Healthier NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's a good day when you have a big, indulgent-as-heck, gooey, and flavorful chocolate chip cookie that's sorta healthified (look...it's not healthy. It's not spinach. It is a cookie. Just a slightly less bad for you cookie). You feel like you can have it all! And you get to have a treat that makes you feel happy and not at all guilty. Everyone is happy! (Except my stupid hubby who insisted "I can tell they're healthy" and grumbled about just wanting normal cookies. He is spoiled and I disagree with him and don't think these taste healthy at all. And who are you gonna trust, me or the guy who brought you a recipe for drinking spaghetti-o's straight from the can??)

Moving along...

What makes these ccc's healthier than your average cookie? First of all, you use coconut oil instead of butter which makes them dairy free (aside from the chocolate chips, but you can use dairy free chips if you'd like) and everyone knows coconut oil is like miracle food or something, right? Then, you use white whole wheat flour. And finally, the amount of sugar is reduced from your average cookie recipe and we use only unrefined sugars. Just a few little swaps!

Now what makes these cookies delicious? They're inspired by the famous NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies-which means they're big. And crisp around the edges but omigosh so gooey inside and chewy and full of flavor and chocolate chips and ahhhh I miss them and I want them right now!! Take it from someone with high cookie standards-these are LEGIT.

Whole Wheat Burger Buns

I'm going to start off by saying...mmm...these aren't the bestest burger buns. They're delicious bread and they'll work as buns but Michael will attest that they're not very...bun-like. If that makes sense? But he's picky. I know I'd love to eat a sammie on these, and I think you should consider them!

In the scheme of bread recipes, this is pretty standard-not terribly difficult, and not too much rise time. The whole thing should take less than 3 hours. And the rolls are lovely and have a nice balance of whole wheat flavor, without being overwhelming, and a perfect, chewy texture.

I mean...Michael said it was tasty bread. He just wants processed store-bought white buns. *sigh*

Send help.

I want to hear from the masses--what do you think? Would you want to serve your burgers on these buns? If you make them, tell me what you think!

Salted Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies sorta kinda blew me away. Like...I didn't expect cookie made with whole wheat flour  and coconut sugar to be JUST AS GOOD as really really good chocolate chip cookies. Michael made fun of me because I ate 3 of the cookies the day I made them, and a fourth the next morning. --The recipe only makes 10 cookies so I ate nearly half within 24 hours. BUT THEY ARE SO GOOD! And they're definitely infinitely better when fresh-make sure to keep that in mind. They get less good every day that they're leftover. They do stay soft, though! Which is pretty nifty.

Now....these are definitely not really healthy cookies. I mean...they still have butter. But a little extra betterness in the form of white whole wheat flour (DO NOT substitute regular whole wheat flour, it will not taste the same. White whole wheat flour has a lighter texture and more mild flavor) and coconut sugar never hurt anyone, did it? Nah-it's a nice little perk. A perk that seriously--when you have one of these cookies fresh and warm...you'd never know. You'd just think, "These are some darned good chocolate chip cookies!"

And they are.

Darned.

GOOD.

So. Do we like soft and chewy cookies with complex flavor? Do we like melty dark chocolate contrasting with little bites of sea salt? Do we like deliciousness?

You're here. Of course you do!

Whole Wheat Italian Gougères

I had such lofty intentions to make these "Italian" gougeres. I thought roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese....perfection! I considered adding additional seasonings but didn't think they'd be needed.

Welll....learn from my mistake my friends. These gougeres ARE tasty. But-the way I made them they turned out a bit bland. As a result, I've adjusted the below recipe to use more cheese and garlic and I urge you to add some seasonings. They'll be better that way.

Don't let me scare you away though! LOOK AT THE PHOTOS-these are tasty tasty, pretty pretty gougeres! Plus--they're whole wheat and have flax meal in them! So a bit healthier! In fact, you can even tweak this recipe and change out the flavor combos to your taste. You could use cheddar and scallions or onions or...I dunno...whatever you like! But first...let's give this Italian version a try, shall we?

Alright-I'm trying to be normal and just talk about food like I would any other week....how am I doing? Convincing? You totally can't tell that I'm getting married this Saturday and am kind of freaking out because I'm so excited/nervous/anxious/worried/excited again....right?

