookies. Sometimes I can’t even believe how much my life has changed–people buying my cookies?? What????

These totally brought me back to my childhood. Nutter Butters were always one of my favs, and they are even better homemade!

I got the original recipe from one of my very favorite blogs. Here’s the original recipe:

My swaps:
  • Light whipped butter + apple butter for real butter (-fat, -calories, -saturated fat, -cholesterol)
  • Less sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Liquid egg whites for real eggs (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • White whole wheat flour for regular (+ protein, +fiber)
  • Extra sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Milk
  • Less filling (-fat, -sugar, -calories)
Skinnified Homemade Nutter Butter Bites
yield about 6 dozen
For the cookies:
  • 1/2 cup light whipped butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup apple butter
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I suggest PB&Co White Chocolate Wonderful)
  • 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 6 tbs liquid egg whites
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
  • 3/4 cup light whipped butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (Again, WCW is best)
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
    1. Begin with the cookies. In a large bowl with mixer beat butter, apple butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add liquid egg whites, and vanilla. Continuing beating until well combined. Turn mixer to low and add in flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix until combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
    2. Preheat oven to 375°. Using an extra small cookie scoop, transfer dough to a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Using a fork, press down on cookie creating a criss-cross pattern.
    3. Bake for 6-8 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet 2-3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.
    4. To make the filling, beat butter and peanut butter together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Slowly add in your powdered sugar and turn mixer speed up to medium and beat until filling is smooth.
    5. Spread an even layer of filling onto the bottom of one of the peanut butter cookies and then top with another cookie to create sandwich. Repeat with all remaining cookies.

 

Red White & Blue Cookies

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It’s almost the 4th of July!!!

One of my very favorite things in the world is fireworks. I missed them for years when I was working at camp, and I will never forget the summer I stayed in Idaho, going to see fireworks was a huge deal for me! You know me…I like bright, pretty colors. They make me happy. I’m 5 years old on the inside, so it doesn’t take a whole lot to impress me.

Last year, I stayed in Phoenix for the summer, and we had a big BBQ around the 4th, and that’s when I got the idea for these cookies. In fact, I posted them waaaayyy back when I first started blogging, but the pictures were pretty bad, and I loved them so sooooo much, that I had to make them again!

In fact, a year ago, they were Steve’s very favorite dessert I’d ever made. Now, I think there may be a new favorite, but these cookies are still pretty high up on the list. We took them to the bike shop, and I left with a fundraising order! Sweet!

I realllllly love these cookies. I love the combination of flavors and the soft, gooey texture, but I especially love the way the blueberries burst when you take a bit. It’s like the most amazingly fresh blueberry muffin, but a cookie.

Also, they’re pretty. That pretty much never happens with my food. In fact, the other day Steve told me that my brownies were photogenic, and it was, like, the best compliment ever. Usually my food looks like a kindergartner put it together. Which is almost true. Maturity wise.

And now I want to eat a dozen. And not share. Good thing we don’t have a cookie sheet up here yet…


Red White & Blue Cookies

yield approx 3 dozen

  • 1 cup brandy (to soak the berries in, then saving 2 tsp for later)
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 2/3 cup small blueberries
  • 1/2 cup honey apple butter
  • 1/2 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbs liquid egg whites (or other egg substitute, or 3 egg whites)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • dash salt
  • 2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 2/3 cup all natural white chocolate chips
  1. Put the blueberries in a wide and shallow bowl, pour in a bit of brandy. Enough so they’re surrounded by it, but not drowning. Cover and place in the fridge for at least one hour. Afterwards, place a colander over a bowl and pour the berries and brandy through, putting the cranberries and the brandy they soaked in aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, beat apple butter, yogurt, and sugars until combined. Add liquid egg whites, and 2 tsp berry soaked brandy. Beat well, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then slowly add to wet mixture, beating until just incorporated. Fold in the brandy soaked blueberries, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Let chill for 15 minutes in the fridge.
  4. Spray baking sheet with non stick spray or parchment paper. Use a small-medium sized cookie scoop to transfer dough onto the baking sheet. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes until just set, and the edged are slightly golden. Let cool for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Orange Chocolate Lava Cookies

