my best (healthier) chocolate chip cookies

I love getting emails from readers asking me to try and recreate a recipe or put a new twist on something.  A good challenge; I love a good recipe challenge.
So the query in question was, can I recreate a really good chocolate chip recipe with a healthier spin on it?
I took out the flour and replaced it with whole wheat pastry flour and some rice flour.
If you add too much whole wheat it will take on a grainy like taste, so almost 3/4 whole wheat and 1/4 white rice flour, which by the way has no taste but is an excellent binder in a cookie base.
I was given samples of KerryGold Butter to try from a dear friend who works at Whole Foods in Hyannis, MA.
Sure I've tried the butter on toast, but haven't baked with it yet.
And I'm really sorry that I hadn't as this is really tasty butter in baked goods.
It gives a nice twang? Is that the right word?  OK let's try this, if there was one product that could perfectly fit the bill on what butter tastes like it's KerryGold.
I tested these healthier cookies out on a few people asking if they tasted anything different, hated, better or whatever.  They all said: "these are really good!" "so buttery" "is there supposed to be something wrong with them?"  LOL Seriously.
No one could tell the difference. And when I told them it was made with whole wheat flour they said no way!
So there you have it.  This recipe is a keeper, if you're trying to stay away from flour these are perfect.
And do me a favor and try that KerryGold Butter; Whole Foods is always running sales on them.









my best (healthier) chocolate chip cookies
print recipe

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 cup white rice flour
1 ¼ ts baking soda
1 ¼  ts baking powder
1 ts coarse salt
8 ounces unsalted KerryGold Butter, room temp
4 ounces salted KerryGold Butter, room temp
1 ¼  cups light brown sugar, not packed (loose)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 ts natural vanilla extract
4 ounces of bittersweets chocolate chips
4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

cook notes:
As I stated in the post above, I used whole wheat pastry flour and white rice flour.  You can try and use all whole wheat pastry flour but I’m certain the dough will taste grainy.  So if you can buy some white flour, they come in small packages and I promise you, you will be making these cookies again and again.  The KerryGold butter truly makes all the difference; please use it if you can.

Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer (or by hand), cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.  Add in eggs, and vanilla extract. Once nice and combined add in the dry mixture and mix.  By hand add in the chocolate chips, mix.  Cover bowl with plastic well, and chill a couple hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake until golden brown but still a tiny bit soft in the middle; 15-17 minutes.
The middle will be a bit soft, but once it completely cools it won’t be as gooey; it sets up really nice.
You can use a smaller cookie scoop but watch the baking times, reduce a few minutes for sure.
Makes about 30-36 cookies (I didn't count sorry!)

peanut butter chocolate bundt cake

Here on the cape we've already started with the cooler weather.
Yesterday it didn't get above 66 degrees, and then nighttime brought 49-50 degrees.
I am not ready for this. Last year at this time our summer lasted a bit longer--well into the end of September.  I was so happy, the beaches were fairly empty and the ocean was definitely still swimmable.  A refreshing swimmable I should say. I also remember that last year my full-blown carb cravings didn't start until the second week of October. And now those cravings started this weekend.
What is it about the first onset of cooler weather that instantly brings on those cravings for sweet foods, greasy foods, fried foods?  It has to be a brain-chemical thing?
I literally found myself reaching for a third another slice of this cake, where normally I was content with a bite or three.
Summer has me religiously eating my berries, drinking my beet juice, downing my water, and happily eating my salad.  Whereas fall has me ditching all of those in replace of spicy buffalo wings with extra blue cheese sauce to drink eat with a fork celery.
And then going home to eat the frosting off three slices of this peanut butter chocolate cake!
As I write this post, all that's on my mind is salty potato chips.  I have to go to the store today, so I have to make sure I walk right past those wonderful bags of salty, greasy goodness.
Someone said to help combat these fall carbs cravings is to eat more protein in the am.
Is this true?
Do any of you have these crazy carb cravings right at the beginning of fall?
Should we start a support group?









Vultures I tell you...vultures!

