Nectarine Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Someone recently asked me if I was still blogging here, a loving family member who knows of the existence of this blog but probably doesn't read it. I say that because if they had, they would have noticed my absence from this realm. This blog is supposed to highlight good, wholesome recipes I've tried and want to share. Throughout my pregnancy, I have tried desperately to cling to this mantra of good food, but the reality is very very boring. 

For the first few months I ate weird, gross or very bland food. (My favorite lunch at the time was an everything bagel with whipped cream cheese, siracha and chicken. I loved that so much.) I ate a lot of cereal, which I generally believe to be too processed to want to consume so regularly, but when it sounded good and helped with my nausea, I gave in and ate that Kashi every single day. 

My second trimester I felt better, but my energy never kicked back in. With the school year in full swing and testing anxiety, I relied a lot on Trader Joe's to help me out with dinners. I have a serious meat aversion with the pregnancy which means even more boring foods. Lots of salads, soups, and pastas. I started loving the premade salads at Trader Joe's for lunch every day- I'm still currently obsessed with their 'Crunchy Slaw' salad with the peanut dressing. Love. Even though it's summer and I ideally have time to make lunch, I still buy three of these a week and eat them for lunch on hot (ugh) days when I can't bring myself to make anything. 

Now that I'm 35 weeks along and due in a month, my eating hasn't changed much and my energy has only plummeted. But, I am on summer break which means even if I take forever, I can get some cooking done. The thing is that without meat to cook, I'm so bored. It's too hot to do anything too good with veggies (in my opinion, I'm so tired of grilling and sautéing) and if I never see pasta again I'll be ok. I feel like I'm living on cereal (still), fruit (adore!) and raw veggies (don't ask how many bags of baby carrots, plain old lettuce and bell peppers I'm going through a week. I'm setting records, I'm sure of it). Even sweets aren't very tempting, but baking... oh baking is my weakness. I've been baking at least weekly and sending them off with Dylan to work or freezing them for after the baby comes and we need some sugar. 

These cupcakes were one such baking bonanza. The nectarines I've been getting lately (from all sources: CSA box, grocery store, family's backyard) have been to die for. I realized recently that I had way more than I could eat, so I decided to do some baking with them. I chopped about seven of them up and slowly simmered them with a tiny bit of sugar and used them to make both these cupcakes and made some hand pies as well (these were killer. seriously, make them now. sorry I have no proof.)

I haven't felt like sharing these though, because I'm not sure how well they fit into my idea of 'good food'. They used processed ingredients and lots of sugar. But, I love baking. I find it to be extremely therapeutic and since I can't go for a long, sweaty run- baking is one of my best outlets. So, I'm sharing the baking. I realize this means my posts for what remains of the summer will be skewed in the sweet direction and I'm ok with that. It is what it is, right? If you've got a bbq to go to or a party to host, any of the sweet treats will make your guests sing your praises. So, bake on and share. Just don't eat them all at once or I'll feel just terrible (and frankly, so will you).

The recipe for these gorgeous little dandies can be found here, and I found them thanks to my favorite way to kill three hours, pinterest. 

Enjoy!

-m

Rosemary Rolls

A year or so ago, I made these rosemary rolls from the pioneer woman. I loved them instantly and they were easy peasy. Then I did my October unprocessed (holy moly, that was a year ago) and couldn't bear to look at the ingredient list in the premade, frozen rolls. I tried to make yeast rolls from scratch, but they never lived up to my standards (thanks in most part to my grandma's amazing, fluffy, golden, tender rolls that melt in your mouth and I think make a great savory side with butter or an amazing dessert treat with a hint of jelly.. mmm..).

Yesterday, I decided to try my hand at another yeast roll. I'm not quite ready to give my grandma's recipe another try (there was a rolls turned hockey puck incident in my kitchen last year that left me feeling less than confident) I thought I'd try another rosemary roll recipe, this time with yeast rolls from scratch.

Do you love rosemary? I can hardly believe how much that scent does for me. I've been in a funk lately, and I keep trying to pull myself out of it, and I succeed for days or even a week here or there, but I eventually get sucked back in. Yesterday morning I was feeling the funk, you know what I mean? I didn't want to do anything, see anyone. I was forcing myself to go for a bike ride, knowing that I need that exercise to work through whatever is going on mentally, but I just broke down before I could even get out the front door. I took off my helmet and didn't know what to do.

Dylan asked me what I really wanted to do, how did I really want to spend my day? I had to think, but eventually it came down to wanting to do something with a finished product. I haven't cooked a lot lately (as you can plainly see) because even cooking has felt a bit like a blessing and a curse.