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Have you ever had one of those big chocolate oranges? I always thought they were weird, but it turns out orange and chocolate together is brilliant and delicious. I guess those chocolate orange people were right all along 😉

Is it just me, or do things seem fancier when they have a filling? It’s pretty deceptive, really. These are just as easy to make as chocolate chip cookies, but it’s so much more fun to take a bite and have melty, gooey, rich chocolate surprise you in the middle.

Apparently this chocolate was too impatient, and couldn’t wait to be a surprise. Silly chocolate.

I love surprises. Poor Steve…I always tell him “I require a lot of surprises.” Whether it’s coffee, fro yo (my #1 fav surprise), or a note, it just makes me happy. 🙂

But ya know what I do not prefer? When someone tells you they have a surprise for you, and then refuses to tell you what it is!! What is that about? If you have a surprise, then just surprise me! Don’t tell me you’re going to surprise me! I can’t deal with not knowing things, people!

Clearly, I am the easiest person on Earth to be married to. I bet you’re all sad that you didn’t scoop me up first. Sorry guys. I know it sucks.

But seriously, I like to think that my baking at least slightly makes up for the fact that I’m kind of an obnoxious human being. I mean, I still have friends, so it must be the cookies.

This is where you compliment me, and tell me I have a personality that shines like a star, or something cheesey like that. Ready, go!

Okay, back to the cookies, because these cookies are ridiculous. Sweet, citrusy, chocolatey, tons of flavors and textures all fitting together to make up cookie heaven.

I’m on a bit of an orange dessert kick it seems. Which is funny, because I don’t even like actual oranges. Or orange juice. But I do like these…and also these.

 

Orange Chocolate Lava Cookies

  • 1 1/4 cups gluten-free baking blend (or white whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • dash salt
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbs orange zest
  • 1/4 cup fat free cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup apple butter
  • 1 tbs fresh orange juice
  • 1 egg white
  • 4 oz dark chocolate (small squares or coarsely chopped)
For the glaze:
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tbs orange juice
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together baking blend, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl mix together sugar and orange zest. Then beat in cream cheese, apple butter, egg white, and orange juice until combined.
  4. Beat dry ingredients into wet until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary,
  5. Roll cookies into 1″ balls, then stuff with a 1/4 tsp size chunk of dark chocolate (eye ball it–you want to make sure it is bigger than a chocolate chip, but that the dough can still cover it completely). Re-roll into 1″ ball, making sure all chocolate is covered. Repeat with remaining dough.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Let stand for 3-5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Meanwhile, in a small-medium mixing bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and 1 tbs orange juice. Slowly continue to add more orange juice (and I mean very slowly. A little bit of liquid goes a long way with powdered sugar) until desired drippy consistency.
  8. Dip tops of completely cooled cookies into the glaze, then let stand to set on a flat surface.

 

White Chocolate Peanut Butter S’mores Sandwich Cookies

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So the other day, Steve surprised me by picking me up fro yo. Yes, he’s awesome, but that is beside the point. The point is, he topped my fro yo with peanut butter and marshmallow sauce, and it was freaking delicious. As I was eating it, I couldn’t help, but think of what a perfect combination those flavors were.

I started coming up with all sorts of desserts that I could combine those flavors in.

My incredible friend Stacey has this really important weekend coming up. She has a very special birthday, she is running her first half marathon, and she has some other big life accomplishments going on. It’s pretty amazing, you should head over to her blog and congratulate her! As my congratulations, I made her these cookies, obviously. She loves white chocolate, so that was the final piece in these delicious treats.

Ummm, yeah. Marshmallow, peanut butter and white chocolate is actually the perfect combination. Oh, and graham cracker cookie. Yes.Please.