Oh good. Because you know I've totally tried to barely even talk about my wedding on here.*

*sarcasm...yes...I know I've been incessant and can talk of almost nothing else. Sorry!

Michael insisted I start calling these "puffs". He felt like I was being snobby with my constant "I made gougeres!" "Do you want a gougere?" "Don't forget there are gougeres..." His initial request was that I refer to them as "biscuits" which they are NOT biscuits. They're way to light and airy and soft! So then he amended I could call them puffs. Which...since gougeres are made from choux pastry just like cream puffs...I sort of can accept that.

So...puffs or gougeres...Italian or French or just perfectly YOU...give 'em a try!

Whole Wheat Granola Waffles

I know, it's like waffles are becoming the new cookies or chicken or potatoes around here: how many different versions of one thing can I make?? I apologize buuut....I love  waffles. They're tasty and can be a great quick and healthy breakfast option--I love freezing leftovers and toasting them later. Like homemade Eggos :P And my new waffle maker is awesome. So using it is exciting. I hope you can all get on board with these because you're gonna LOVE this recipe!

I had some leftover chocolate chip granola hanging around and decided I wanted to make waffles with that. And I loved the last waffles I made so much I wanted to use that recipe as the base-but altered to be a bit healthier. Annnnd HOORAY-it worked!

These waffles taste hearty and chewy with just a hint of crunch and mmmm...they're just a great day to begin your day! Whether you top them with fruit, butter and syrup, or peanut butter.

I know that I've been eating them for breakfast every day for a week and I have 0 complaints :D

{Healthier} Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl "Cupcakes"

Are these muffins? Are these cupcakes? Are they some sort of healthier hybrid?? We may never know. But-for simplicity's sake...we'll call them cupcakes. Even though they have no frosting...and are actually acceptable for breakfast...

...just....go with me on this.

These cupcakes are made with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, egg whites, TWO bananas, and  swirl of peanut butter (or-in my case-homemade almond peanut butter). They also have unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips which are perfectly fine. And...and I mean...there's also a little bit of all purpose flour, sugar, and some peanut butter chips. But not much of them! So I definitely still ate these as my healthy snack and for breakfast. (Not that I've never eaten a full on cupcake or cookie for breakfast...I have...I just, ya know, felt semi-bad about it.)

My brother and I were big fans of these--which makes sense. They combine chocolate, banana, and peanut butter. Which we love. Our only complaint is a wish that there was more peanut butter sooo---if you wanna be extra generous with your peanut butter swirl...I certainly would approve. Michael didn't adore these (he thought they were fine), largely because they have a fairly obvious banana flavor and he is not a banana fan. But that's ok! They're so moist and soft and there's gooey chocolate chips (if you're smart and eat these warm) and a bit of peanut butter and just...mmm. They're delicious enough that I don't mind not sharing!

Chocolate Chunk Waffles with Banana and Almond Butter

Look-before we get to waffles. Can we just talk about my neuroses right now? I feel like there are these events in your life that you look forward to and that are built up to be a thing--namely 16th birthday, prom, and your wedding. For me--those were the 3 ultimate events. And on the previous 2 I ended up with nothing but a mess of disappointment. Not only did I not get a super cool 16th birthday party with like a d.j. or whatever (I had big hopes and dreams)...I got no birthday party at all. The friend who I entrusted with it (and who INSISTED she be the one to throw it)--ended up being "too busy" and flaked on it. Which I found out about when it was like...my birthday. (My best friend is still pissed that I didn't just let her throw it. SORRY ALEX!) And then prom..I mean I went to like 4 proms and all were kind of ok. Definitely not magical. And my senior prom in particular-my dress was blah and I went with my gay friend and ended up crying the whole time because I was still heartbroken about the guy I'd been dating and who I'd gone to prom with the previous year, thusly resulting in me getting hit with memories everywhere I looked. Not exactly a great night.

So...now it's all on the wedding. And I'm terrified. I know it won't be perfect but--I mean...I'd love for it to still be GOOD...like maybe even great...ya know? But I'm so scared something will happen (family drama, Michael being cranky, me getting my period--sorry TMI--...etc.) I've legitimately been having nightmares about being disappointed by my wedding for like...ever. At least as long as Michael and I have been together (so 5+ years). The good news is: most of my dream fears have already been 100% made impossible. But still. Ya know. Worries and such.

