Sunday, March 4, 2012

Double PB and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

After eating these cookies, Ryan told me to throw away all my other cookies recipes and just make these, they were that good. I found this recipe on the back of a bag of chocolate chips (again, while trying to use up pantry items). The next time you are in the mood for some PB cookies, give these a try, they are delicious!

1/2 cup butter or marg., softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

Beat butter, sugar and PB in bowl until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture. Stir in milk chocolate chips and PB chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-9 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!

Toasted Almond Granola

I've been trying to use up some of the items in our pantry before the move. We had a ton of old fashioned oatmeal, so granola it was. I liked this recipe because it had little oil and a lot less sugar than other recipes. It was quite tasty! We really liked it with sliced strawberries and vanilla yogurt. Enjoy!

Toasted Almond Granola
3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups rice krispies
1/2 cup wheat germ, toasted
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flaked coconut (I added this to mine and it was delicious)
2 Tbsp sunflower kernels
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups dried fruit (I used raisins and craisins, but chopped apricots and/or dates would also be good)

In a large bowl, combine first nine ingredients. In a saucepan, combine orange juice, honey and oil. Heat for 3-4 minutes over medium heat until honey is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in extracts. Pour over oat mixture, stir to coat. Transfer to a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until crisp; stirring every 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Stir in dried fruits. Store in an airtight container.