 

Happy Weekend Of Amazingness, Stace!! I’m proud of you, and I’m sure these cookies will be your perfect pre-race fuel!

White Chocolate Peanut Butter S’more Sandwich Cookies

yield 14 sandwich cookies

For the cookies:

  • 6 tbs fat free cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tbs honey apple butter
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup Splenda
  • 1/4 cup egg substitute
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 sleeve whole wheat graham crackers, finely crushed
  • dash salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

For the filling:

  • 1 cup all natural white chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 1-2 tbs unsweetened almond milk’
  • approx 1/3 cup peanut butter (I suggest PB & Co White Chocolate Wonderful)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Beat cream cheese and apple butter together in a large bowl. Add brown sugar and Splenda, and beat until fluffy.
  3. Beat in vanilla, egg substitute, and baking soda.
  4. Add flour and graham cracker crumbs and beat until just combined.
  5. Use a cookie scoop (or your hands) to drop dough in about tablespoon amounts.  Flatten dough out with a sprayed piece of parchment paper, until approx 1/4″ thick.
  6. Bake 8-10 minutes until just set, then remove and let stand 5-10 minutes to finish baking themselves, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. While cookies cool, melt white chocolate chips in a medium bowl in the microwave at 30 seconds increments, stirring after each, until melted. Stir in vanilla and marshmallow fluff. Add 1-2 tbs almond milk until slightly thinned and creamy.
  8. Spread white chocolate marshmallow sauce evenly over  the flat side of half of your cookies. Spread the other half with 1 tsp peanut butter. Sandwich together, and serve.

Cinnamon Chip Granola Cookies

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I love chips. Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, kale chips, you name it. It’s kind of like my love affair with all things named ______ butter (peanut, cookie, fig, apple…). Cinnamon chips are hard to find, so if you happen to catch them, I suggest stocking up, because they are ridiculously delicious. Way back around Christmastime, Nicole made some pretty awesome cinnamon chip cookies, and ever since I’ve been thinking about my own cinnamon chips burning a hole in my pantry.

Cinnamon chips and granola. Does that make you as excited as it makes me???

It kind of made me skip around the kitchen, patting myself on the back, declaring myself a genius, and certain I need to start getting patents for all my great ideas. Don’t burst my bubble, okay? It’s my blog, so let’s just all agree to pretend I’m brilliant. I don’t take rejection well. It’s bad for my self esteem.

Thanks for sticking with me through that. You guys are awesome.

That’s why I made you this present.

From me to you.

Except I may have eaten them all.

At least I wrapped them up first, right?

I couldn’t help it. They outsides were crunchy, and so was the granola, and the insides were gooey with melty cinnamon chips. Can you blame me for eating an entire batch of cookies??? Okay, this guy helped. You have to feed your photographer right? Anyway, you should make some. You don’t have to tie your own cookies in a bow, and you can eat them all yourself and refuse to feel guilty about it, just like me.

Cinnamon Chip Granola Cookies

yield 15 cookies

  • 1/4 cup apple butter
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • dash salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • pinch cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup granola of choice (I used this one, and it is ridiculously good)
  • 1/4 cup cinnamon chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray, and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat apple butter, brown sugar and Splenda together until combined. Beat in egg substitute, vanilla and almond.
  3. Add cinnamon, baking soda and salt, and beat until combined. Beat in flour.
  4. Fold in oats, followed by cinnamon chips and granola.
  5. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion out tablespoon sized cookie dough balls on prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with greased parchment paper.
  6. Bake for 9-11 minutes, turning half way through to ensure even cooking.
  7. Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

**Note: I made the glaze for fun. The cookies are equally delicious without it, but if you’re sitting there thinking “I WANT THAT GLAZE ON MY COOKIES!!!” I took about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tbs hot water and a dash of almond extract and just mixed it together 😉

 

 

Skinnified Sunday: Monster Cookies

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I have always been a sucker for monster cookies. There are so many ways to make them, but the basic concept includes peanut butter, chocolate chips, M&Ms, and oats. How could you go wrong with those ingredients?! Seriously. I had some at a friend’s birthday and have been dying to make my own ever since. When I noticed that Sunspire had their own version of M&M’s, I bought them immediately knowing monster cookies were on the horizon!

