I had a brilliant thought this weekend…and it relates to not only Girl Scout Cookies, but potentially life…
Sometimes, more is actually less.
A little bit of background on this thought, I have a sweet tooth. A mostly wonderful, but frequently overpowering addiction to sweets. Something I thank in the morning and curse at night. I battle my sweet urges daily, particularly at work. In the past, knowing this struggle, I would try realllllyy hard to eat less of something. But does anyone else find this impossible, especially when something looks so delicious…
So, last friday I was shopping at the grocery store and what do I see everywhere? Girl Scout Cookies! How could I forget about GSCS (aka Girl Scout Cookie Season?) Thin Mints, Tag-a-Longs, Do-Si-Dos..and on. I was a Girl Scout myself so my addiction to Thin Mints started at an early age. My first thought, however, is why do Girl Scout Cookies only come around once per year? I always buy millions of boxes and consumer milions of cookies way to quickly. And it’s Spring. Spring? #Imtryingtoslimdownforbeachseason
So, here is my solution…if I can have GSC more frequently, maybe I will consume less? Maybe if Thin Mints were available year round, I would NOT feel the need to buy billions of boxes of cookies thus forcing myself to consume billions of Thin Mints. Maybe I wouldn’t cravvve TM’s all year round if they were more readily available? Maybe I would only make them every once in awhile if I had a recipe? Maybe?
So, this weekend I allowed myself one night of indulging Thin Mints to create this recipe for you, but mostly for me. A recipe you can make year round. A recipe to help solve GSCS addictions everywhere.
Do you agree more is sometimes less?
Ingredients
- 1 cup of butter
- 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoons of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 package of dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon mint, fresh
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar together.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, salt, and cocoa powder.
- Add the flour and mix just until the batter is a bit crumbly.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean counter, gather it into a ball, and knead it together into a nice, smooth mass.
- Divide the dough in 2, flatten into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 15 minutes.
- Roll dough out really thin, about 1/8-inch.
- Cut out cookies and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
- Using a double boiler, slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the mint.
- Using a fork gently drop the cookies one at a time into the chocolate coating.
- Flip to coat all sides.
- Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie.
- You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies.
I think it is fun to pretend like I am a kid again.
…especially when I cook.
This is actually one of the main reasons I do it.
Besides having a love for good food, cooking allows me to create a mess, play with dough and think of fun, new recipes to share with friends.
I like being a ‘kid’ when I cook.
My version of a Breakfast Banana Split is a great example of my child-like kitchen behavior. This easy, breakfast recipe is a fun way to get a balanced breakfast in the morning and an easy way to put a smile on someone’s face on those frequent (too frequent) bright-and-early mornings.
Better yet…you can not fail at this recipe. Trust me! It is blonde-proofed.
So, for everyone who is sick of the same old pancakes-n-egg breakfast, try this Breakfast Banana Split. You might even feel inclined to pretend you are having dessert for breakfast…but deep down you know you are being healthy:-) What a better way to start your day?
Ingredients
- 8 oz Greek Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon of raspberry compote
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup of almonds, sliced
- 1 cup of raspberries, fresh
- 1 cup of blueberries, fresh
- 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or honey)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a serrated knife to slice a banana down the middle, the long way.
- Place the cut bananas so they create an 'x' on a oven-friendly plate.
- Brush the agave nectar or honey over the top of the bananas.
- Heat the bananas in the oven for 10 minutes so they are golden brown.
- Remove bananas from the oven.
- Immediately place the Greek Yogurt over top of the bananas.
- In a small pot, heat the raspberry compote on medium for 1-2 minutes.
- Drizzle the raspberry compote over top of the bananas.
- Top with almonds, raspberries and blueberries.
I have something embarrassing to tell you. I’m addicted. To the Very Berry Coffee Cake at Starbucks.
Eeee…I know! But it’s not my fault because they have officially brainwashed me. I go to Starbucks every morning in desperate need of their Blonde Roast with Steamed Soy Milk before I can start my work day and there it is…only slightly baked, crumbling to pieces as I look at it, delicious coffee cake. It’s become a problem.
The first step to my recovery is to discover a bread I can make in my own house which might cut down on the fatty goodness….I mean grossness. So this weekend I set out to master just this…and I came up with an adapted version of Miranda Lambert’s Raspberry & Lemon bread featured by Shape Magazine.
