my best (healthier) chocolate chip cookies

I love getting emails from readers asking me to try and recreate a recipe or put a new twist on something.  A good challenge; I love a good recipe challenge.
So the query in question was, can I recreate a really good chocolate chip recipe with a healthier spin on it?
I took out the flour and replaced it with whole wheat pastry flour and some rice flour.
If you add too much whole wheat it will take on a grainy like taste, so almost 3/4 whole wheat and 1/4 white rice flour, which by the way has no taste but is an excellent binder in a cookie base.
I was given samples of KerryGold Butter to try from a dear friend who works at Whole Foods in Hyannis, MA.
Sure I've tried the butter on toast, but haven't baked with it yet.
And I'm really sorry that I hadn't as this is really tasty butter in baked goods.
It gives a nice twang? Is that the right word?  OK let's try this, if there was one product that could perfectly fit the bill on what butter tastes like it's KerryGold.
I tested these healthier cookies out on a few people asking if they tasted anything different, hated, better or whatever.  They all said: "these are really good!" "so buttery" "is there supposed to be something wrong with them?"  LOL Seriously.
No one could tell the difference. And when I told them it was made with whole wheat flour they said no way!
So there you have it.  This recipe is a keeper, if you're trying to stay away from flour these are perfect.
And do me a favor and try that KerryGold Butter; Whole Foods is always running sales on them.









my best (healthier) chocolate chip cookies
print recipe

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 cup white rice flour
1 ¼ ts baking soda
1 ¼  ts baking powder
1 ts coarse salt
8 ounces unsalted KerryGold Butter, room temp
4 ounces salted KerryGold Butter, room temp
1 ¼  cups light brown sugar, not packed (loose)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 ts natural vanilla extract
4 ounces of bittersweets chocolate chips
4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

cook notes:
As I stated in the post above, I used whole wheat pastry flour and white rice flour.  You can try and use all whole wheat pastry flour but I’m certain the dough will taste grainy.  So if you can buy some white flour, they come in small packages and I promise you, you will be making these cookies again and again.  The KerryGold butter truly makes all the difference; please use it if you can.

Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer (or by hand), cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.  Add in eggs, and vanilla extract. Once nice and combined add in the dry mixture and mix.  By hand add in the chocolate chips, mix.  Cover bowl with plastic well, and chill a couple hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake until golden brown but still a tiny bit soft in the middle; 15-17 minutes.
The middle will be a bit soft, but once it completely cools it won’t be as gooey; it sets up really nice.
You can use a smaller cookie scoop but watch the baking times, reduce a few minutes for sure.
Makes about 30-36 cookies (I didn't count sorry!)

friday links

I am in love with this cookbook!
Everything so cute and easy to make in a mug!
It's the perfect gift for college foodies!
Mug Cakes by Mima Sinclair
40 speedy cakes made in the microwave

And since I'm such a candy junkie I am thrilled to have received this little nugget of a cookbook.
Sweet Things by Anne Rigg
A very detailed cookbook of all things chocolate, caramels (my favorite: coconut milk caramels!),
candies and marshmallows.  She even has a couple 'old school' candies like peppermint candy canes and dots (remember the paper dots, aka candy buttons?).
But seriously I would get this JUST for the coconut milk caramels!

Have you tried this with your morning coffee/espresso? It's good....

So my one minute day detox consisted of this. I tried and did it, but wow, that was hard.
I give major props to people who can down this daily; you deserve an ice cream!

Do I even have to tell you how good this was?
Seriously, don't even buy them---

Our Sagamore Bridge is still under construction! Will it never end?
Kind of a cool photo though, no?

More rain and clouds on cape cod lately...still pretty out.


It snowed on the cape on Sunday.
Way too early for me.




around the web:

