Cranberry Almond Granola

I absolutely love granola, but I hardly ever buy it because every time I read the nutrition facts in the store I'm reminded that most granola is full of calories and sugar. I've tried a few granola recipes before and none of them were worth blogging about... until I tried this one.

This granola uses unsweetened applesauce in place of oil, which reduces the calories and makes it a lot healthier. I also used a combination of brown sugar, agave, and a little bit of maple sugar to sweeten it. It's not super sweet oatmeal, so if you're looking for something sweet just add a little more sugar. I adapted the recipe from David Lebovitz, and it uses 1 tablespoon of oil along with applesauce. I'm not sure why, but I went with it anyway. The recipe is really adaptable and it will be my base recipe for granola from now. Next time I think I'll throw in some sunflower seeds and maybe some dried apricots. The flavor combination are endless!

Recipe: Cranberry Almond Granola
Highly Adapted from: David Lebovitz
Ingredients:

• 3 cups old fashioned rolled outs
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 3/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/4 light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup agave (I used light), or honey, or maple syrup
• 2 tbls maple syrup
• 1 tbls vegetable oil
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries (or other dried fruit)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F (150C).
2. In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, coconut, toasted wheat germ, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
3. In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce with the agave, maple syrup, and oil.
4. Mix the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients until thoroughly dispersed, then divide and spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets.
5. Bake the granola for about 45 - 60minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is deep golden brown.
6. Remove from oven, mix in the dried fruit, then cool completely. Store the granola in a large, airtight container. It will keep for up to one month.

Chewy Chocoalte Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I hope there's no limit to the number of times a food blogger can post a chocolate chip cookie recipe and declare it amazing. Here's another one. This time it's a milk chocolate chip cookie with oatmeal in it. I know the picture makes them look flat and crispy, but these cookies came out so chewy and the oatmeal added some great stability and texture. Ross said he didn't even notice the oatmeal, that they just tasted like really good chocolate chip cookies.

The cookies are pretty straight forward and easy to make. The only advice I have to offer is to take the cookies out of the oven after 10 minutes even if they don't look done! I was REALLY skeptical about taking them out because they still looked doughy and raw, but I let them sit on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes to cook a little more, then transferred to the cooling rack. They were perfect and they stayed chewy for days! Also, I halved the recipe and it came out fine, so if you're looking for a small batch of cookies go head and halve it. I'll post the recipe for the entire batch though.

Side note: If you're wondering why I haven't blogged in a while it's because I took a little vacation to New York for my birthday. I had a great time, ate way too much, and bought some awesome stuff. And even though it was high on my priority list, I somehow did not make it to the Levain Bakery for one of their famous chocolate chip cookies. Oh well, that just gives me a reason to try the copycat recipe that's been floating around the internet. Here's a couple pictures from a baking supply store that I went to. Valrhona chocolate and sprinkle heaven! It's amazing I didn't walk out of there with an entire rainbow of sprinkles in every size and shape. I did get some awesome (gigantic) tips for frosting cupcakes, so you can expect some cupcake recipes soon! I'm thinking mint chocolate chip but if you have any other suggestions, send them my way!


Recipe: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from: Kar in the Kitchen
Makes: About 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 generous teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together and set aside.
   
2. Beat butter and sugars until very fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
   
3. Add half dry ingredients, mix until incorporated, then repeat.
   
4. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips.
5. Drop cookies onto cookie sheet using two spoons or a scoop and bake 9-11 minutes, depending on how done you like them. I prefer to take the cookies out around the 9 or 10 minute mark (they will look underdone) and let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet out of the oven.
   

The Best Oatmeal Cookies Ever

These are definitely the best oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever eaten. I'm usually not a fan of oatmeal raisin. Actually, let me clairfy, I'm usually not a fan of raisin. I like the oatmeal and cinnamon part! These cookies promised that even raisin haters will love them!

The recipe utilizes a method of soaking the raisins for a couple of hours before they go into the cookie. This produces a plump and moist raisin inside the cookie. And even though the recipe promised that you'd love the cookies, even if you hate raisins, I STILL debated skipping them. Lucky for me, I was baking these for a friend who actually does like raisins so I was forced to keep them in, and I'm so glad I did! These cookies are soft and chewy and even better on day 2.

I will definitely be making these again (and again and again). In this batch I decided to mix in some white chocolate and dried cranberries. The recipe is really adaptable so feel free to add in whatever you'd like!

Recipe: From Journey to Crunchville
Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, room temp
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 TBSP (yes tablespoon) vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinammon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups oatmeal (quick cooking or old fashioned, not instant)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1. The key is to soak the raisins. This makes all the difference in the world. Beat eggs and vanilla together and then add the raisins, stir. Soak for an hour or two. I just walked by a few times and stirred it while I waited.

2. Preheat to 350 F. Cream butter and sugars with mixer. In a seperate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinammon, ginger & nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredients until well blended. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well. Now add in the egg & raisin mixture (I used my hands). Then add oatmeal and chocolate chips/nuts and combine well. Form into balls on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 2-5 minutes or until firm enough to transfer to wire rack.