This recipe is from The Little Epicurean who I love & adore!
But eat something before you go to her food blog.
(my changes to the recipe are minimal and in parenthesis).

peanut butter-chocolate bundt cake
recipe from The Little Epicurean
print recipe

Chocolate Cake:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped (I used bittersweet chocolate)
3 TB instant espresso powder (I used 1 Starbuck Via)
2 TB unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 3 TB)
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used 1 cup)
3 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ts baking soda
3/4 ts sea salt

Peanut Butter Cake Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 TB granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 ts sea salt

Chocolate Glaze:
4 oz dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 TB light corn syrup

Peanut Butter Glaze:
2 TB smooth peanut butter
2 -3 TB whole milk (I used heavy cream)
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt

Chocolate Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Generously butter a 10-cup bundt pan and set aside.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat unsweetened chocolate at half power at 30 second intervals.  Stir often.  Heat until chocolate is melted.  Set aside.
In a glass measuring cup, stir together instant espresso powder and cocoa powder.  Add enough hot water until liquid mixture measures 1 cup.  Stir until powders are dissolved.  Add milk and let cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, making sure egg is incorporated before adding the next.  Scrape down bowl as needed.
Add slightly cooled melted chocolate. Continue to mix on low-medium speed until combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.  With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of milk mixture, then 1/2 of flour mixture.  Repeat, ending with the milk mixture.  Mix until combined.

Peanut Butter Cake Filling:
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Add sugar and mix until combined.  Add half of the beaten egg.  Discard other half of egg.  Mix until combined.
Fold in flour and salt.  Add milk and stir to combine.  Mix until flour is incorporated.

Cake Assembly:
Add half of chocolate batter to prepared bundt pan.  Distribute peanut butter cake filling on top of chocolate layer.  Swirl with knife to spread out peanut butter batter.  Add remaining chocolate batter to cover peanut butter batter.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for a couple of minutes before unmolding.  Let cool to room temperature of wire rack.

Chocolate Glaze:
Over a double boiled, melt together chocolate and butter until smooth.  Alternatively, you can microwave it at half power at 30 second intervals until melted.
Remove from heat and whisk in glucose.  Pour over cooled bundt cake.

Peanut Butter Glaze:
Stir together sifted powdered sugar, peanut butter, and salt.  Add milk and stir until smooth.  Add additional milk if glaze is too dry.  If glaze is too thick, add additional sifted powdered sugar.  Drizzle peanut butter glaze over chocolate glazed bundt cake. (I got greedy with the glaze and added all of it on, did not swirl it on in lines. If you want it more decorative/pretty then use a plastic bag and pipe on the peanut butter glaze).

peanut butter-caramel cups

True conversation (I swear). 

hubby: can you make me some pb cups?

me: yes!  can I kick it up a notch?

hubby: what does that mean? it won't be infused with lavender and goat's milk?

me: :::wheels in motion, wondering if I've done goat milk brownies yet::::

No, it won't be, I just want to make a batch of pb cups with caramel, and maybe some sea salt, and--

hubby: can I have a plain one in there?

me: why do you want the same thing?

hubby: because it's good & dependable! why do you always want to kick things up a notch?

me: because my blog readers I want it that way! I am their recipe guinea pig, their experimentor!

hubby: really? experimentor?

me: yeah, it's a word....

I married a non-foodie.  

My darling husband when I met him ate his same dinner out of a cardboard box--a pizza, almost

every night from "whatever sucky pizza joint".

Reese's pb cups were 'gourmet' to him.

Fresh strawberries or berries were something he'd see on TV.

Broccoli would be eaten if it was boiled to the 'smushy' stage.

Yep.  Imagine the challenge there?

I was asked to try the New York Baking Co. silicone baking cups.

And I have to say I'm so glad I said yes. 

These are hands down the best idea for making candy cups, muffins, anything sticky too like caramel sticky buns! Very easy to clean, but my favorite part is the BPA-free. 

I highly recommend these. Well worth the $12.95 price on Amazon.

They have a lifetime guarantee too! Highest rated in satisfaction on Amazon!

So far pretty easy to make right?

I love those caramel bits.

If you remember, I found those with my last recipe the butter-caramel bars.

These melt perfectly, just follow the instructions on the back.

You need to use a tiny amount of water in with the caramel bits.

Also, it doesn't stress this, but I will, make sure to keep stirring (a lot) while heating these up

in the microwave.  Heat for 15-20 seconds, then stir, heat for 15-20 seconds then stir, repeat, repeat

until they are melted.

When they are done the caramel will be thin, so let this sit a bit (5 minutes or more?) and it does

thicken right up.  Patience is key here.

See how easy the silicone baking cups come off?