will continuing to run make my knees wear out faster?
typhoon Nuri set to explode into largest storm in Bering Sea
3D printable photographs let the blind see their photographs
how sugar harms your brain
10-protein power snacks
DIY pumpkin spice sugar scrub
the red juice in raw red meat isn't blood
introducing The Suitsy!
DIY mason jar candles (I am in LOVE with this)
eating baked may improve your memory
estrogen products can spike your blood clot risk
scent dispenser to get people in the mood for traveling (what? I'm always in the mood to travel, who isn't?
10 household uses for borax
baked shrimp with tomatoes & feta
frustrated people who left hilarious revenge notes
Vit. D deficiency decrease brain function
thanksgiving croissants (hello)
spiced peanut butter cookies
how to make dunkaroos at home
what to do after a job interview when you're standing in a closet you thought was the exit (dying!)
around the world in thirty days (watched this 5 times)
the "kissing bugs" are spreading disease in southern USA
pumpkin salted caramel thumbprint cookies
5 life lessons people learn too late
what women need to know about deep-vein thrombosis
15 'nope places' people will risk their lives traveling to
6 steps to grow hair faster
dangers of thinning bones for men
thanksgiving dinner: planning how much to serve
DIY constellation bowls (these are cute!)
40 questions to ask yourself before you publish your next blog post
what to do with leftover Halloween candy from Jacques Torres
** and finally a wonderful set of vintage military photographs from a friend.
this is a tribute to his parents: Australian war bride & USAAF MSgt . The photos chronicle their relationship that started in1942. To learn more about their journey click here.
(I am in the middle of researching my own family history; my grandfather was one of the few survivors of the USS Franklin, and it was honor to make acquaintances with this person who has a nice jog down memory lane of his parents, their love, and their journey).


Go Pats!
Have a wonderful weekend!

thai pumpkin soup (one pot easy)

Sometimes one gets at a loss for words when it comes time to write a blog post.
I mean all I can say is this soup is so good, the second time I make I am making double, freezing
half for the days when it's going to be 20 degrees--which is anytime soon on Cape Cod.
This is not my recipe, for once I decided to let someone else do the recipe for me, and that would
be Kevin over at Closet Cooking who is the soup master of the food blogging world.
He has made some of the most creative soups I've ever seen (and craved).
After you look at this recipe on his blog, go search his soup creations and you'll see exactly
what I mean.  Really good kicked-up choices for soup. Nothing plain and boring and hospital like.
This thai pumpkin is amazing;  I added in some kielbasa, you don't have too, but I know you guys
are dedicated foodies like me and will try anything flavor-wise.
And it's one pot easy too; only one pot to wash when dinner is over.





thai pumpkin soup with kielbasa
adapted from closet cooking
print recipe

1 – 1 ½ cups chopped kielbasa, optional
1 TB red curry paste (or more)
1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
2 (15 ounce) cans pumpkin puree
2 TB fish sauce or soy sauce
2 TB brown sugar
2 TB fresh lime juice
a couple dashes of curry powder(for taste, optional)
a couple splashes of light cream, optional

cook notes:
You don’t have to add the kielbasa; I did because I love curry and kielbasa. If you’re a daring foodie you might too.
In Kevin’s original recipe, he suggests to add a bit of peanut butter to the soup. I highly suggest this too.

Heat a tiny bit of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, brown the kielbasa chunks.  When it’s browned, remove browned pieces from pan, then using same saucepan, add in the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the broth, coconut milk, pumpkin puree, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Add back in the browned kielbasa and stir.
(At the end of cooking I added in a couple dashes of curry powder and a couple splashes of light cream.  I just felt it needed it, you might not.).
Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds or chopped peanuts.

friday links

Happy Friday!


The cranberry bog (one of many) in my town getting harvested or as we call "bog jogging".
I wish you could see it up close, as the guy driving the jogger is wearing a viking hat--he does every year. I need a big girls camera to get better shots.

Deserted cape cod. My favorite!

Like a ghost town...a mere month ago this was all packed with tourists.


Ocean temp is 54 degrees!

I'm not happy about this sunset, bring back the 7:30pm sunsets!

Not a great photo, but the crescent moon was so pretty.
And the UFO in the left - kidding.

Yeah, I agree.

homemade peanut butter twix bars.

Leftover Halloween candy? Throw it all in a bundt!

around the web:

why do we kiss?
how to make your own brie
10 culinary cameos from Hitchcock films
how to make pancake apes
celery may help kill cancer?
14 great sources of clean protein
chocolate-hazelnut cheesecake
candy corn look-a-like cookies
dear chefs: this is for you
how to attract the right people into your life
wonderful video on veggie roulade
less sleep faster brain aging
what your spirit guides are trying to tell you
outstanding owls from Audubon society
millefeuille choco-framboise au café serré‬ (gorgeous video)
15 common dreams & their meanings
20 halloween snacks that look so wrong but taste so right
Dove dark chocolate cranberries (taste review)
the faces of retail (hilarious)
top anti-aging foods
why we compare ourselves to others on social media
how to optimize the immune system naturally
tackling blindness & deafness through neuroengineering 
how much sleep do you need?
should your workout kick your ass?
walk away from knee arthritis
10 simple tips to make food taste better
maple nut muffins
homemade peppermint patties
thai pumpkin soup
peppermint stick ice cream with hot fudge!!
great ideas for leftover Halloween candy (or call me)




