Healthy Chocolate Cookies

So I have been somewhat obsessed with baking more "healthy" cookies. I started with the Paleo cookie, which is much more of a breakfast cookie or mid-day snack. This cookie, however, will satisfy the need for a sweet, dessert cookie. It's flour-less, egg-less, sugar-less, and butter-less. And somehow it's AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! I promise!

The recipe comes from 101 Cookbooks. It's a great blog that features tons of delicious recipes, including many gluten-free and dairy-free baking recipes. The almond meal in the recipe is just ground almonds; you can buy it or grind your own using a food processor. I recommend buying your own. Even with the holy of holies Cuisinart Food Processor I've not been able to get almonds into a fine meal texture.

If you're dedicated to baking with healthy oils, I also recommend splurging on a jar of coconut oil. It's what makes this a "healthy" cookie. And it's light flavor works better than olive oil. Since it's solid at room temperature, warm it in the mircowave for a few seconds until it liquefies.

Ingredients

• 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
• 2 cups rolled quick oats
• 2/3 cup almond meal
  
• 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 20 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.

Plum Galette

Ingredients
Serves 8
Recipe from www.marthastewart.com

* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
* Pate Brisee
* 1/2 cup finely ground toasted hazelnuts
* 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 pounds (about 5) plums, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
* 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup plum or red-currant jam

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in lower third. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pate brisee to 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges to form an 18-by-16-inch rectangle, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine flour, hazelnuts, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt; spread to cover middle of dough, leaving a 3-inch border all around.

2. Arrange plums in rows on top, slightly overlapping the slices and alternating direction of each row. Sprinkle plums with granulated sugar. Fold dough to enclose edges; brush dough with egg wash. Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator.

3. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees; bake until pastry is golden brown and plums are softened, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool to room temperature. Heat jam in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted. Let cool a few minutes; brush evenly over plum slices and serve.

Queen of Tarts

This is the the Pear Tart recipe found here. This time I substituted toasted almonds for the pecans. And I found these small tart tins on Amazon. They are perfect for using up left over dough and filling, or if you have the patience you can make a million tiny tarts with them!

German Chocolate Cake with Walnut & Coconut Frosting

This was a first - the first time I've baked a cake and NOT tasted it! I made (and sold) this cake for a co-worker to give to his wife for a birthday present. I am definitely regretting not making this for myself instead. As soon as I make it again - and it will be SOON! - I will post the recipe.

Orange-Spice Banana Bread

This version of Banana Bread will blow you away! By adding just enough orange zest, this bread gets the perfect kick - citrus, light and still perfectly sweet. I've never been a huge fan of walnuts in banana bread, but you can stir in 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts at the very end if you like. Serve warm or at room temperature for the perfect companion to afternoon coffee or tea.


Makes one 9-inch loaf

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoons zest from one orange

• 3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed, about 1 1/2 cups
• 1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest in a large bowl.
3. Mix the mashed bananas, sour cream, eggs, butter, and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl. Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake until th eloaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Fruit Tart with Rosemary Syrup

Yesterday my friends and I were craving something with berries, something sweet, something that would remind us of sitting outside on a warm, August night. Actually, we were desperate for anything to take our minds off this dreary weather, even for just a second. The strawberries might have been expensive and a little under ripe and the blueberries were probably grown in some enormous temperature-controlled warehouse, but this tart was just what we needed.
And if it was August and my lavender plant was visible - it had been sitting under mounds of snow and now inches of rain - I would have substituted that in the syrup. But Rosemary is the heartiest herb of them all. Refusing to die. Refusing to wilt. Refusing to even be bothered that it's January and all its surrounding buddy herbs are long gone. So go ahead! Slather on as much Rosemary Syrup as possible (trust me, you'll be tempted to drink it from the pan!) and let it shine, shine, shine.

Tart Dough

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Rosemary Syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  

One recipe of pastry cream

1. Whisk the yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor and process to combine. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture; process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles course meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hr or up to 2 days.
2. Roll out dough out, about 1/4 inch thick; fit dough into 14x4-inch rectangle tart pan with removable bottom, pressing into corners. Using a rolling pin, trim dough flush with top edge of pan. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork to prevent tart from puffing up. Chill tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake tart shell until edges are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
4. In a small saucepan, combine sugar with 1/4 cup water, rosemary and lemon juice. Bring mixure to a boil, then turn off heat. Set aside to steep, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain syrup into a bowl and set aside.
5. When ready to serve, fill cooled tart shell with pastry cream, arrange fruit on top and brush with rosemary syrup.
   

Pear Tart with Pecan Filling

This Pear Tart is a simple and elegant dessert. I modified the recipe to include The New Best Recipe's Sweet Pastry Dough for Tarts. The secret to flaky, buttery crust is to keep everything cold; add the butter when it's cold, completely chill the dough before rolling and even after fitting it into the tart pan. When everything is kept cold, it bakes well and has the most buttery texture.

Sweet Pastry Tart Dough ("The Best Recipe" America's Test Kitchen)

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  

Pecan Filling and Pear Tart

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 cup pecans
  
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut up
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 8 large canned pear halves, well drained, patted dry, and thinly sliced lengthwise

1. Whisk the yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor and process to combine. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture; process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles course meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses.

With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hr or up to 2 days.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 12-inch round. Fit dough into a 9-inch removable bottom tart pan lifting into and pressing up sides. Refrigerate while you prepare pecan cream.

3. In a food processor, pulse pecans and sugar until finely ground. Add butter, egg, flour, salt, and extract and process until well combined.

4. Spread 1/4 cup jam over bottom of tart shell. Spread almond filling over; chill 15 minutes. Arrange pear slices on top, fanning them out. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and pecan cream is puffed and set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool in the pan. Remove from pan. Melt remaining jam and brush over tart. Cool before serving.