Love this.

peanut butter-caramel cups

print recipe

chocolate base & topping:

12 oz bittersweet chocolate, divided (60-70% cocoa is best)

pb filling:

8 ounces crunchy peanut butter (I used half a 16 ounce jar of crunchy peanut butter)

1-2 TB confectioners’ sugar

½ cup crushed graham crackers (course chop not chunks)

2 pinches of sea salt

caramel filling:

5-6 ounces (use half a 10 ounce bag) of caramel bits 

they melt better in the microwave if you add in 1-2 ts of water + stir a lot!

cook notes:  

these silicone molds made this so much easier.  Not only for holding up a firm pb cup but for ease of use for removing the cups.  Plus you don’t need a pastry brush for coating the sides, you just fill with melted chocolate and turn the cups to coat!  So easy!

You don’t have to use crunchy peanut butter, smooth is good too.  

I just love the extra crunch and texture.  

I found that using the caramel bits made melting so much easier.  

You really need to stir the caramel (a lot) in order for it to melt right. 

In a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and graham crackers. I put mine in the fridge to harden up a bit, as it’s easier to form into balls.

In a double boiler, carefully melt HALF the chocolate (set a metal bowl on top of a saucepan with boiling water). If you have your own way of melting chocolate then please go right ahead. 

I used regular cupcake silicone molds, so much easier to use.  If you choose to use paper liners, use a couple of liners to help hold the structure of the pb cups.

I placed a generous tablespoon amount of melted chocolate in the cup, and then swirled it around to coat 3/4 of the cup.  Do this for all the cups (8-9) and place on baking sheet to let set up/harden. 

Or if you’re using paper cups then use a pastry brush, brush the melted chocolate on the bottom and sides of mini cupcake liners; when in doubt, add more chocolate, since this will be the base for your candy. 

For the peanut butter mixture, mix all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge until molds have completely hardened

When ready to fill the cups, form tablespoon balls, place in the molds. 

Spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup, make sure to get filly in around the sides too.  

Melt the caramel bits according to package directions (or use your own homemade caramel).  I found that adding a bit of water to the caramel bits, and microwaving in 15 second bursts while constantly stirring made the caramel come out perfectly.  It will be thin when it comes right out of the microwave, so let it sit for 5 minutes then it’s perfect!

When ready to pour in the caramel, use a spoon to fill them.  Don’t fill to the top of the cup! Make sure to pour caramel on the sides for even distribution.  Let these sit in fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining half of the chocolate over double boiler.

When ready to coat the tops of the peanut butter cups, use a spoon to place about ½ a tablespoons size (maybe a little more?) over the tops. Make sure the chocolate gets on the sides.  Let these sit or room temperature to harden.  You can put them in the fridge if you’re in a hurry. 

Just keep in mind the peanut butter cups are best tasting at room temperature.
I put a little sea salt on the tops of the peanut butter cups as decoration and taste; optional of course.

makes 9 regular (cupcake size) pb cups

salted chocolate-chocolate chip cookies

I'm such a fan of jacques torres infamous chocolate chip cookie recipe.
It's such a great recipe. The perfect chocolate chip cookie in my cookie-eating opinion.
It has the perfect blend of buttery cookie to chocolate, and the marinating of the cookie dough--love that idea of the dough getting a nice gentle sour taste to it--almost like a good sourdough.
I've made so many wonderful creations with his base chocolate chip cookie recipe:
cc cookies bars stuffed w/ peanut butter;
stuffed with potato chips;
stuffed with nutella;
and made into a pie stuffed with graham.

And now I've taken that recipe and created a double chocolate version.
I've always wanted to do this, but was worried about it being too cakey or not enough crisp.
Plus I wanted a buttery chocolate cookie base, not an overpowering chocolate cookie base.
So I'm fairly certain I achieved a nice chocolate cookie base balance.
I did the marinate with these cookies as you do with the regular cookie base.
I let the cookie dough sit in the fridge for two days covered well.

Keep the cookie dough as cold as possible--it helps to ensure less spreading when baking.

I used a medium ice cream scoop for scooping out dough.


Don't forget to salt the tops with sea salt!

They are very fragile fresh out of the oven, so let them sit and cool a bit before devouring.