Have a wonderful weekend!

pumpkin toaster strudel

Have you tried those frozen toaster strudels?
Yeah not so good.  I swear after I had one I started having heart palpitations, got really sleepy, groggy.... No joke.
I think it was all the grease, oil or chemicals in there?  My body just said no, not again and gave me a hefty warning.
Sure it's better to make your own, puff pastry is all butter, which is better than chemicals and whatever else dangerous.
(I love the crazy TV ad: a blond haired German kid: Hans Strudel wearing lederhosen popping out of nowhere in your kitchen, complete with morning birds, flying toaster strudel, angels singing, a baby deer --all to stare you down with odd smiles, while just hypnotizing you with these words: 'toaster strudel...ya?' Watch the baby deer in the window look on lovingly....who writes these ads? LOL).
Wait is he supposed to be German or Swedish?
He is wearing lederhosen and strudel originates from Germany or Austria.  


One of my baker friends made her own version of pumpkin strudel and I just had to do it as well.
She, Amanda at I am Baker gives a a stellar recipe for homemade puff pastry you can make at home.
 I was lazy strapped for time and used DuFour's Puff Pastry.Which is just as good as homemade. Really good puff pastry--so easy to work with. (just always keep it cold and it will return the favor of golden puffs of heaven).






Aren't they beautiful?
I really hate to part with them when they are so magnificent.
Buuuuuuut I gave them away to a good, loving home that will cherish them.



Did you see how easy that is?
I bet you can do this too.
Just keep the pastry dough cold at all times, don't over-fill with pumpkin, make sure to seal them well, and keep an eye on them baking (puff pastry loves to go from fabulous to burnt in minutes, so don't leave the oven after the 10-minute mark!).
You can make these--I know you can.
Imagine showing these beauties off to your friends & family during the upcoming holidays.
Just saying!


pumpkin toaster strudel
print recipe

strudel
1 package of frozen puff pastry
1 egg (egg wash)

pumpkin filling
1/2 can or 7 ounces of plain pumpkin puree
2 TB sugar
splash of vanilla extract
2 dashes of pumpkin spice
1-2 dashes of cinnamon

cream cheese glaze
5 ounces cream cheese, very soft
3 TB powdered sugar
1 oversized TB corn syrup
1-2 dashes of pumpkin spice
hefty pinch of salt

cook notes:
Always do your best to keep the puff pastry cold. After you're done filling and crimping the puff pastry, pop it back in the fridge for at least 15-20 minutes to let it firm up again. Puff pastry bakes best when it's very cold. I put corn syrup in the glaze as I wanted it to be glossy and harden up fast. You don't have to add it if you don't want too.
For slicing out as perfect as can be squares in the puff pastry, use a sharp knife, use the original lines in the puff pastry as your first set of lines (one was down the middle horizontally and vertically) then looking at the pastry in horizontal form, cut two more lines on each side of the original middle line. Or you could just use a ruler as a guide to mark the lines.
I managed to get eight good sized strudel pastries.

for the strudel
mix the egg in a small bowl and set aside with a pastry brush at the ready.
unroll the puff pastry, slice into squares, pop back into fridge while you get the pumpkin filling ready.
mix the pumpkin puree with all the ingredients.
place a dollup (about a little more than a tablespoon) into half of the cut squares (the other half will be the tops).  before placing the tops on the pumpkin filled squares, make sure to egg wash around the edges so the top half will seal nicely.  when placing the tops on, make sure not to push down on the middle as the filling will move out.  simply push down on the edges, and crimp them with a fork if you wish.  since it's puff pastry you really won't see the crimping as the pastry bakes up, but the crimping will help to seal the edges nice and tight.
try not to poke any holes in the pastry while crimping as this might deflate the pastry while baking.
place back in the fridge to firm up for at least 10 minutes before baking.
preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
when ready to bake, egg wash the tops of the pastry.
place in a 375 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
let the strudel cool completely before glazing.
for an easy way to make the glaze and pipe at the same time, I put all the ingredients for the glaze in a ziplock bag and mixed well by kneading.
you can only do this if your cream cheese is very soft/room temperature.
(or you can mix all ingredients with a hand mixer then place in a ziplock bag and pipe).
snip the end off the ziplock bag and pipe one set of swirls one way, then repeat the other way or however you wish to do it.
the ziplock bag as the mixing bowl/piping bag was such a timesaver.