THE COOKIE PERSON.

At some point in my life, after I master the art of self control, I would like to perfect an incredible cookie of my own. By that, I mean the kind of cookie where when you go to a picnic or potluck, they request that you bring 'your' famous cookies. I imagine that would be the ultimate compliment. Now, I am always the 'salad person', which seems fitting. I have been craving a cookie with the ideal personality; slight crunch of the crust, soft center, studded with chocolate and/or oats. The ladies below seem to have one of those famous cookie recipes I speak of, and when I trust that I would not eat all two dozen of them myself, I will make each of these. That may be a ways off from now, but I wanted to pass on the links to you, who I assume has less of a cookie binging complex.

** The reputation for these Chocolate Chip cookies have made their way through blogs, twitter and what not. This lovely lady is hosting baking classes of her own in Seattle now, so if you live anywhere near there, I suggest you hone your skills in one of Ashley's classes. She clearly knows what she's doing.

** When I saw Tara's Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cherry Chip cookies, I sent this link to every sweets lover I've ever known, as I had never seen such a tempting cookie picture. Seriously, look at that and tell me you don't want a glass of milk and one of those beauties. I must mention, her poetic writing is reason enough to read through every single entry.

** Because I always have my gluten free people in mind, Joy's Peanut Butter Cookies look decadent with that little chocolate goodness on top. Or, if you are a friend of gluten, I trust Dana's stamp of approval on this version as well (and appreciate that she halved the sugar!).

** Lastly, because this recipe restored my personal baking confidence, you should probably try these Oat'Nana Pucks and then bring me some.

As much as I encourage these as written, remember to use unbleached flours, aluminum free baking powder, and natural cane sugars when you can. Happy weekend. Stay warm, hug people and eat well. In that order, specifically.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT MOLTEN CAKES

Besides the hearty soup and well balance bowl we've had the past two posts, it seems my diet lately has consisted of more treats than usual. I feel so cliche even saying that, as I would love to tell you I prefer carrot sticks to cookies, but I do not, especially in December. Likely story, I know. I have tried pickles, coffee, brushing my teeth, desperate seances and what not, but sometimes the need for something sweet comes with a fury. By fury, I mean a need for baby chocolate peppermint molten cakes. They are so much easier to make than I expected, and a personal dessert makes a guest, and you, feel special. I am catering a dinner party for twenty this Friday, and after testing these for four, it will be just as easy to do for twenty. Borrowing 16 additonal ramekins is the difficult part. If I am going to make a decadent dessert, it will be worth it. By using organic eggs and butter, and the best quality chocolate you can find, your end result tastes as wonderful as the ingredients you used.

Hugh and I watched Food Inc. last week and I thought it was very well done. I tend to take everything I hear on the subject of the corporate food industry for face value, so am glad I had Hugh to remind me of the art of persuasion. Sure, it is a movie made by one side of the issue, but the material encourages the viewer to buy locally, visit farmers markets, cook at home, plant a small garden and stay away from processed foods. I don't care how literally you take it, but the call to action is unanimously postive. I wish my garden grew molten cakes, then everyone would be happy.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT MOLTEN CAKES

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter

5 oz. High Quality Bittersweet Chocolate (Valrhona or Scharfenberger)

2 Large Eggs

2 Egg Yolks

1/4 Cup Natural Cane Sugar

2 tsp. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1 tsp. Peppermint Extract

Pinch of Salt

Candy Cane for Garnish

Oven at 450'

1. Set a glass bowl over a pot of gently boiling water (double broiler). Break up the the chocolate, and add it and the butter into the glass bowl. While the mixture is melting, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together in another bowl until light and thick.

2. When chocolate is almost completly melted remove from the heat, stir to release some heat as it should be quite warm. Slowly pour in the eggs, peppermint extract, pinch of salt and then quickly beat in the flour until just combined.

3. Butter and flour four 4-ounce ramekins, tap out excess flour. Pour the chocolate mix evenly amongst the ramekins. At this point, you can keep them in the fridge for several hours, and simply bring them to room temperature before baking. Otherwise, bake them on a baking sheet for 6 to 7 minutes MAX, centers will be soft. Allow to sit for 3 minutes.

4. Invert the ramekin onto a plate, let them sit about 10 seconds and give the bottom a little tap, then lift. Sprinkle with candy cane, serve immediately. Accompany with unsweetened whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

HEARTY APPLE LOAF

There are days I feel like cooking, and there are days that it sounds like the last thing I’d like to do. Hugh does an excellent job of romancing you into the Sprouted Kitchen, but believe me, toast and hummus work fine for me some nights. For this experiment, I strapped on an apron to remind myself that I mean business. I doubled this recipe, trusting it would work out. I like to have a tasty option waiting for me for breakfast and I also wanted to take action on my long time intention to send a loaf to a new friend. If you make this, I suggest you do the same. I have never met a person who does not like surprise mail, and I guarantee there is someone in your life who could use a surprise.

The lovely thing about this hearty loaf, is that you could use apples, pears, stone fruit or berries and make it yours. Throw in whatever you’re in the mood for. If it is a day you need to toss in the rest of the bag of chocolate chips you have into the batter, I encourage that. It tastes more like a bread than a cake due to the whole grains and modest amount of sweetener.

HEARTY APPLE LOAF // Makes one loaf

2019 Recipe update: Phew, I’ve gotten better at writing recipes and cleaned this up. The photos show that I soaked the apples, but I don’t believe that to be a necessary step any longer. The directions reflect that change, despite the photos. If you need it to be gluten free, replace the pastry flour with a 1:1 GF All-Purpose like Bobs Red Mill or Cup for Cup.

2 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup butter, just melted

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup almond meal

½ cup cooked oatmeal

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2/3 cup muscovado (or light brown) sugar (plus 2 tbsp for the top)

2 cups cored and chopped apples, small pieces

Oven at 375’

Butter the loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.

Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla and buttermilk together.

Add the dry ingredients together, including the cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix to combine. Gently mix in the buttermilk mixture til incorporated.

Fold in the apples, do not over mix.

Fill the loaf pan and sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. of the muscavado. Bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes until golden on top and springy to the touch. Test for doneness with a toothpick, as the type of pan and oven vary. Remove and cool.

Serve toasted with a dollop of yogurt.