Oatmeal Cookies

These are healthy oatmeal cookies. Yes, I said "healthy" and "cookie" in the same sentence. It's true. They are naturally sweetened with honey instead of sugar and I used coconut oil instead of a more fattening oil like canola. Give these a try – you won't be able to tell they're actually good for you.

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

(Dry)

1 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

(Wet)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil (or your oil of choice - olive, canola, grapeseed; you can also substitute applesauce for half of the oil called for)

1 tablespoon molasses

1 egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(Add-ins)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 1/2 cup raisins or 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 335 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.

3. In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients.

4. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix together. Once mixed, stir in the add-ins. (If the mixture seems too wet, add a little bit of flour.)

5. Cover mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

6. Once chilled, drop mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep cookies 2 inches apart. Lightly press top of cookie down.

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until bottom of the cookie is light brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Coconut Macaroons

It's amazing how quick it is to make light and chewy macaroons, and with very few ingredients. These are perfect for tea time or an afternoon sweet snack, especially if you're as die hard about coconut as I am!

Ingredients:


7 ounces shredded sweetened coconut
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg white, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt


Yield: Approximately 14 macaroons


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and almond extract with a rubber spatula.

3. In another small bowl, beat the egg white and salt on high speed until frothy and slightly firm peaks form. (Test this by stopping mixer and lifting beaters out of mixture. If small peaks stand up and don't fall over, it is perfect.)

4. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold half of the egg white mixture into the coconut mixture. Then gently fold in the other half of the egg white mixture until it is a homogeneous mixture.

5. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop small mounds of the coconut mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving at least 1-1/2 inches in between each.

6. Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until macaroons are lightly golden on top. Remove from oven and cool.
Enjoy!

Veggie Quesadillas

Here's an easy weeknight dinner that spreads a buck, or a fun party finger food on the weekend. Try these quesadillas filled with cheese and veggies. Or, for the picky eaters, leave out the vegetables and enjoy a different kind of grilled cheese.

Yield: 4 quesadillas

Ingredients:


2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion (I used a shallot), diced
1 bell pepper (red or yellow), diced
2 small (or 1 large) yellow squash, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 whole wheat soft tortilla shells
2 cups shredded Mexican style cheese
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 lime


1. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. When oil slightly ripples, add garlic and onion. Cook until slightly tender.

2. Add in bell pepper and squash. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are just tender. Remove skillet from heat.

3. In another skillet over medium heat, spread a small amount of butter (just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan). When the butter is bubbling, add one tortilla shell.

4. While the shell browns, sprinkle on 1/4 cup of cheese. Then add a spoonful or two of the cooked vegetables and spread evenly. Then add another 1/4 cup of cheese and sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of parsley on top. Place another tortilla shell on top of the cheese and press down so all layers stick together.

5. Once bottom tortilla is browned and cheese is starting to melt, use a large spatula to gently flip quesadilla over to brown on the other side. Let the second side brown and the cheese melt completely. Sprinkle outside of quesadilla with a light squeeze of lime juice.

6. Remove from pan and let rest for a minute before cutting into 8 triangles. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for the other 3 quesadillas. Enjoy by dipping quesadilla triangles in salsa.

Blueberry Muffins

Don't use a powdered muffin mix ever again; it's so easy to make muffins from scratch!

Ingredients:


12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried completely


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans and set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Add the vanilla, sour cream and milk. Beat well.

4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low, add the sifted flour mixture to the batter slowly. Beat until batter is just mixed. Don't overmix or muffins will be too dense.

5. With a spatula, fold in the blueberries until evenly incorporated into batter.

6. Fill each muffin liner to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until muffins are lightly brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, but still moist. Remove from oven and let muffins cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying!

Box of Chocolates

Don't spend a bunch of money and a little bit of time picking up a store-bought box of chocolates for your Valentine. Instead, make a bunch of homemade chocolate treats (maybe like my recipes for chocolate peanut butter cups, white chocolate bark or cookie dough truffles) and cut them into bite-sized pieces (or use cute Valentine-themed cookie cutters). Then place white mini cupcake liners in the bottom of a deep-sided container and fill liners with your bite-sized chocolates. Your Valentine will be so impressed that you made all the treats in the box, rather than you half-heartedly picking up a box at the convenience store.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Eating store-bought cookie dough can be dangerous, so you can have ease of mind while eating these homemade balls of chocolate covered dough. There are no eggs to be found in this recipe, so the only thing to worry about is running out of them.


Ingredients:


1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped in small pieces (or mini semisweet chocolate chips)
4 cups semisweet chocolate, for melting


1. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed in a large bowl. Add in vanilla and beat.

2. Beat in flour – 1/2 cup at a time – alternately with condensed milk. Once mixture becomes combined well, mix in the 1/2 cup of chocolate morsels.

3. With flour on your hands, shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

4. After chilled, melt the 4 cups of chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute; stir. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds, or until chocolate is completely melted. Using 2 forks, dip chilled cookie dough balls into the melted chocolate to cover completely.

5. Place back on the waxed paper and continue coating balls in chocolate. Once all balls are coated, return to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.

Then, enjoy!

White Chocolate Bark

This is the simplest chocolate treat to make. It is only a matter of melting chocolate and covering it with whatever toppings you like.

Ingredients:

2 (14 oz.) bags white chocolate chips*

1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1. In a heat-proof bowl, microwave the chocolate chips for 1 minute. Stir and then microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Stir again. If not melted, continue microwaving in 15-second intervals until melted.

2. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread chocolate evenly. Immediately sprinkle the top of chocolate with coconut flakes and almonds.

3. Let sit at room temperature until completely hardened, about an hour. Once chocolate is hardened, break apart into all shapes and sizes. Enjoy!

*Some variations could be dark chocolate sprinkled with chopped dried cherries and almond slivers, milk chocolate sprinkled with chopped pecans or butterscotch sprinkled with chow mein noodles and peanuts.