Long story, a bit shortened, I decided to roast some veggies for a soup. It seemed like a good place to start. I walked out to the front yard to pick some rosemary to throw in the pot. I grabbed the stem of the thickest little stalk and stripped it slowly of its aromatic leaves. I carried the little leaves inside and began chopping them up into itsy bitsy pieecs and with each slice the scent felt a bit as though it was waking me up.

It made me fantasize about those rosemary rolls from last year and I decided I just had to make some fabulous rolls to go with this delightfully autumnal soup. I went to my favorite place for recipes, food gawker, and found this wonderful recipe for rosemary rolls and whipped up a batch. The recipe was easy to follow and they taste great. I subbed a bit of flour for some whole wheat flour, and they are still light and fluffy.

Go give them a try!
Enjoy!
-m

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

A few years ago, I was telling a friend about a whole wheat pasta dish I had enjoyed and their remark took me by surprise. They asked why I would eat such a horrible tasting thing as whole wheat pasta. I tried to defend my desire for more whole grains but, while I knew there were countless health benefits, nothing other than "I need more fiber in my diet" came to mind.
They lamented that fact but suggested I just eat smaller portions of the 'good stuff'. The conversation has stuck in my mind and I have ruminated over this question since- Why eat whole grains if they supposedly taste worse? Why not simply eat less of the processed grains? I believe it boils down to your intended goal, lose weight or overall health? (The teacher in me really wants to type 'loose weight' and see who catches it, but the teacher in me also just can't type that on purpose)



I was only beginning my food explorations at the point that this conversation was held and I didn't know why, but I was already drawn to the unprocessed side of life. After the past year, I feel much more confident in my eating habits. While I'm no supermodel and that is not my purpose, I do strongly feel that the addition of whole grains to my meals was for the better.

There is research behind this as well, of course. Do you know the history of white flour? You might find this article interesting. Or the reason white flour has become so present in our daily eating lives? Shelf life seems to be the answer to so many of my over-processed food questions. Wheat flour has too many good things (vitamins and nutrients) that go bad much quicker than it's processed counterpart. Which seems to be one way that white flour became the norm.

Ease.
Convenience.

Seems like holding ease and convenience near and dear to our hearts has cost us dearly. If you are trying to eat healthier, then you are familiar with this struggle. It's so much easier to eat the processed foods, the pre-made dinners and the packaged cake mixes. I guess it's a struggle for a value you can't readily see, or that's how I view it. Time is valuable and while health is as well, it is a long haul and time is instantly gratifying. Does that make any sense?

I spend an hour every Sunday night chopping vegetables, making smoothies, getting food stuff ready for the week. A year ago, I spent that hour in other ways. Sometimes, when I'm beat and feeling lethargic, I lament my change in eating habits and crave that extra hour of laziness. But then I think ahead, what path will I be on if I take this step forward and change lanes from what I know is good for my body and mind overall, for what seems ok for my body and mind in the moment?

http://wallblank.com/products/food-with-thought

I feel like I'm still learning quite a bit when it comes to my food choices. Reading this book last summer, In Defense of Food, and participating in the October Unprocessed challenge have really guided me in what I believe to be the right direction. Have you heard of the pendulum swing as it relates to ideas and thoughts? In education, people are often referring the pendulum and how it affects our teaching. I can see this though, with our food choices now. I found the poster above, which is from World War 1, and thought it was something you'd see in a new foodie cookbook. How's that for things coming back around?

Anyway, that leads me to my recipe to share. As I do every year around this time, I made carrot cake. Last year the cake was all kinds of messed up and I made a trifle instead with the broken cake. I decided to make carrot cake sandwich cookies this year, sounded like fun!

The dough is sticky but firm after an hour cooling in the fridge.

But, as I was baking them I felt wracked with guilt. All that sugar. All that flour. While this is special occasion, there would be other deliicous meals to celebrate this special birthday, and this was the only one where I had control over the ingredients.

So, I did it. I swapped half the flour for whole wheat flour. I use raw sugar. And I used the recipe that called for 2 cups of oats. Whole grain-y! And I didn't tell a soul. Until they were eaten, then I spilled the beans because A) I can't keep secrets and B) I'm a horrible liar. I giggle like crazy. It's nothing too nutty, I get that, but I feel confident in my decision to attempt to make everything I create in my kitchen a bit better, anyway I can. (I do understand that I'm saying this as I share a cake recipe with a sugary crazy frosting. So be it! It's on my mind!)

