Birthday Monster Cookies

Today is my 24th birthday and being the cookie lover that I am it has been tough trying to decide what kind of cookies I wanted for my celebration. Finally, I decided since it is my birthday I should not have to choose only one. Instead, I made these monster cookies that combine a bunch of my favorite flavors into one awesome cookie. Honestly, this cookie has everything I could think of and it tastes delicious, too!

Recipe yields 24 cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup M&M's
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth.

Add the peanut butter and cream until incoporated.

Next, add the egg and then the vanilla extract. Mix in the baking soda, salt and half the amount of flour. Once combined, add the other half of flour.

Using a big spoon, mix in the quick oats by hand. Start by adding your chocolate chips.

Then comes the M&M's, butterscotch chips, chopped walnuts, and anything else you might want to throw in there. Mix it all together to evenly distribute all those delicious add-ins.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop out balls of dough on the paper. I used my 1.5 tablespoon cookie scooper and I had 2 dozen of the perfect sized cookies. Not too massive, but thick and delicious. Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Once the cookies are browned on the bottom edges, remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes or so before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

These cookies are a real treat and I am sure you will enjoy them! If you manage to have any left over, store in an air tight container.

Banana Walnut Muffins

The other day my mom took the bananas and put them in the pantry while she was cleaning the kitchen. After getting lost behind the bread, they sat up there for a few days becoming nice and ripe. I figured what better way to put these mushy bananas to use than moist and delicious banana walnut muffins. These are going to be the perfect treat for my train ride tomorrow morning into work!

Recipe yields 10 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

2 large egg whites

1 large banana, very ripe

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with liners to hold the muffins and allow for easy removal.

Combine flour, sugar and baking soda in a small bowl with a fork to mix together well.

In a medium bowl, combine mashed banana, applesauce, vanilla extract and egg whites. 

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients until mixture is smooth and there are no dry spots. Add the walnuts and spread evenly into mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the liners, filing about 3/4 of the way.

Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if they are ready. Toothpick should come out clean after entered into the middle of the muffin. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Keep muffins in a sealed ziploc bag for freshness. Serve & enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes

Well here goes nothing... I have been contemplating starting a blog for about three months now and yesterday I finally got up the courage to put one together. The purpose of my blog is to track my culinary journey of learning and exploring different cuisines and techniques. I hope you enjoy the recipes I share and use what I have learned to help you in your kitchen.

In honor of my very first post, I decided to discuss two recipes. The first is Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes. As you will quickly come to see, the majority of recipes I share with you will be health conscious being that I am normally cooking for my parents who are currently watching their weight. However, I have learned by using the right mix of spices and flavors, you can turn anything into a delicious dish. 

Recipe yields 12 pancakes
Note: This recipe was adapted from skinnytaste.com


Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 large banana, very ripe
1 cup milk
3 large egg whites
2 tsp oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp chopped walnuts
Cooking spray


In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla and set aside. On a flat surface, peel the banana and slice into chunks. Using the back of a spoon, gently mash the banana. (I like to leave it a little chunky to get pieces of banana in the pancakes. If you just want banana flavor, mash until creamy.) Add the banana to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Slowly combine dry ingredients with the wet while mixing until all dry ingredients are incorporated. DO NOT over mix. (This will lead to a tough pancake, not soft and moist which we want!)

Heat a skillet on medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray. I usually like to let the pan heat for a good 1-2 minutes. If you ever notice the last batch always comes out with a nice golden color it is because the pan is properly heated by that point. Once the skillet is heated, pour in 1/4 cup of the batter. (Using 1/4 cup per pancake will yield 12 regular size pancakes. At my house, we prefer silver dollar size, so I usually use less batter per pancake.) You will know the pancakes are ready to flip when you notice little bubbles along the surface.

Once the pancakes are ready, serve with pieces of sliced banana and a handful of chopped walnuts. The sweetness and flavor of these pancakes makes syrup optional!