Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Ripe bananas lying around the house seem to scream to me, "Bake us!!  Use us for something complex and crazy!"  Please, allow me to illustrate the directions with amateur photography. :)


Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I had to sub in bread flour because I didn't have whole-wheat.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large or 2 small)
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used 8 oz of chocolate chip miniatures.)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Sift and combine flours, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.

2.  Put butter and sugars into another bowl.  Using an electric mixer, combine until pale and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla; mix.  Add flour mixture until just combined.  Stir in banana; then oats; then chocolate chips; then walnuts.

 

3.  Using a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown on edges, 12 to 13 minutes.  Let cool on sheets; then on wire racks. 

- Line the soldiers up. -

- Devour. -

Soft and Chewy White Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies

I wanted to make these cookies as treats for past co-workers of mine.  I decided to take Martha Stewart's recipe for "Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies" and add my own little twist to them.  The results were lovely, but beware-- these cookies are very sweet and rich.  I would probably make these on rare occasions or by request. 

Soft and Chewy White Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Nut Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart's "Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies"

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift and stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugars in a separate bowl. Mix until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs to the mix. After everything is well-blended, gradually mix in flour mixture. Using a spatula or your hands, stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
2. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges turn golden but centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Lazy Meatball Soup

The days are getting colder, and I find myself having bowls of soup for lunch or dinner at least twice a week.  I am still a novice chef; so I decided to scrounge around in my fridge for ingredients that might add depth and flavors to my unknown soup.  What I've discovered is that the medley of a couple vegetables, chicken broth, and frozen meatballs might be the key to what I need on some cold winter nights.

Lazy Meatball Soup

makes 2 large servings

Ingredients

• 2 carrots, shaved and chopped into half-inch pieces
• 2 celery stalks, shaved and chopped into inch-long pieces
• 6 small and frozen Italian meatballs
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup penne pasta
• salt and pepper

Directions

In a small pot, combine the chicken broth and water and keep the flame on a medium heat.  Add the carrots, celery, and pasta to the pot.  While those are heating up, put the frozen meatballs on a plate and microwave for 2-3 minutes.  When meatballs are finished, blot them with a paper towel (to remove excess oil), and cut each meatball into thirds or fourths.  Then, add them to the pot.  Add a little salt and pepper to the soup, and turn the flame to a low heat.  Put a lid on the pot until the liquid comes to a boil.  When the soup has  boiled, turn off the flame and keep the lid on for another fifteen minutes.  The soup is ready when the pasta is cooked.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies with Walnuts

Miniature chocolate chips.  Peanut Butter.  Toasted walnuts.  Cinnamon.  How can these ingredients not produce a fantastic cookie?  Martha Stewart's recipe for peanut butter cookies is another winner for chewy cookie lovers.  I have taken her recipe and made my own modifications.  Enjoy!

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup cmooth peanut butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chip miniatures
• 2/3 cup roasted, coarsely chopped walnuts.
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Sift, then stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Using an electric mixer, mix butter and peanut butter in the bowl until combined.  Add the light brown sugar, then granulated sugar.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  Mix all until combined.
3. Gradually add in the dry ingredients until combined.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts with your hands or a spatula.
5. Roll dough in 1-inch balls, and space them 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Flatten them slightly with wet hands.  Bake until golden for 6 minutes; then rotate sheets and bake for another 7 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.