Protein Packed Ginger Snaps

I adapted this recipe from my regular ginger snap recipe that I've been using for years. Make these switches that I have noted for a whole grain, protein packed, no refined sugar, healthy-fat cookie that tastes awesome (and not at all coconutty if you're worried about that)!

Protein Packed Ginger Snaps

• 1/3 c. coconut oil 
• 1/2 c. no salt pinto beans, blended with about 1 Tbs water (measure beans after blending/mashing)
• 2/3 c. coconut sugar 
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 whole egg or 2 egg whites
• 1/4 c. dark molasses
• 1.5-2 c. whole wheat white flour 

• 1/4 c. coconut sugar 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Using a small food processor, blend the beans with water until there are no chunks remaining. You can hand mash them with a potato masher as well, but you need to keep working them till they are VERY smooth. Will have the consistency of soft PB. Measure 1/2 c into your mixing bowl.

Then combine the coconut oil with the coconut sugar, baking soda, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, egg and molasses. Blend until all is moist and mostly smooth, then add flour.  Start with just 1.5 cups of whole wheat white flour, then add more as needed to create a stiff dough (I used about 1 3/4 c total for mine). Stir until well combined then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until you're ready to bake.

Combine the 1/4 coconut sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon on a plate or bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture, then place 2 inches apart on a prepared cookie sheet (use parchment paper, rubber mat, or non-stick foil). Press down lightly on the cookie with fork tongs. If there's dough that isn't being used during a baking cycle, cover it and return to fridge or freezer.  Bake cookies in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 11 minutes or until set and tops are cracked. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

French Bread (Bread Maker)

I was shocked at this recipe - it doesn't do the normal egg-wash, steam pan steps that I've come to associate with French bread recipes and yet it came out with the same flavor and texture that I get from grocery store bread.  I'll make this again A LOT!

French Bread for Bread Maker (adapted from vegweb.com)

• 1 3/8 cups water (3/8 cup = 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast 

Add ingredients to bread maker according to manufacturer instructions (for me it goes water, oil, salt, sugar, flour, yeast).

If you want to bake it in the bread maker: set it to the french setting and let it go.

If you want to bake it like me:  Set maker to dough cycle. When the cycle ends, remove dough, punch down and form into 4 loaves, place on a baking sheet that is greased or has a no-stick lining (I use no-stick foil). Cover with greased saran wrap and let rise in a warm place* until double or triple in size (the bread rises like CRAZY).  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Check for doneness, if the outside is browned and it sounds hollow when tapped then you're good!

I made mine the night before, covered it and set it in the fridge. 3 hours before bake time I took it out of the fridge and let it warm to room temp before baking.

Also makes GREAT garlic bread sticks or add 2 tsp italian herbs for an herb-y loaf.

My Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

My mom is a lot of things – among her traits and talents she happens to be a world class cookie maker (at least in the eyes of her family and friends).  These cookies have been bringing my family happiness and good luck for years, and now I’m passing the recipe on to you.  When I told my mom that I was going to take her recipe public she said, “Be sure to tell them how I halved the fat from the original recipe.”  See where I get it. : )
My Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 stick margarine, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• ¾ c. sugar
• ¾ c. packed brown sugar
• 2 ½ c. flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir together margarine, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.  Add flour and baking soda and stir thoroughly. (My mom always sifts them in, but if you don’t have a sifter that’s ok – you may just need to add a little water to moisten the dough if the unsifted flour makes it too dry.)  Add chocolate chips and stir to mix them in evenly.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees.

The baking time is my mom’s big secret.  She doesn’t like hard or overdone cookies, so she bakes hers for only 7 minutes, then sets them on top of the stove to continue warming/cooking for about 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

When I make these cookies Hubby prefers that I cook them a little longer, so I let them go 9-11 minutes, then do the same cooling method my mom uses.

Here’s the side by side comparison:

 

My mom’s cookies are done when there’s just a little browning on the edges.  They are very chewy and go great in the freezer because they are still soft right out of the cold.  My cookies are done when there’s coloring on the edges and on the top cookie peaks.  Mine are better right out of the oven, but aren’t as chewy.

Soft Pretzels

Confession time:  When I was pregnant with Cee all I wanted to eat were soft Pretzel Bites from the mall.  I drove by a mall on my commute and had to force myself with all my pregnant-lady rationality (which wasn’t much) not to go there everyday and blow my paycheck.

So, when I saw this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe (a favorite food blog that I stalk), I got so excited.  Just think of all the money I’ll save if those same cravings come back in my next pregnancy? Woo!

Now, as a connoisseur of soft pretzels, let me say just a couple of things.  First, these pretzels were not like Pretzel Time in the mall – more like soft pretzels at sporting events, which made them a little too pretzely for my liking.  I think that I will lessen the amount of baking soda in the wash next time to see if I can soften them up a touch.

Second – since these pretzels cook very hot (500 degrees!) this recipe has a HIGH SMOKE WARNING! The pretzels were perfect, but the cooking spray that I greased the pan with set my fire alarm off when I opened the oven for the first batch.  I’d suggest making these on parchment paper to save yourself the smokey headache.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Dough:

• 2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or regular yeast
• 7/8 c. warm water (can use up to a cup in needed)

Topping:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• salt, you can just use plain table salt, or get some coarser salt for a fun look
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth, and quite slack. Lightly flour the dough and cover it.  Let dough rest for 30 minutes or longer if not using instant yeast (dough should almost double).
Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray, or lining them with parchment paper (I’d say paper over spray – note my high smoke warning).

Divide dough into eight equal pieces. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn’t, it will make your pretzels splotchy.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28 to 30 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7 to 8 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. I only baked one baking sheet at a time and let the other rest while the first is in the oven.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them with the melted butter. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.