TWO Cookie Recipes!

The first of these cookies got pretty toasted on the bottom (as you can see below), but they were still really delicious. They only lasted a few days, and they have GRAINS and FRUIT in them, so they're good for you, right? I will definitely make them again, but next time I'll pay more attention to the time! Someday I will also learn how to operate a finicky gas oven. The second batch of cookies is not in any way healthy but is absolutely perfect, and it has two different kinds of chocolate chips.

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
adapted from RecipeZaar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Quaker quick-cooking oats (not instant)
3/4 cup Craisins

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars until mixed well. Add egg and vanilla. Add cinnamon, salt, baking soda and flour and mix until well-combines. Fold cranberries and oats in by hand. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8-10 minutes, just until the edges are slightly golden.

Voila! Chewy, "healthy" and delicious.

Two Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Cooking Stuff
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Mix together the dry ingredients and set them aside. Combine butter and sugars until smooth. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Mix in the chips. Scoop out scant 1/2 cups of dough and roll them into balls. Pull the dough into 2 equal halves. Place each half a ball torn side up onto a cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper. Make sure to leave a lot of room between them because they get big! Put them in the oven and bake them at 300 degrees till the edges just start to get brown. I'm not sure how long it is, just keep an eye on them.

Bob at Cooking Stuff suggests that you leave the cookies to cool on the sheets for a few minutes, then remove them to a wire rack for complete cooling. But I say, "Nay, Bob. Thou canst eat these cookies within two minutes of their removal from yonder oven."

And you can, because we did. They were hot at first but in the best way something can be hot-- sticky and sweet, not burning your mouth, but pretty warm on your fingers. Awesome. Cookie bliss. Mike ate two, and as you can see, they're huge. They're like those cookies you get at Starbucks. Go me.

Spinach and Mushroom Pizza Pockets

I was looking for a recipe for dinner last week that didn't involve meat. Meat is expensive, and with our roommate moving out this month, things are pretty tight! I wish I could tell you how I stumbled upon Madhuram's Eggless Cooking, but I truly don't recall! Anyway, I saw the recipe for these and they sounded really great. I had a little trouble finding pizza dough at the store but once I found it all was well. As you can see, they turned out pretty nicely.

Spinach and Mushroom Pizza Pockets

1 package pizza dough or frozen pizza crust

4 cloves finely chopped garlic

4 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 of a medium onion, thinly sliced

4oz cremini/baby bella mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt
Pepper

Grease a baking sheet. Splat the dough out onto the baking sheet and adjust it to fit the sheet. Cut it into 4 rectangles. Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly over the rectangles. Top each rectangle evenly with spinach, onion slices and mushrooms.
Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over each rectangle, and season with salt and pepper. Roll or fold up each rectangle and pinch the ends to close the pockets. Bake on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes at 425 degrees or until they are golden brown.

Om nom nom!

Wildberry Sorbet

I usually hate things that are "wildberry" flavored. This, however, was pretty awesome-- I think because the berries were fresh frozen. I wanted to make Annie's Eats' Blackberry Lime sorbet, but there were NO blackberries to be found! And raspberries were almost $8 a bag frozen. So I settled on the berry mix-- strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. When I got home, I searched for a recipe that would allow me to use whatever berries I had on hand, and then I saw a gorgeous picture for a raspberry sorbet that didn't look too hard. So I whipped it up, and even with my crappy blender, the result was amazing! It tasted really good, and it's the most gorgeous color. So here it is...

Wildberry Sorbet
adapted from The Kitchen Sink

4 1/2 cups frozen wildberries (or whatever berry you want)
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lime juice
pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water and 1 cup sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer, without stirring, to make a syrup. Pour the syrup into a medium bowl, stir in the vanilla and transfer to the freezer to let chill for 15 minutes. Puree the berries with the syrup, the lime juice and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. You can scrape the puree through a fine sieve if you don't like seeds; if you don't care, don't bother. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker. Freeze until almost set but still a little slushy, about 30 minutes. Put it in the freezer for later, but make sure to eat some then.

I would be curious to know how this was with other fruits, other than berries. Maybe someday I'll try it.