I found the original recipe from Taste of Home

My swaps:

  • ¼ cup Better’n Peanut Butter for half the peanut butter (-fat, -calories)
  • TJ’s Honey Apple Butter for butter (-fat, -calories, -saturated fat, -cholesterol)
  • Splenda* for some of the sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Egg substitute for whole eggs (-fat, -cholesterol, -calories)
  • Rolled oats for quick cooking (just what I buy)
  • Sunspire Sun Drops for M&M’s (-sugar, -calories)
  • Sunspire grain sweetened chocolate & peanut butter chips for butterscotch chips (-sugar, -calories)
  • No peanuts (-fat, -calories, and I don’t like nuts in cookies)
  • White whole wheat flour for all-purpose (+fiber, +protein)
  • Extra cinnamon & vanilla (+yum)

*Some people feel really strongly about Splenda. You can easily use all sugar real sugar, I just prefer to cut some of the calories.

I was a little nervous about swapping in the Better’n Peanut Butter, but I was amazed at how well it worked!! That stuff is okay on its own, but it doesn’t compare to the real stuff. In baking, however, I would have never even known there was anything different!

PS, what is the difference between Better’n Peanut Butter and PB2? Does anyone know? All the popular bloggers use PB2, but I couldn’t find it 🙁 And obviously, if all the cool kids are doing it, I don’t want to be the lame one using the wrong peanut butter substitute. Clearly, I have really grown up and no longer use junior high mentality 😉

Okay, but back to the cookies…ummmm…they were gone in one day. Actually like 6 hours.

Whoops.

I think Jason may have eaten 4 in one sitting. Don’t judge him. They were really that delicious. And they’re “healthy” so that means you can eat the whole batch, right?

Skinnified Monster Cookies

Yield 2 ½-3 dozen cookies

  • 1/4 cup PB & Co White Chocolate Wonderful (you can use regular PB, but this is just my favorite!)
  • ¼ cup Better N Peanut Butter
  • ¼ cup honey apple butter
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup turbinado sugar
  • ½ cup Splenda
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbs egg substitute
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup Sunspire Sun Drops
  • ¼ cup grain sweetened chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup Sunspire peanut butter chips
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, cream peanut butter, Better N Peanut Butter, apple butter, and sugars. Add egg substitute, then baking soda and vanilla.
3.  Add oats, M&M’s, butterscotch chips and peanuts; let stand for 10 minutes.
4.  Stir in flour.
5. Use a medium cookie scoop  cookie dough onto the baking sheet, then use a sprayed piece of wax paper to flatten slightly.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes until edges are golden. Let stand for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cook completely.

I love my cookie scoop. Just saying.

Cookie Butter Bars

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Did you hear the news??? Trader Joe’s cookie butter is back! Please don’t ask how many jars I’ve gone through. It’s a little embarrassing. But, honestly, with bars like these, can you blame me? With cookie butter and apple butter, who needs actual butter? These bars have all of the delicious flavor of cookie butter and come as a cross between a cake and a cookie. Like a cookie cake. Cookies + cake + cookie butter. Yes, please.

These were my birthday treat to myself. And everyone (including our waitress) at Barrio Cafe 😉 I hope you enjoy them too!