They look gooey, but they're not that gooey, more like chewy middle, with warm chocolate chunks and a slight outer crisp. Perfect!

salted chocolate-chocolate chip cookies
base cookie recipe by Jacques Torres
print recipe

2 cups minus 2 TB cake flour
1 2/3 cups minus 2 TB bread flour
5 TB cocoa powder
1 ¼ ts baking soda
1 ½ ts baking powder
1 ½ ts coarse salt
22 TB unsalted butter, room temp
1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, NOT packed (loose)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 ts natural vanilla extract
6-7 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips
6-7 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sea salt for the tops of cookie dough balls

cook notes:
Do not use dutch process cocoa powder.  I know it seems like a lot of salt in this recipe, but it’s not. We are using a lot of chocolate and the salt will balance itself out perfectly.  Please use (as Jacques Torres recommends) high quality chocolate chips or chunks in this recipe. Ghiradelli is what I use.  Please wrap the dough very well when getting ready to chill overnight; it’s very important to NOT let any air get inside the cookie dough. Cookie doughs with cocoa powder tend to dry out faster.  When ready to bake, let dough sit a bit at room temperature (15 minutes) to make it easier for scooping out.  It’s hard to tell when the cookies are done, so look for non-jiggly middles, firm outer edges.

Sift flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.
Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them.
Press plastic wrap against dough, and cover well; we don’t want this dough drying out.  Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
Using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop out mounds of dough and place onto parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Sprinkle cookie dough balls lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.
Let cookies cool before removing to wire racks to cool.
Makes about 36 cookies

white chocolate brownies with lime

Why haven't I made a white chocolate version of brownies?
Since I've made so many other types using dark chocolate, why not white chocolate?
No brainer.
I thought of using just plain white chocolate, but it was kind of boring, so the next batch would be lime.  After all lime and white chocolate do pair together nicely.
This brownie creation is fairly much one bowl easy, just like the other brownie creations I've made.
The only hard part is the tempering of the white chocolate.
It's not that hard, but if you're uncomfortable tempering white chocolate since I know it's a bit harder than dark chocolate, just go low and slow.
Low flame, and low heat and keep stirring.
And just when it's almost melted, take it off the heat.
I keep meaning to do a video on tempering white chocolate right in the stove top and I forget.
:::writing that down now:::


Do they taste like a brownie? Almost.
They taste like birthday cake meets gooey sugar cookie.


Remember when melting white chocolate, use low heat and take your time while always stirring.


Never over mix the batter!


If you like gooey brownies then this is for you!
If you want them a bit firmer, bake a few minutes longer.


How long do they keep?  I don't know, sorry. These were gone in a matter of hours.
But I'm willing to bet 2-3 days?

white chocolate brownies with lime
from vanillasugarblog.com
print recipe

12 TB butter, plus 1 TB more for greasing pan
1 ¼ cup high-quality white chocolate chips
½ cup sugar
¾ ts sea salt
1 ts pure vanilla extract
1 cup flour
2 eggs, room temp, beaten well
3 TB fresh lime zest
2-3 TB fresh lime juice

cook notes:
the benefits of using high-quality white chocolate really make these brownies, plus they melt/temper better.
Choose a chocolate like Ghirahdelli, Valrhona, Scharffen Berger.
When you melt the butter and chocolate, please use a nice low flame so the melting goes smoothly and the chocolate doesn’t get too hot, which will make it taste bitter/burnt.  And let this liquid mixture cool a bit before adding to the egg mixture.
I added a lot of lime zest to these, if you don’t like lime zest then add less or none at all.  One could use lemon zest too.
These bake up fast, faster than the dark chocolate version.

Preheat oven to 350°.
Grease up an 8 x 8 baking pan with butter or non-stick spray. Set pan aside.
Melt the butter and chocolate chips together in a small saucepan over LOW heat, stirring constantly. When melted take off heat, set aside to cool a bit.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar, beat well, add in the vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest.
When the melted chocolate has cooled down a bit (warm ok) slowly add it in to the egg mixture, a little bit at first, mix really well, then more as you go along.  We want to do this slow to temper the eggs gently with the white chocolate.
Next dump the flour right on top of the mixture, then sprinkle on the sea salt.
Using a spatula mix until JUST combined, lumps are ok!
Pour  batter into greased baking pan.
Bake for 20-28 minutes. Mine were done at the 22-minute mark.
Very very gooey when hot from the oven!

Makes 9-12 brownies.