Chocolate Chip Cookies with April!

April, my sister-in-law was in town recently, so of course, we had to bake!


Here is my family's (Waters side) favorite Chocolate Chip cookie recipe!

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cream together the following:

1/2 C butter (1 stick, should be room temperature)

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

Then add 

1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

In a separate bowl, sift together the following:

1 1/2 C white flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Slowly add the flour mixture to the rest of the dough, mixing constantly (either by hand or using the Kitchen Aid on a low speed). Stir in (by hand) about 2 cups of chocolate chips (April introduced me to chocolate chunks-- so yummy!)

Dough should be fairly stiff. Scoop the dough (either by hand or with a spoon) and form into a small ball. Arrange onto a cooking sheet or baking stone about 2-3 inches apart (cookies will flatten a bit).

Bake each sheet of cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. 

Recipe should make about 24 cookies, depending on how large (or small) you want them! The recipe doubles well. Cookies will stay fresh in airtight storage (bag or container) for a few days. My mom enjoys freezing them!

True Love Makes Deviled Eggs

I’ve just eaten a deviled egg, an egg my husband made for me.

We learned in our BradleyBirth Class about the importance of consuming lots of protein during pregnancy.  Yet, when I tracked my normal eating habits, I discovered that I generally eat about 25-50 grams per day, which is what a normal woman needs. A pregnant women needs about 70-100 grams per day. Since I am in the last trimester of pregnancy, when baby’s protein needs are the highest, I realized that I needed to increase my protein intake. (A high intake of protein might also decrease the risk of complications like preeclampsia.)

Eggs have lots protein and they are inexpensive, but I dislike eating them. Jason, hoping to encourage me eat the right foods, made hardboiled eggs anyway. Yucky.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've disliked the texture, taste, sight, and smell of hardboiled egg yolks. Usually, I pull out the yolk, add salt and pepper to the white part of the egg, and quickly eat it before I change my mind. I actually used to wash the yolk residue out of egg white part because I couldn’t stand to eat or look at even a tiny bit of yolk. I don’t do that anymore, so I consider that enough progress for the next decade or so.

Apparently, that’s not enough progress for Jason. “Eat the yolk—it’s good for you.” Eat the y.o.l.k? Gross! There’s no way I can choke that down. Never.

“I can’t!” I whined. “Please don’t make me. There’s enough protein in the white part.”

Jason said, “You have to.”  

Noooo! I can’t! Uh, I can only eat them when they are deviled.

Deviled eggs? I actually don't prefer to eat deviled eggs either. But, truly, that is the only way to make the egg yolk palatable enough for me to eat. I discovered this years ago at my aunt’s house one holiday. (Easter?) I bravely gave the deviled eggs a try and realized they weren’t so terrible.

Ironically, to make a deviled egg, one mixes the yolk with mayonnaise (and a few other ingredients). Now, I really dislike mayonnaise, probably even more than I dislike egg yolks. Yet, when mixed together, the hardboiled egg yolk and mayonnaise cancel each other out and create something that I can eat. (Kind of like how sodium and chlorine, two poisons, combine to make table salt.)

So, upon hearing that I won’t eat egg yolks unless they are in a deviled egg, my sweet man hardboiled a dozen eggs and found a yummy deviled egg recipe. See?

Love comes in many forms.

Black Bean Brownies

To end the work week, I'd like to share a new favorite recipe-- Black Bean Brownies! I received this from a good friend, Tricia. (I think she found it in a recipe book published on Kitchen Stewardship).

What I like about this recipe:

It contains all natural, good-for-you ingredients. They make a great snack and satisfy chocolate cravings in a healthful manner.

I modified the recipe to suit my personal taste.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 (7x11 might work too) baking pan.

Ingredients: 

About 2 cups of soaked/cooked black beans (or 1 can of black beans)

¼ t salt (if using canned beans, omit the salt)

3 eggs

1/2 C cocoa powder (I used Hersey dark chocolate)

1/2 t vanilla

1 C honey (more or less, to taste. Experiment with other sweetener if preferred)

1/4 C melted butter or coconut oil (learn about the benefits of butter or coconut oil!)

1/4 C pureed pumpkin (make your own or use a can-- I used a can)

1/2 t baking powder

Optional: 

¼ t peppermint extract (gives the brownies a mint flavor)

Mix-ins: miniature chocolate chips, nuts, shredded coconut, whatever you like!

Using a blender, combine black beans, salt (if needed), eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, honey, melted butter or coconut oil, pumpkin, and peppermint extract (if using). Blend until smooth.

Pour contents into a mixing bowel and whisk in the baking powder. Transfer to a baking pan.

Sprinkle any mix-ins on top of the batter (most will naturally sink into the batter).

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  

Allow to cool (until the pan is not longer hot the to touch). Cut into squares and enjoy! I like wrapping each brownie in plastic wrap and freezing them-- they taste yummy when frozen!

What do you think? Are they good?

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