Blueberry Lemon Cookies

These cookies are SOOO good!  Walter and I hit up a sale on blueberries at Whole Foods last week, and I knew I wanted to make a dessert using our yummy berries.  These cookies are so light and very easy to make.  I ended up adding a couple of ingredients not listed in the original recipe, so I guess you could say this is my blueberry cookie recipe.  This is the first time I've altered a baking recipe, and I'm quite proud of how it turned out.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour *I used Organic White/Wheat Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter *Use real butter if possible
• 1/4 cup milk
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup white sugar *I used Organic Cane Sugar.  I did find the cookies to be a little sweet, so I may reduce this to 1/2 cup next time. 
• 1 cup fresh (or frozen & thawed) blueberries. (Fresh is best if you have them)

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and milk. Add the lemon zest. Mix well after the addition of each ingredient. 
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; blend into the sugar mixture. 
3. Fold in the blueberries. Cover and chill for 4 hours (I only chilled mine for an hour and they turned out just fine).
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
5. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls (I used a cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
6. Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Pumpkin Cookies

Be warned! These cookies are healthy and addicting...a really bad, I mean good combination.

Courtesy of Kitchen Stewardship
She lists two versions of this recipe on her site...a not so healthy and healthy version. I just listed the healthy version below because it's the one I followed.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups butter or coconut oil or palm shortening
• 1 1/2 c. sucanat (or any type of unrefined cane sugar)
• 16 oz. can pumpkin or 2 c. pumpkin puree (squash works, too)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 c. white whole wheat flour (I used 100% whole wheat flour and couldn't tell the difference. The cookies were very light)
  
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp.nutmeg
• ½ tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 c. chocolate chips or raisins
• 1 c. chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Cream fat and sweetener.
   
2. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla; beat well.
   
3. Stir together flour and next 6 dry ingredients. Add to batter; mix well.
   
4. Stir in choc chips and nuts.
5. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Strawberry-Blueberry Crisp

I adapted this recipe from Skinny Taste's Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp and it was so delish! I couldn't find rhubarb, so I used blueberries instead. It's simple, uses mainly all-natural ingredients and the perfect summer treat.

Filling:

• 1 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1 pint or less of blueberries (just eyeball this depending on how many blueberries you would prefer to have in your dish)
• 1/2 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup honey (Grade B is the best!)

Topping:

• 1 cup Quaker quick oats
• 1/2 cup 100% whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, not packed
  
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine strawberries and blueberries in an oven safe dish.
3. Add honey, orange juice and orange zest; sprinkle with cornstarch and toss until fruit is well coated.
4. Mix remaining ingredients for the topping in a medium bowl then spread over fruit.
5. Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies

I've done a terrible job at posting dessert recipes. Mainly because I don't make a lot of desserts these days, but I LOVE these cookies and they are so easy. You can thank my friend Sarah for requesting that I post this, because if it weren't for her reminder they'd probably never make it to the blog.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (or more) Betty Crocker Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie mix
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 bag butterscotch morsels

Directions:

1. Follow directions on back of Betty Crocker cookie mix
2. Add butterscotch morsels after mixing all other ingredients together
3. Bake and enjoy!

Side Note:

For an extra treat, take 2 cookies and put some vanilla ice cream in the middle. It makes a delicious ice cream sandwich.

Homemade Strawberry Frosting

I still have not mastered the art of making homemade cupcakes, but this frosting certainly turned out great and will leave you wanting to eat the whole bowl.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon fresh strawberries, pureed
• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 dash of salt

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl add 1 cup of butter and salt and blend on medium high until fluffy.
2. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar and blend well.
3. Add vanilla extract and the strawberry puree and blend well.

Will frost 1 dozen cupcakes.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

I have made this recipe a couple of times over the last few weeks to take to different gatherings and it has been a huge hit.

My Version:

Follow directions for chocolate chip cookies on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse package. Flatten the cookies just a little before baking. Once the cookies are completely cool, scoop ice cream onto the cookies to form ice cream sandwiches. Store the cookies in the freezer until you're ready to serve.

Your Version:

Your favorite cookie recipe paired with your favorite ice cream.

Crock Pot Apple Crisp

Yes, I am finally posting a dessert recipe. Sadly, baking desserts has taken a backseat lately as I try to find healthy, creative and easy dinner recipes, but I finally baked something worth posting over the weekend. It's simple, not time consuming and delicious! Healthy?, not so much unless you count the apples smothered in butter and brown sugary goodness as healthy.

Ingredients:

• 9 smallish apples
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar plus another 2 tablespoons for crumb topping
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup crumb topping (I used vanilla wafers, but anything will do...graham crackers, oats, cookies, etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat your crock pot on high, and butter the inside of the stoneware.
   
2. Chop up the apples and plop them in the bottom and cover with butter (cubed), brown sugar, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
3. Smash up your topping of choice and add 2 tbsp. of brown sugar. Layer on top of apple concoction.
4. Cover and cook on high for approximately 3 hours, or until apples are sufficiently tender.

If you like your crumb topping crunchy, broil the uncovered stoneware on the lowest rack of your oven for 4-7 minutes.

Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.