Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

TO DO: Make these this week!

Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These might look a little scary with the green poking out of the cookies, BUT no joke, you get the taste of a normal yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, BUT with the nutrition of delicious zucchini! These were such a wonderful surprise with how good they turned out :)

Inspiration from: cookingclassy.com

HAPPY BAKING!

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (softened)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 medium zucchinis (shredded) 
• 1 cup quick oats
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flours, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, set aside.
• In the bowl, whip together (with an electric mixer)  coconut oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract, then fold in shredded zucchini. 
• With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in flour mixture. Stir in oats, walnuts and chocolate chips with a spatula.
• Shape dough into balls, 2 Tbsp each, then transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet (I rubbed a tiny bit of coconut oil on them), spacing cookies 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for about 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

THEN, eat up! :)

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA 

 This was the perfect Saturday night dinner! Then we ate it and realized it was the perfect anytime dinner because it was that good! With recipe inspiration from www.cookiemonstercooking.com, I made some fun changes to the original recipe with more veggies and other fun flavors.

This was super yummy and flavorful, and also very filling, so this recipe would serve at least 4 hungry people.

HAPPY COOKING!

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces whole wheat pasta shells or spirals

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 /2 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped

3 cups chopped kale (without stems)

1 ½ cups butternut squash puree (homemade or store-bought)

1/2 mashed up ripe avocado (could do a whole one for a creamier flavor!)

1 cup 2% milk

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon sage

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese!)

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

⅓ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

3 Meanwhile, set a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add in the olive oil. When hot, add in the onion and cook for about 2 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add in the carrot and bell pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Add in the kale and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, until bright green and slightly wilted.

4 Add in the butternut squash puree, milk, vegetable broth, rosemary, sage, and salt and pepper. Mix until combined then bring the mixture to a gentle simmer (increasing the heat slightly). Let the mixture simmer gently for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring fairly often, until it thickens up a bit, but still pretty saucy. Turn off the heat. Add in the drained pasta and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Mix until combined. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese, parmesan and walnuts.

5 Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes (no lid), until the cheese is nice and melted. 

NOTE:

If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, proceed as directed above and then transfer the everything to a 9x13 baking dish and then top with the remaining shredded cheese and walnuts. Bake as directed. :)

Vanilla Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vanilla Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can't seem to get enough of PUMPKIN these days AND vanilla pudding mix was so fun to add because the flavors fit perfect together. They are so soft and so tasty and this recipe makes a TON, so bake for a party or something fun this season!

They do have butter and brown sugar (and pudding mix, but it was just too good not to add)! I did, however, trade out some of the bad ingredients with better ingredients (greek yogurt, honey, whole wheat flour, etc) from the original recipe, so you can at least get some health benefits from this treat!
Recipe inspiration from: www.picky-palate.com

If you really want to take out the butter, you could try substituting that for applesauce, just skip step #2 with melting the butter. Be adventurous if you'd like, but below was my tried and true recipe for a delicious vanilla pumpkin bite!

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter

12 oz. (two of the 6 oz. cups) plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 4.6 oz. box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 generous cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

- Place butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Let melt and bubble until browned. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes. 

- Place browned butter, honey, and sugar into a stand mixer or bowl with hand mixer. Beat until well combined. 

- Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined. Add flour, pudding mix, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips and nuts. Beat until just combined.

- Make dough into tablespoon size balls and place onto prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart. 

- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until baked through. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring. 

- SHARE and EAT! 

Makes 4-5 dozen cookies

HAPPY BAKING!

PUMPKIN SPICE CARROT MUFFINS

PUMPKIN SPICE CARROT MUFFINS

These yummy muffins turned out moist and flavorful! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how tasty carrot can be in these bad boys. They also have a delicious hint of fall spice. Naturally, I used orange cupcake liners :)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 6 oz. container plain Greek yogurt

4 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 cups peeled, shredded carrots

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Line 18 cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, pumpkin-pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, add melted coconut oil then slowly whisk in yogurt, milk and eggs.

5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add oil/yogurt mixture. Stir until just combined, then fold in shredded carrots.

6. Spoon batter into muffin cups until they're 2/3 full. Bake for 17-20 minutes. 

7. Transfer to a wire rack then EAT!

HAPPY BAKING and HAPPY FRIDAY!

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal 

Breakfast Cookies

Not even kidding, you can now eat cookies for breakfast….at least these cookies! They were easy to make and fun to share.  They are also yummy for fall because of all the pumpkin!

I found this yummy recipe from: jessicainthekitchen.com. I did change things little bit and doubled the recipe because you will want to eat a lot of these.

Makes about 30 cookies

INGREDIENTS

4 1/2 cups rolled quick oats
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more) heh

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Lightly grease your baking sheet.

3. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add in the wet ingredients in order.

4. Use a spatula to stir everything together, but not over mix. The batter should be sticky and thick.

5. Roll spoonfuls of batter into balls and place on baking sheet. You can place a lot of cookie balls on there because they won’t spread out much.

6. Bake for 15 minutes on the top rack of your oven until tops are golden brown.

7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Happy Baking!