Oatmeal raisin cookies

After each of my son's piano recitals,

 there is a reception with punch and cookies. 

It's a reward for a job well done. 

For today's spring recital, I made something super special: oatmeal cookies.

They are both dairy and gluten free and vegan. 

Meaning: they are good for you and taste great.

1 c gluten free oats

1 c rice flour

1 c coconut milk

1/2 c currants or raisins 

1 banana mashed

1 tbsp flax seed mixed with water

1 tbsp agave nectar 

Mix everything together. Drop onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, let cool.

Mother...

Today is Mother's Day. I dont know what my family has planned for me today. This morning, I'm leading my sunday school kids in making some special mother's day gifts:

Tissue paper bouquets
Bracelets
Handprint sunflower
Decorated cookies
Colored mug inserts

I do need to start baking the cookies soon.I made the dough last night so it would be ready to bake this morning. Why would you buy premade dough when making your own is super easy?

1 c butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 tsp salt
2 1/2 c flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs until well blended, then mix in vanilla and salt. Add flour a bit at a time, mixing well. Roll into a log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate over night. The dough can also be frozen for up to 6 months

To bake, preheat oven to 350. Dough can either be rolled and cookie cuttered or sliced and baked. Either way, 10-12 minutes in the oven and then let cool for 5-7 minutes

I'll Be Home for Christmas

It's the time of year when our inner Martha Stewart comes out and we go crazy with traditions and baking and homemade everything. Oh, my!
For me, it's connecting my present to my past, creating new memories.
Most of the traditions I grew up with are impossible to replicate because I'm 1300 miles from New York, so I cant take Little Man ice skating at Rockerfeller Center or to the Met. However, I can share the stories with him.
I dont come from a family of bakers (their secret? Slice and bake!) so it wasn't until I was living on my own in my 20's that I taught myself to bake. I learned to make these chocolate bliss cookies that have a hershey kiss in the middle of, as well as the traditional sugar and gingerbread.
My old church made gingerbread houses to sell at the St Nicholas Bazaar, which to me was the unofficially kick off to the holiday season. We might no longer be at at Trinity, but we still make the house. In fact, I am convinced we both knock walls over just to eat the candy.
As time marches on, it's important to make those connections. Little Man is now 9, and growing up way too fast. This may be our last year for Santa, which is a little sad. I want him, when he's a dad himself, to fondly recall his childhood and all the giggles over gumdrops and gingerbread.
And for him to carry it on.

Chocolate bliss
1 c flour
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c baking cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c applesauce or 1 c butter softened
24 unwrapped Hershey kisses

Mix together all ingredients except kisses. Form into a dough, (you may need to add a little more flour) roll into a ball, place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Press a kiss into the center of the ball. Bake 15 minutes at 350. Cool on a cooling rack.

Mexican hot cocoa cookies

1 c pastry flour
1 c honey
1 banana mashed
1/2 dried ancho chili crumbled
1 c carob chips
Dash cinnamon
1/2 c carob powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c soy milk

Mix ingredients together into a thick batter. Drop onto a cookie sheet, bake 10 minutes or until done.

Witches hat cookies

1 box fudge pinwheel cookies
1 tube frosting (orange looks the best!)
1 pkg Hershey kisses, unwrapped

Turn cookies upside down. Squeeze a little bit of frosting around the hole on the cookie. Adhere a Hershey kiss.
Eat and enjoy!

Vegan carob quinoa cookies

1 c oat flour
1 c cooked quinoa
4 tbsp agave nectar
1 c carob chips
1 c apple sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 350

Last weekend I was at my church convention in Pierre SD. One thing I need to note is a regionalism. If you lived outside SD, you might think that our state capitol would be pronounced pee-air, as in the francophone version of Peter. Alas, it is not pronounced that way. Instead, it is pronounced peer. This fact drives my son batty.
Back to the topic at hand: church convention. There was a presentation to the family of Margaret Hawk from the President of the House of Deputies for her devoted service to church & community. The best way to describe her is as a mother Theresa to the native American population. There were amazing quilts on display. My family came & we had a lovely time. Church ladies from all over the state brought very yummy cookies for us to munch on.
One such cookie was a sweet potato chocolate chip cookie that I couldn't stop eating.

I googled it because I had to try this cookie at home. This is the recipe I chose from http://www.fakefoodfree.com/2010/10/sweet-potato-chocolate-chip-cookies.html?m=1

Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup demerara sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup sweet potato, pureed
½ cup oat flour
¾ cup white whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Mix in the sweet potato.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. Scrap the sides and mix until everything is combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Place cookies by the teaspoon or tablespoon full onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly browned. Remove from the oven, allow to rest 1 minute and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Coventry Carol

I love to bake year round, but Christmas cookies are a particular passion. I start baking when the grand plan kicks off this week, and I usually make at least 2 dozen of each type of cookie (some for now, some to freeze for the holidays)The only thing is with the thumbprints, I don't add the jelly until I defrost them.
I tend to putter and mumble about finding the time to bake, but I am usually successful at dragging SOMETHING off the schedule and making time/space for the cookie baking time. The only issue I have is not eating them as I bake, which is wrecking as much havoc on my diet as a green beret penetrating enemy lines!

Thumbprint cookies

Round balls

Pizzelles

Fudge

Chocolate bliss

PB cups