This calls for a LOT of baking!

I’m officially three days late, but I only discovered this fact yesterday – so forgive me.  While my first love is definitely cupcakes, cookies are a very close second place – they should probably be first because I regularly make them at home… cupcakes are better from a real bakery.

As you regular readers know, I stick to more healthy versions of baked goods so I don’t feel as guilty for stocking so much in the fridge. What makes a cookie “healthy”? I never bake them with butter, oil, or sugar. I also try to use various types of flour to change the consistency and keep the carb count lower.

Also, I don’t believe in recipes, which is fine when you’re doing these healthified versions (I might have made that word up, but I like it). What I call “real” baking involves a lot of chemistry and balancing ingredients.  My “fake” baking doesn’t have that component, so I generally stick the same core ingredients and work from there… adding various things to reach the right batter consistency. This is a pro and a con – helpful because I can bake things quickly, making it up as I go, and a con because when something turns out amazing I have a hard time duplicating it.

Get ready, friends! It’s going to be a cookie-full month!

I digress though… the important factor – it’s National Cookie Month! A whole month to celebrate and enjoy these amazing little dessert snacks. So, in honor of this majestic month, I’m going to make a variety of new cookies and share the recipes with you! It’s up to you if you want to try them or not – but you can trust me that they’ll all be *mostly* healthy and will definitely be easy.

To make up for being three days late, here’s three to start:

You can never go wrong with PB&J dessert.

• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 3 TBSP coconut flour
• 2 TBSP PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sweetener (Splenda or similar)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 3 TBSP peanut butter of choice (I used Kraft smooth)
• 4 TBSP jam of choice (I used no sugar added strawberry)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. I tasted the batter to make sure the PB and jam flavors came through enough.
3. Spoon batter onto greased tray (or use a silicone baking sheet). I got 8 cookies out of this batter, but they were fairly large.
4. Bake for about 12 minutes. Check them around 10, they’ll be a little “fluffy” which is good, they’ll stiffen up a bit when cooled.

Topping it with Cool Whip is required.

• 1/2 cup instant oats
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 2 TBSP coconut flour
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp sweetener
• 2 tsp Splenda brown sugar
• 2 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Spoon batter onto greased tray, or use a silicon baking sheet.
4. Bake for about 15 minutes, checking around 12 minutes. Again, this will continue to harden as they cool.
5. Best served with whipped cream of some sort….

This? Make this.

• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup instant oats
• 2 TBSP coconut flour
• 2 tsp Splenda brown sugar
• 2 tsp sweetener
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP margarine
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Put margarine (or butter) in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave until melted.
3. Stir oat flour into the melted margarine – it will be pretty solid.
4. Add remaining ingredients, except the cereal. Mix well.
5. Crumble the cereal into the batter and mix well.
6. Spoon batter onto greased tray, or silicone baking sheet. I got 8 cookies.
7. Before baking, top with a few pieces of the cereal.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy your weekend everyone, if you get a chance, try one or two of these recipes and let me know what you think! My favorite was definitely the Cinnamon Toast Crunch cookie.  I have a list of future cookie ideas for the rest of the month, so stay tuned for these, cheesecake cookie, maple pecan cookie, banana nut muffin cookie, and lemon raspberry…. It’s going to be a good month!!