I just love the look of these, excuse the abundance of similar photos. I could not resist.

I promise that I'll share more non-baking related recipes soon. I've got a pan fried cod I'm digging and a broiled salmon that is simply rocking my socks, but for now, enjoy this little ditty.

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies with Whole Wheat Flour
adapted from Martha Stewart

ingredients

1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine sugars and butter in a medium sized bowl (you can use a mixer or do this by hand) and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and stir to combine. Slowly add flour to butter mixture and continue to mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in the oats and carrots and then chill dough in refrigerator for about an hour, or until it is firm.

Before you bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or grease with butter. These are sticky!

Using a ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets. It's a good idea to leave 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 11 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Prepare the frosting by mixing the cream cheese with the butter, followed by the sugar and vanilla. Adjust the sugar to your tastes/desired thickness.

Once cooled, spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Squish this onto another cookie and repeat with the rest of the cookies. You can store them in an airtight container for a few days, but good luck with that! 

Enjoy!

-m

Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

I have a hard time with balance, not as in I fall down the stairs (though my wii fit thought I might, and said so frequently), but just within myself. I'm very critical of myself (aren't we all?) and I tend to think in terms of one thing versus another, right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy, runner or walker- there is no blurring of lines in my mind. Either it is, or I am, or it isn't, and I'm not.  I'm realizing this makes my internal dialogue very bipolar and manic. One minute everything is great and I'm just dandy and the next minute everything I thought a minute ago is held in question.

For example, I am trying my best to eat nutritious, wholesome foods. I try to share those things with you. In those moments I feel successful and healthy. I'm pleased as punch with myself and I feel motivated to continue moving forward with all my healthy endeavors. If I find myself aimlessly munching on something with unidentifiable ingredients or, as happened this past week, an ooey gooey delicious fried food dipped in some amazing sauce, well then I just feel crummy and I become immediately 'unhealthy' and unkind to myself.

This is no big, unusual thing. I hear there are a lot of people who are, like me, harder on themselves than they would be to even their nemesis (though my particular nemesis would be a photocopy machine and I do think terrible, terrible things about it. I'm not sure what I think matters to that particularly menacing and minute munching machine. Though, if it could scream, I'm sure I'd take all those hateful ideas about stripping it for parts back.).

My number one new years resolution (it takes me a while to decide these things) is to be as kind to myself as I would be to others. I'm hoping to start that off by working on my sense of balance, taking the good with the bad and living with it all. Admitting that there is no grey area in my mind, and also admitting that in life things are often blurry and yet oddly balanced. Balance. A little bit of that grey area. It's what I think I need. A bit of everything and some well rounded expectations of myself.

Three ways: rolled in sugar (little guys), rolled in chocolate chip type things (big ones) and just a plain cookie.

These chocolate cookies represent a sort of off kilter yet lovely balance to me. Isn't that poetic and fortunate? They are devilshly delicious; deep and dark and chocolatey in the most amazing way. Yet, they are made with a whole grain- spelt flour- and are almost utterly unprocessed. Does that make them healthy? Oh goodness no. But I feel a sense of both whole grain goodness and amazing worthwhile tastes in these beauts.

The reaction to these cookies blew me away, I'm keeping them on my rotation and definitely bringing them around whenever I think a dark, intense chocolatey cookie would balance a situation out.

rolled in little chocolate chips, these were good, but sugar was better!

Chocolate Chocolate Cookies
adapted from Good to the Grain

ingredients

8 ounces (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
16 ounces of dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), split into two groups (one for melting and one for chunks in the dough)
4 eggs
2 1/4 cups granulated or raw sugar (plus extra for finishing)
2 cups spelt flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt

To begin, melt the butter and half of the chocolate (8 ounces) in a double boiler or a microwave until they are melted together and mixed well.

Next, add the eggs and the sugar to a large bowl, or the bowl of a mixer if you are so fortunate, and mix well (high speed) for 3 minutes until it gets thick. Mix the warm chocolate in and use a spatula to get all the chocolate and egg/sugar off the sides of the bowl.

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, pouring any leftover grains and bits back into the mix. Mix the dry ingredients with the chocolate mixture and stir well. Add the remaining chopped chocolate and continue mixing until everything is mixed well.

Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours and up to 3 days. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place parchment paper on your cookie sheets. Begin rolling the dough into large tablespoon sized balls, rolling them lightly in sugar before placing them on the cookie sheets. You can also roll them in cacao nibs, or leave them plain. I preferred the sugar.) Leave 2-3 inches between the cookies, as they will collide if you do not.

