Almonds, and Sugar, and Butter, Oh My!

Hello again, there! Much like my preteen journals of years past, I have been majorly slacking on keeping up with my blog and it upsets me as much (and hopefully more) than it does my lovely readers. Since last year I've been to Ghana in West Africa and back, I've interned at the County Health Department and helped teach new moms about safe ways to put their babies to sleep, I've written, and revised, revised, & revised a 50+ page thesis, and I've received my master's in public health (MPH)!!! So many good things are in the works for the future, and I'm just so grateful for my awesome support system that's helped get me through the tougher times.

Baking is a great stress reliever and has helped too, as well as coming up with new ways to invent healthy and delicious meals to supplement all those yummy goodies. Going forward, I'd like to include more variety of recipes including my salads and smoothies. I'm Certified in Public Health, so it's like my duty, right?!

That said, for now I will keep the sweets coming with these delicious and deviously simple Mexican wedding cookies. I got the original recipe from a Lauren Conrad guest post on Refinery 29, and was delighted with the melt-in-your-mouth results, which also reminded me of many Italian and Swede-style cookies my mom and I would bake around Christmas. I made these as gifts and brought the rest to work in an attempt to save my waistline.

Can I reiterate that these cookies are so EASY! Seriously, you don't even need to know how to crack an egg to make these cookies. Perfect to bake with little ones, as long as they have eaten all of their vegetables with dinner because this one is chock full of butter and powdered sugar (the good stuff). I've modified my recipe with the substitution of whole wheat flour to make myself feel better about this, but feel free to use just all-purpose or a gluten-free variety. The almonds can also be subbed for another nut if allergies are an issue, but I'm not sure how they would turn out without any nuts at all. Go low for the recipe.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar (for coating)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg (I think I used 3 pinches, but I like a lil' spice in my cookie)
1 cup almonds or nut or your choice, ground or chopped to bitty pieces

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, salt, flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground almonds to form your dough. If your kitchen is warm [as is mine when its 80+ degrees and my oven is on] or dough seems too soft to form, chill for about 10 minutes.

Roll into 1-inch balls.

Bake for eight minutes, until just golden on the bottom.

Let the cookies cool for just a few minutes, and then toss in the remaining ¾ cup powdered sugar. You want the cookies to be warm, or the sugar will not stick.

And that's all, folks! This recipes makes about 30 cookies. No need for a greased pan or parchment paper.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Expresso Shortbread

Even though I have been busy with an upcoming fashion show and my impending graduation, I have somehow found time (and a budget!) for some more baking! Here's a recipe I found through Pinterest from Smitten Kitchen via Use Real Butter. I've never made shortbread before and was intrigued by the espresso component, so I decided to go ahead and try them and they were delicious! The recipe seems lengthy but it was not that difficult and totally worth it!

What you will need:

1 tbsp instant espresso powder (I brewed some actual espresso and used that!)

1 tbsp boiling water
8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting 

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool to tepid. 

Beat butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. 

Beat in vanilla and espresso, then reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. 

Fold in the chopped chocolate or chips with a sturdy rubber spatula or spoon. 

Using the spatula, transfer dough to a gallon-size zip-loc bag. Put bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. 

When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days. 

Preheat the oven to 325°F. 

Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. 

Transfer the squares to the baking sheets.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point (I bake one sheet at a time). 

The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Enjoy with some warm milk or tea!!

Chocolate-Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

These are not you're grandma's oatmeal cookies. Nothing against your grandmother, but I like to think that these are better! Full of whole grain oatmeal goodness, white chocolate decadence, and sweet-n-tart cranberry antioxidant yumminess, these crunchy cookies are a guaranteed crowd pleaser!

I've been making these cookies for years, and originally got the recipe from the bottom of the Quaker Oats oatmeal cylinder lid. I made sure to never lose that lid, because these cookies consistently get rave reviews! My roommates and friends are obsessed and constantly request them, and I once ate at least 20 cookies in one night (it was delicious but not recommended, as these cookies are full of fiber...) I modified the original oatmeal-raisin recipe by using Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and Craisins, which is so much more fun! It's super easy to put together and even a half recipe yields about 40 cookies if you make them a little smaller. But I would suggest making the full recipe, because you will be sad when these babies are all gone.

Here's what you'll need:


1/2  cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2  cup granulated sugar
2  eggs
1  teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
1  teaspoon baking soda
1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
3  cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1/2  cup Craisins
1/2 cup white chocolate chips


Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and mix well.
Add oats and mix well.
Sprinkle craisins and white chocolate chips in gradually and mix in with a sturdy spoon.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets then remove to wire rack. Cool completely and store tightly covered.

Share and Enjoy!