date butterscotch oatmeal cookies

For whatever odd reason, I decided to make cookies tonight.  I really did not have the time or energy but ... oh well!  My boss at work brought back date vanilla chip oatmeal cookies from his last boondogle.  They called it a class but it was in Death Valley, one of my favorite places.  Boondogle.  

I made these with both white chocolate and butterscotch chips.  We decided we liked the butterscotch best even if I think both are good.  These are simple simple.  I based them on an old Laurel's Kitchen recipe.  They would be great in a lunch box.  Or for breakfast with tea.

date butterscotch oatmeal cookies

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 egg yolks (because I needed to use them, equivalent to about one medium egg)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup pecan meal

3/4 cup oat flour (which was supposed to be a quick oat but we will not discuss small hands and the Ninja.  How long can that machine run?)

16 dates, chopped up into small pieces

1/2 cup butterscotch chips.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Mix in the egg and vanilla.  Mix in the salt, baking soda and all the flours.  If you actually have quick oats, mix them in here.  Mix in the chips.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.

Might definitely be breakfast.....

brown sugar cardamom pumpkin flan (custard)

I never get enough pumpkin pie this time of year.  Part of the reason is there so much bad pumpkin pie, most is not worth eating.  I always made my pumpkin pie with a pie crust so thin it was really a question of why is there a crust at all?  With someone in the house who is staying away from gluten again, just make the pumpkin into a flan/custard.  Flan sounds fancier but it is the same thing.

I have to admit that I have collected a few variations to try this year.  There have just been that many recipes.  My favorite has always been the one off the back of the Libby pumpkin can.  But I am open to new ideas.  

This flan is good.  I made it with a meringue but next time I would not.  It is a texture thing.  I like crunch on top of my pumpkin custard.  I usually just sprinkle sugar but I decided to give it a try.  My Beloved likes this meringue (he fussed at me for throwing mine out tonight).  For me, I would stick with a sprinkle of sugar or maybe make some brown sugar macaroons to crumble on top.  It is really a texture thing for me.

And as always, I had lots of help even if Small Mister will not try a bite!

brown sugar cardamom pumpkin flan (custard)

Note:  based on Bakeaholic Mama's pie

15 ounces of pumpkin puree

3/4 cup of hempmilk 

2 eggs

2/3  cup brown sugar 

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbs vanilla extract

2 room temperature egg whites

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put water on to boil.  Mix the pumpkin, hempmilk, eggs, 2/3 cup brown sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla together.  Pour into six ramekins.  Place the ramekins in a fairly deep pan.  Pour the boiling water around them.  Place in the oven for 35 minutes.

While the flans are baking.  Beat the two egg whites until stiff and peaks from.  Add in the salt.  Beat in the sugar.  The egg whites will get glossy.

At the 35 minute mark, dump a large spoonful of meringue on each flan.  Bake for another 15 minutes.

The meringue will puff up and be golden.  It will deflate when it cools.

My Beloved likes this meringue a lot!  The flan is good but the cardamom makes it rich.  I would still say that the Libby recipe is my favorite but this is a nice change.

carob walnut cookies

We occasionally walk down to the coffee shop in our neighborhood.  There my Beloved got introduced to carob in some of the cookies there.  I will admit that I am not very fond of carob.  My Mom tried to pass it off as chocolate to us when I was small and it just does not work that way for me.  It has its own flavor.  My Beloved does not have those type of bad connotations, so he likes it.

I put together some walnut and carob cookies for him.  His comment was "that's a cookie!"  He keeps munching them.  Small Mister seems to like them a lot as well.  He fell asleep with one in each hand last night.

walnut and carob cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup millet flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup arrowroot flour

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 to 1/2 cup carob chips

sugar for rolling the cookies in if you wish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cover baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Cream the sugar and butter together.  Mix in vanilla.  Mix in the flours.  Mix in the walnuts and carob chips.  The dough may look more like bits then real dough.  It will press together.

Roll a teaspoon of the dough into a ball.  Roll in sugar if you wish.  Put on the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

That's a cookie according to my Beloved!

TWO! (and pumpkin cake)

My Small Mister is two today.  He is my best helper.  He actually helped me make his birthday cake.  Well, really his Momma did.  He was more interested in bikes and Poppa.

And the chocolate cake bowl.  We put him in the bath after this so he did not get to try the pumpkin cake batter bowl.  I have to admit that I am now very tired.  But it was so much fun.  Small Mister had lots of fun.

This was his cake.  Pumpkin and chocolate with berries and buttercream.  My Beloved said I had to replicate the pumpkin cake.  I am writing it down now before I forget!

pumpkin cake

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 can of pumpkin puree (I had canned pumpkin chunks and drained them, then pureed)  or a full can and cook it down to 2/3

1 cup millet flour 

1 cup sorghum flour

1 cup arrowroot flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter and flour an 8 or 6 inch cake pan.  The 6 inch pan needs to be at least 3 inches tall.

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together.  Mix in the pumpkin puree.  Mix in the spices.  Mix in the millet.  Mix in half the heavy whipping cream.  Mix the sorghum.  Mix in the last part of the heavy whipping cream.  Mix in the baking soda, cream of tartar, and arrowroot flour.

Pour into the prepared cake pan.  It will take 45 minutes to 90 minutes to bake depending on the size of the pan.  It is done when a knife poked into it comes out clean.  

I am one tired Grandmomma but the cake recipe is written down!

greens and egg pizza

I was reading blog today and came across Smitten Kitchen.  I always like her ideas but I feel like she makes everything very complicated.  I never seem to finish reading a recipe let alone trying one.  The description for a spinach and egg pizza sounded really good.  I have pizza dough in the frig so I decided why not?  I needed to go to the grocery store anyhow because there is a small boy in my life who will be two tomorrow.  I was trying to make a cake tonight but I admit to fading very fast.  

What can I say about this concoction.....  My Beloved kept making noises like he was in heaven.  I am finding me and greens are not always a combination I like.  This is a way I like.  But then there was lots of garlic, olive oil, a bit of cheese, and pine nuts.  Just lovely.  And the egg?  I would never have thought of that bit.  Just lovely.

greens and egg pizza

1/4 pizza dough recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil, or one good glug

4 garlic clove sliced

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 large kale leaf, washed and slice small

6 spinach leaves, washed very well and slice small

a pinch of salt

a pinch of pepper

about a 1/4 cup grated parmesan

about a 1/4 cup creme faiche

1 egg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cover a pizza stone with parchment paper.  Roll out the pizza dough very thin.  

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the garlic and pine nuts.  Let brown.  Add the kale.  Let cook until the stems start to soften a bit.  Add the spinach.  Cook until wilted.  Add the salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Transfer the mixture to small bowl.  Mix in the cheese and creme fraiche.  Cover the pizza dough with this mixture.  Crack an egg on top.  Put in the oven.

I cooked it until the crust was golden on an edge or two.  This meant the egg was hard.  If you wish a softer egg, do not cook as long.

Let the groans begin.  Tell your children it has greens and they will not like it.  That way, you may not have to share!