This bread is surprisingly easy to make. Any ‘baking-challenged’ lady can master this recipe. Similar to many recipes, you mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. This is to ensure that everything actual does mix. Then combine, add the fruit & bake! Simple right? The beauty of this recipe is that you can use any fruit or yogurt flavors that you like to change things up. For instance, I might try a key lime version next week. Or Banana cream pie? Right?
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 2% greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tablespoon, grated, lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°
- Coat a 1-lb loaf pan with cooking spray
- Combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl
- Combine yogurt, eggs, butter, zest and vanilla in a second bowl
- Toss fruit with remaining 1 tbsp sugar in a third bowl
- Fold yogurt mixture into dry mixture; stir to combine completely
- Gently fold in fruit.
- Scrape batter evenly into loaf pan
- Bake for 65 minutes or until golden brown
In Martha’s cookbook “Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations” she serves Blueberry Muffins, Blueberry Smoothies and Blueberry Pancakes for a brunch with family and friends…I LOVE this idea, especially to kick off a healthy new year. Blueberries are packed with nutrition and equally as yummy!
Today I created my modern day take on a Blueberry smoothie with granola, extra blueberries and agave nectar…mmm!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of fresh blueberries
- 2 cups of 0% fat greek yogurt, preferably Fage
- 2 cups of soy milk
- 1/4 cup of Agave Nectar
- 1 cup of strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup of granola, honey nut mix
- fresh flowers in season to accent
Instructions
- Blend berries with milk until smooth. I use my immersion blender and find that it makes my smoothies extra smooth and creamy with limited clean up.
- Add granola mix until blended.
- Add yogurt and agave until smooth.
- Add flowers to accent
Cocktails to Ring in Your New Years…
New Years Eve blues? Me too. I often find it tiring to plan a killer New Years Eve agenda so quickly after the Christmas holiday. Club scenario? Overpriced, overcrowded. Concert? Sloppy teenagers, grumpy parents. Fancy dinner? Hi, yes, I’ll take a reservation for 1, please! Therefore, the past few years, I have resorted to something more low key. A cozy night by the fire with a few friends and drinks to follow. For those of you that chose to stay in, you don’t have to sacrifice class just because you lack in fancy space. Try this simple, yet stunning Chocolate Martini with a peppermint bark rim. It’s sure to add a little extra pep(permint) to your dancin’ step.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup of Peppermint Schnapps
- 2 cups of chocolate chips, try Ghirardelli Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup of crushed peppermint bark, try Kencraft Peppermint Chips
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate in an extra-wide pan using Ghirardelli’s Sweet Chocolate Chips.
- Mix the heavy cream, milk, sugar, cacao, vanilla until blended. Set aside to cool and add the Peppermint Schnapps.
- Turn the martini glass upside down and dip into the chocolate 1x time. Dip into the peppermint chips 1x.
- Keep upside down until chocolate becomes dry.
- Serve and enjoy!
1. Oranges straight for Florida. Brian’s grandparents send oranges to him every christmas and they are amazing! They truly brighten up my kitchen.
2. Purple flowers. Colors of spring make me feel refreshed even when it’s raining.
3. Healthy desserts. I still feel full of cookies from the holiday season but crave a treat now and then. More often now.
4. Citrus fruits are full of vitamin C or exactly what I need to get rid of this awful cold.
Ingredients
- 4 cups of graham cracker crumbs
- 1 teaspoon gelatin
- 1/2 cup of half and half
- 4 oranges
- 1/2 cup of 2% greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
- cherries to top
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan heat the half and half on medium until it simmers. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of cold water with gelatin. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, pour gelatin in to the warm half and half and stir until it dissolves.
- In a large bowl, mix the greek yogurt and dark brown sugar. Once mixed, combine with the liquid mixture.
- Pour one layer of the yogurt mix in to the bottom of a glass, add a layer of the graham cracker, and pour an additional layer of the yogurt mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Slice up 4 oranges by cutting off the ends and removing as much of the skin as possible. Cut in to 3-4 slices.
- Once the cups have chilled for 1 hour, add the orange slices and cherries to the top.