Bake the cookies for 15-19 minutes, until the edges are firm but the middle still soft. Cool on the parchment or a cooking rack.

Enjoy!
-m

Homemade Soft Pretzels

 When I was a goofy little kid, my sisters and I used to beg for frozen soft pretzels. Or, I think we did, because every time I pass them in the freezer section of the grocery store I think 'I want! You can't have! I want! You can't have!'. 
Yes, sometimes we did slyly convince our parents to let us gobble some up. They were so satisfying and easy to heat up for a quick snack. It was such fun. Don't they remind you of a festival, theme park or other outdoor mildly summery gathering? They make me happy. Little bit of mustard, lots of napkins and a good sprinkling of salt and I'm in heaven. I love soft pretzels, but I had no idea how much I loved them until I had a fresh one at a farmers market a few years ago. Ever since then, those frozen ones haven't been on my mind at all. They don't tempt me the way they used to, not in the slightest. Nope. Not at all. (Am I convincing you?)

foamy yeast mixture

Then, last year, I found a recipe for them online and after reading through it, I decided that I had what it takes to make my very own soft pretzels from scratch. That first recipe was good, but it left me with an odd stomach ache and the pretzels weren't great the next day. I've been searching for a replacement ever since, and I have found it. I'm done searching. Hold off the hounds, here's the winner.

boiling- aren't those strange little bubbles?

If you are going to a super bowl party, or other festivities where major snacks are involved, I suggest you rock everyone's socks by making a batch of these. Seriously, everyone will think you are some sort of unicorn herding opera singer- that's how amazing they are! Don't tell me you wouldn't be impressed by that, or think it was unbelievable- because that is exactly what people will think when you bring these bad boys over! They won't believe you (hence the unicorns) and they will be amazed (hence the opera singing). My thinking totally makes sense now, doesn't it? Whip up a little cheese dip and you will have an absolute show stopper.

this is after their boil bath and before they were baked

Let me just mention this: These are way easy. Don't be fooled by the boiling step, it's easy peasy.

If you can mix some things, let them sit, kind of oddly fold things (or make pretzel sticks! Or pretzel bites! or what else? I'm dying to find other ways to use this recipe- I made pretzel rolls! Great for sandwiches or burgers!), toss said oddly folded things into boiling water for 30 seconds, take them out and bake them- then you are set. It's just that easy. I feel like I'm selling some cleaning product, but I don't know how else to say it- make. these. now. or at least soon. Then, thank me. Or thank Alton Brown, it is his fault after all.

Soft Pretzels
from Alton Brown 

ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt (optional)

Mix the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, if you have one, and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let it sit for a bit, about 5 minutes, until it begins to foam. Then add the flour and butter and using the dough hook, mix it slowly until combined. (If you don't have stand mixer, no worries, mix it by hand! Work it!) Ramp it up to medium speed until the dough gets smooth and forms a ball- it should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl- about 4-5 minutes. Take the dough out and quickly clean the bowl, spray it with vegetable oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place for about 50 minutes or until it has doubled in size. 

Now, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and a little vegetable oil.

Put the water and the baking soda in a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. While you wait for this, start working with the dough on an oiled surface. Divide it into 8 equal pieces for large pretzels, 16 for mini pretzels. Make a U-shape with the dough, then cross over each end to connect with the opposite side. Or make pretzel sticks, or rolls, or bites. Whatever you please! Just adjust baking time if you do. 

Put the pretzels one by one into the boiling water for about 30 seconds each. Remove them using a slotted spoon or spatula and place them on the prepared sheet pans. Brush them with the egg yolk/water mixture and sprinkle with salt if you wish. Bake them until they are a dark brown color, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

-m

for your reference (and mine, who am I kidding)

Can you tell I'm baking today? Gotta keep this handy! Here is the bigger version.

Enjoy!
-m

Strawberry Summer Cake

One of my goals for this summer was to cook and bake using more whole grains. I have a cookbook that is all about baking with whole grains and I wanted to try something new from it once a week. I have only cooked one thing, scones- yum, but that's it! What's the deal? I hate not reaching my goals. As I was thinking about how horribly I stunk at this goal, I realized that I wasn't totally off...

Funny thing is, when I decided on this goal I started noticing recipes that called for unique flours or grains. I realized I was printing and saving recipes that fit my goal, even though they weren't from the cookbook. Whew. I don't feel like such a failure after all.