 

Cookie Butter Bars

yield approx 30 bars

  • 1 cup TJ’s cookie butter
  • 1/2 cup apple butter
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbs Splenda
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. Beat together cookie butter, apple butter, brown sugar, Splenda, vanilla, milk and baking soda.
  3. Slowly, beat in flour.
  4. Press batter evenly into pan. Use a rolling pin to smooth out top.
  5. Bake for 18-22 min until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Do not over bake.
  6. Cool completely on wire rack, then top with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and sprinkles if desired.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

yield enough to cover 9×13 pan of baked goods

  • 14 oz reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tbs light, whipped butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup Sunspire white chocolate chips, melted
  • dash almond extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (you may add more–I don’t like my frosting to be too sweet)

Directions:

  1. Beat together butter and cream cheese. Beat in white chocolate and almond extract.
  2. Slowly add and beat in powdered sugar, scraping down sides of bowl when necessary.
  3. Spread evenly on top of desired baked good, and enjoy!

 

Skinnified Sunday: Samoa Cookie Bars

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You know what? I have not bought a single box of girl scout cookies this year. I mean, I won’t pretend that no matter how many copy cats I make, I don’t still want to eat an entire sleeve of thin mints, but I have to say I have really been enjoying the flavors I love + the freshly baked at home taste that no cookie in a box can ever duplicate. I have a confession. I might actually like these better than real samoas! Sometimes the real ones are just a tad too sweet (if that’s even possible) for my taste, and I felt like these don’t taste healthy at all, just more natural in flavors. I taste real coconut and dark chocolate and I love that.

Original recipe:

My swaps:

  • 1/2 recipe
  • Pumpkin and light whipped butter for butter (-fat, -saturated fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • Sugar/Splenda combo for sugar (-sugar, -calories)
  • Egg substitute for egg (-fat, -calories, -cholesterol)
  • Extra vanilla (+yum)
  • Unsweetened coconut (It didn’t specify, but it was hard to find just plain ole coconut. -calories, -sugar)
  • Low fat caramel sauce for chewy caramels (-fat, -calories)
  • Grain sweetened chocolate chips for regular, and less of them (-calories, -sugar)

Skinnified Somoa Cookie Bars

yield 16 bars

for the cookie layer

  • 2 tbs turbinado sugar
  • 2 tbs Splenda
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin
  • 2 tbs light whipped butter, softened
  • 2 tbs egg substitute
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cups white whole wheat flour
  • dash salt

for the topping

  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened flake coconut, toasted**
  • 3/4 cup low fat caramel sauce
  • 1/3 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips
  • 1-2 tbs unsweetened coconut almond milk (or any milk)
  • dash coconut extract (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8×8 pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter, pumpkin, Splenda and sugar together. Beat in vanilla and egg substitute.
  3. Add salt and flour and mix until combined. Dough will be slightly crumbly and may not all come together.
  4. Press dough into greased pan, smoothing with a spatula.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes, then place on wire rack to cool completely.
  6. Spread caramel sauce on top, followed by coconut flake.
  7. In a small microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate chips, milk, and coconut extract in increments of 15 seconds, mixing after each increment until melted. Carefully, spread on top of caramel/coconut layer using a spatula.
  8. Freeze for 2 hours for caramel sauce to set, then transfer to refrigerator, or keep frozen if desired.

**I toasted my own coconut by placing it in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat until golden. Careful to stir constantly and do not burn.

 

Cinnamon Toast Graham Cracker Cookies

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I have a lot of ideas. Sometimes they turn out okay, sometimes they turn out terrible, and sometimes I want to bring cookies to absolutely everyone I know so that they can enjoy the deliciousness. Sometimes I even surprise myself with how delicious something can be, while still being moderately healthy. I mean, these aren’t a great source of nutrients. They are dessert. However, with only 1/4 cup of light butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in the entire batch + being whole grain, I’d say they’re not too shabby on the health scale.

What's that you say? Each of those big gooey cookies only has 75 calories? Oh okay, then I feel less bad about the 3 I demolished today 😉

My very favorite thing about the way these came out is the texture. Slightly crunchy on the outside, while gooey and doughy on the inside with the crunch of graham cracker throughout and an extra crunch of cinnamon cereal on top. Happy birth week to me!!!! Yes, I like to celebrate my birth for months weeks at a time. What can I say? I love my life, and I feel like it’s something to celebrate. To celebrate you wonderful people who are in my life, the goal is to do lots of baking this week. My way of saying you all make my life feel worth celebrating!