Life has been very busy lately with work-this and friends-that so I was thrilled to plan a date night this Friday. Nothing special. After the holidays I’m in a cost-saving mode. We just planned to go down the street to a local restaurant and then come home and catch up on our favorite new TV series, Homeland. While this sounds slightly boring this is actually my favorite type of night. Having spent a little time on Pinterest before B came home from work, I spotted some inspiration (knowing one of his favorite desserts is Angel Food Cake) that resulted in the recipe below. Very easy. Very yum!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of fresh strawberries
- 1 box of angel food cake mix
- 1 1/4 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of pink M&Ms
- 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 bag of wooden skewers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl mix the water and the angel food cake mix for 3-4 minutes or until smooth. Drop in M&Ms and mix around until the batter is light pink. Remove M&Ms from batter. Place mix in an angel food cake pan. Bake for 37 to 40 minutes or until the top of golden brown. Once golden brown remove from the oven and cut in to 1 inch squares.
- Cut leafs off strawberries.
- Take skewers and rotate strawberries & angel food cake squares.
- In a small pan melt semi-sweet chocolate on low heat. When melted, spoon in to a plastic bag with the tip of the plastic bag cut slightly to drizzle chocolate over the skewers. Be careful! The plastic bag can get hot so wear protection.
This weekend I was so excited to travel up to Lake Tahoe to meet some friends from New York. Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite indulgences to soak up in the bay area – skiing, hiking, stunning views, local brews and late night games of Yahtzee…LOVE! This trail mix cookies recipe was inspired by my weekend ski trips which are always a mixture of healthy days and indulgent nights with friends…
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup trail mix
- 1 egg
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Beat the butter until creamy, 2 minutes.
- Add the sugars, beat for 2 more minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and egg.
- Mix together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar butter mixture. Add the trail mix.
- Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls.
- Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with a fork.
- Bake until light brown, 9 to 10 minutes.
- Cool on baking sheets for a minute; transfer to rack to cool completely.
- For chewier cookies, bake at 300°F for 15 minutes.
A semi-homemade Whoopie Pie recipe decorated perfectly for hungry football fans. I used a traditional cake batter for the cookies but swapped in a simple store bought creamy vanilla frosting for the filling. Why? I’ve always had trouble finding a marshmellow filling that I liked and was easy to make – vanilla icing is my perfect solution.
By the way, interesting fact. Whoopie Pie’s originate in either the Amish country of Pennsylvania or in New England. Nancy Baggett in her book “The All-American Cookie Book” gives an excellent account of their history. She tells us that they can be traced back to the depression era and the Berwick Cake Company of Boston was the first to start making them commercially (around 1926). Although we may never know who or how someone came up with these delicious cookies, the story is that one day a creative cook had leftover cake batter and decided to make large round cookies with it. When they turned out, the cook was heard to say “Whoopie!” “Pies.”
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup strong coffee, lukewarm
- 1 cup creamy vanilla icing, store bought
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg beating well. Beat in the vanilla extract.In a small measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and coffee.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture, coffee mixture and flour.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. With moistened fingers or with the back of a spoon, smooth the tops of the cookies.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, take the store bought icing and smooth it in the insides of two cookies. Refrigerate for two hours.
I have been craving s’mores lately and Valentine’s Day just happened to stumble upon my craving. This recipe is a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe (shaped in to hearts, of course) with the addition of a graham cracker crust, marshmallows & pink and red m&m’s.
…I had to make the extra-giant heart-shaped cookie just for fun:-)
And I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to combine my craving with a gift for my new office. Who doesn’t love the new girl with sweet treats?
So I packed these bright and yummy cookies in to individual packaging with a sweet note and brought them to work for that 2pm snack everyone looks forward to in the office.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of graham cracker crust, crumbled
- 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup of m&m's
- 1/4 cup of marshmallows
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1 1/4 cups of flour
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Beat the butter until creamy, 2 minutes.
- Add the sugars, beat for 2 more minutes.
- Mix in the graham cracker and egg.
- Mix together the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar butter mixture.
- Add the chocolate chips, m&m's & marshmallows.
- Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Flatten in crisscross pattern with a fork.
- Bake until light brown, 9 to 10 minutes.
- Cool on baking sheets for a minute; transfer to rack to cool completely.
- For chewier cookies, bake at 300°F for 15 minutes.
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