This strawberry cake is one of those recipes. It doesn't have a heaping helping of sugar, though it may seem that way, and it has barley flour- which I am now in love with. Especially with fruit in baked goods. So divine.

If you are on the fence about giving this cake a try, let me convince you. This cake is fabulous for the following reasons:
1) no gross amounts of frosting, the cake stands up for itself
2) the strawberries melt into the baked cake so elegantly, and they leave a moist, berry saturated area around them that you will want to recreate over and over
3) it's good for breakfast too!
4) it just screams 'summer! get it while it lasts!'
5) it is super duper easy.
6) it impresses the heck outta people.

Strawberry Summer Cake from Smitten Kitchen

ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup barley flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
7/8 cup sugar (measure a cup, take out two tablespoons)
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, tops chopped off and cut in half


Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10 inch pie pan or a 9 inch or 10 inch spring form pan- which is what I did and it was lovely.

Mix the flours, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy with an electric mixer, or by hand if you're strong like that.

Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add the dry mixture more gradually, mixing until just smooth. Don't over do it.

Pour into prepared baking apparatus. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. I accidentally put them cut side up once, and while it was a bit ugly at first, it looked very nifty when I sprinkled the powdered sugar on top and the cut side melted the sugar so you had this white powder with striking red spots.

If you want to, sprinkle the two tablespoons of sugar you kept out of the cake, on top of the cake. I have done this, and forgotten to do this, and it turns out well both ways.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. Ignore ooey gooey strawberries, you want that. Let cool, if you can, then sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top. Why? It looks so lovely, that's why!

Enjoy!
-m

Chocolate Chip Fabulousness

Baking cookies might be one of those unhealthy obsessions I'll eventually have to deal with. It's one of my favorite ways to spend time, and I swear it's almost as therapeutic as a long run. Almost. I especially adore the basic drop cookies: oatmeal raisin, peanut butter and chocolate chip. It feels so 'done' to say that I love chocolate chip cookies, but I do. And like many other homemade wonders, I'm such a cookie snob. I may love them, but I'm not going to eat a crappy cookie.



I like thick, chewy cookies and that is precisely why this cookie recipe is such a winner. Last year I attempted to find another go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I tried about five new recipes, a few more than once, and after my third attempt to love these cookies my husband begged me to stop the charade and admit that my tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe would always reign supreme. He was so right.

Every time I make these, I get someone begging for the recipe. I have tried adjusting the ingredients, it's a bit heavy on dry stuff, but the original recipe prevails. Someone worked hard to create this recipe. I'm sure of it, I like to imagine someone toiling away in a basement kitchen (those exist, right?) making batch after batch of cookies. Sweat on their brow, flour in their hair. Oh my, see what I've done there? I turned my favorite cookie recipe into a fairy tale. Soon elves will pop out and a wizard will slay a rogue singing soldier mouse.



I've been making these for over 10 years, and my cookbook shows the love. On the subject of the cookbook- The Village Baker's Wife- this is a must have. I could go on and on and on about it and the bakery they own that I wish I lived in, but I won't. Not now at least, there are cookies to attend to.






Chocolate Chip Cookies
From "The Village Baker's Wife" by Gayle and Joe Ortiz

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz) butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (seems like a lot, but it's worth the extra arm strength needed to mix it up!)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preaheat your oven to 350 degrees. Eat an apple so you're not so tempted to scarf down all the dough as you form the cookies later. Trust me. You'll want to eat it all. Get out your baking sheets, use parchment paper if that's your thing. They come off fine without it, but it makes for easy cleanup.

Cream the butter in a large bowl, either using a mixer or by hand. Add the sugars and mix until combined. Beat in 1 egg and the vanilla. Add the remaining egg and mix- but not too much, just until it comes together nicely. Set this gorgeous concoction aside.

In a different bowl, mix these ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the buttery mixture (I like to do it in thirds). Mix it until it is just combined, then dump in your chocolate chips and combine.

Using a large spoon, scoop and drop a good dollop of dough (I generally use a heaping tablespoon or two) on the baking sheets. Don't mess with them after you drop them- leave them be!

Bake for 10-14 minutes. Don't go far, keep your eye on them. I like to take them out when they look close to done and soft but not too golden brown. I let them sit on the rack while I prepare another pan. But if you want them crispier, by all means, bake them longer.

They don't last long, be warned.

Note: I've substituted all kinds of things for chocolate chips in this recipe and it almost always works wonders- trail mix, mini peanut butter cups, dried cranberries. The 'base' is so great, it compliments almost anything that might make you think 'that would be good in cookie'.