Cinnamon Toast Graham Cracker Cookies

yield about 2 dozen cookies

inspired by this recipe

  • 1/4 cup light whipped butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup fat free cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup honey apple butter (I was out of apple sauce and I ended up LOVING this substitution!)
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup Splenda
  • 1/4 cup egg substitute
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup cinnamon whole wheat graham cracker crumbs
  • 1-2 tsp cinnamon
  • dash salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • approx 48 pieces organic whole grain copy cat of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (my fav is Cascade Farm Cinnamon Crunch)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Beat butter, cream cheese and apple butter together in a large bowl.
  3. Add brown sugar and Splenda, and beat until fluffy.
  4. Beat in vanilla, egg substitute, cinnamon, and baking soda.
  5. Add flour and graham cracker crumbs and beat until just combined.
  6. Use a cookie scoop (or your hands) to drop dough onto a large baking sheet in about tablespoon amounts. This dough is not super sticky, so you could also just spray a wide tablespoon and use that.
  7. Flatten slightly and press 2 pieces of cinnamon cereal on top of each cookie.
  8. Bake 8-10 minutes until just set, then remove and let stand 5-10 minutes to finish baking themselves.
  9. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Pumpkin Fudge Crinkle Cookies

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I wasn’t sure what to make for Friendmas dessert, so I asked Nacho if he had any requests and he replied saying something with pumpkin and cinnamon. I had been craving some chocolate crinkle cookies, so I put the two together. The result was gooey, fudgey and gone within 10 minutes 🙂

Pumpkin Fudge Crinkle Cookies

yield 16 cookies

  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 5 tbs raw cane sugar
  • 2 tbs Splenda
  • 1/4 cup egg substitute
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbs flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • dash salt
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
  2. Beat pumpkin, sugar and splenda until combined. Add egg substitute and vanilla.
  3. Beat in dry ingredients, then refrigerate covered for 1 hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 350. Combine powdered sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  5. Form dough into small balls, then drop and cover in powdered sugar.
  6. Place on greased baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.
  7. Transfer to wire rack or eat immediately when warm (that’s what we did).

 

Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies

· by ·

Today is my amazing friend Emily’s birthday! Aside from being a wonderful friend, Emily also happens to be my boss at one of my many jobs. She is pretty much the best person to work for on the face of the planet. Brilliant, talented, kind, supportive, helpful, you name it. So today I wanted to do something special for her. I was originally going to make cupcakes, but I’m on kind of a cookie kick, so I created a brand new recipe that ended up being a success.

This is not necessarily the healthiest recipe I’ve ever created, but it still has a touch of me and my avoidance-except-in-small-doses of my ex lover: butter. Seriously butter, I still love you, but it’s a toxic relationship.

Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies

yield 16 medium sized cookies

  • 1 cup + 2 tbs flour (I used plain ole white this time, but white whole wheat, or whole wheat pastry would also be good)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup light whipped butter, softened
  • 1.5 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 oz fat free plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tbs Splenda
  • 1 1/4 tbs fat free half and half
  • 3 tbs egg substitute (an egg white would work too)
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 candy cane, crushed

Directions:

  1. Whisk flour and baking soda together, set aside.
  2. Beat cream cheese, butter and yogurt until fluffy. Beat in brown sugar and Splenda, followed by egg substitute, half and half, and vanilla.
  3. Slice vanilla bean down the center and scrape seeds into sugar mixture.
  4. Beat in flour mixture.
  5. Stir in chocolate chips.
  6. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
  7. Preheat oven to 325 and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick spray.
  8. Roll cookies into small-medium balls and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Place onto cookie sheet.
  9. Top each cookie with a little crushed candy cane.
  10. Bake for 14-18 minutes.
  11. Let stand on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.


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