Do any of you guys know what I mean? And if you've had a wedding--any advice?

Enough about me being a crazy person.

Let's discuss waffles, shall we?

These were the 1st waffles I got to make in my brand new waffle maker that I got from one of my bridal showers. And ohhh they turned out beautifully! These waffles are thick and crisp on the outside while being delightfully chewy on the inside. There are decadent chunks of chocolate that you get the delightful surprise of biting into. They're simple to whip up (no beating egg whites or anything fancy like that) Annd...oh yeah...they are fairly healthyish (thanks to whole wheat, decreased sugar, etc.)!

And for an extra tasty and nutritious breakfast or snack---I topped these waffles with almond butter and banana slices. HEAVEN! I also broke leftovers into quarters, froze them, and then toasted them as needed. Which results in the best toaster waffles ever--and much healthier ones!

Michael ate his waffles with butter and syrup and loved them too. They were pretty much a hit all around. You should give 'em a try ;)

Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Cookies

When you just want a classic chocolate chip cookie but you also don't want to a FULL ON unhealthy one because it's the day of one of your final wedding dress fittings and you reeeeally don't want your alterations woman to poke your fat again.

That's the time for these cookies.

FYI-I got validation that I have lost weight at my fitting so...good news!

And these cookies-while not as overtly healthy as some others I've been posting (like the chickpea deep dish ones!) are still pretty decent. They have no butter-the fat comes from coconut oil and greek yogurt, and those are pretty darn healthy sources. And there's whole wheat flour! So, not healthy. But not horribly unhealthy either. And they are taaaasty.

I will warn you: these are best warm. Which...is generally true of cookies but when my brother tried a cooled cookie he said it tasted kind of funny. Whereas I always eat them warmed up and they just taste like a good old fashioned delicious CCC to me. So, really, why aren't you eating your cookies warm anyway? What are you-a Michael? (Seriously...that boy. He's a silly silly head.)

Chocolate Shoofly Pie with Pecan Whole Wheat Crust-Stephie's Virtual Bridal Shower

Yay! Yay! YAYYY!!!

Today is super duper exciting: We're holding a SURPRISE virtual bridal shower for Stephie of Stephie Cooks! (Are you surprised, Stephie!!?) Myself, Stef, and Steph, teamed up with a bunch more of Stephie's bloggy buds to celebrate the amazingness that is Stephie and the excitement we all have for her and her soon-to-be hubby, Alex!

I LOVE LOVE Stephie-she's a fantastic baker, has the coolest mom, and she's just the sweetest gal. She's also been featured on this blog a couple times already. So I am thrilled to celebrate her happiness today with a bunch of her other friends!

Stephie's wedding is coming up SOON and--because I'm nosy and also because I was doing some espionage-style research for this shower--I asked Stephie to share some deets about the upcoming nuptials! And what I learned is so fitting and so perfect for them. They're having a beautiful rustic-elegance style wedding with turquoise and pinks: gorgeous. And for food? BBQ! (Which is perfect, esp. because Alex is a major carnivore) and cupcakes and pie instead of the standard cake--again...adorable and perfect! (And I wish I could be there to see-and taste-it all! But I'll settle for just drooling over wedding photos :D) Anyway, I really wanted to use their wedding as inspiration for what I was going to make!

And-in addition to the fact that they are having pie-when I think of that sort of country feeling...I think of pie. And shoofly pies and barns go together like....well....Stephie and Alex :)

But! Since they're doing that rustic-chic spin, I decided to get a little fancy with my shoofly pie as well. So I made it a chocolate shoofly pie. And I put pecans on top (which, although optional, you should 100% do because they toast when the pie bakes and they're maybe the best part of the pie). And I made a whole wheat pecan pie crust (which is the perfect accompaniment). But first of all...what is a shoofly pie?

Shoofly pies are traditional among the Pennsylvania Dutch and they're pretty much a molasses based pie. (The name shoofly comes because the scent of molasses attracts flies and they had to "shoo" them away). Now-in case you didn't know-molasses is what makes brown sugar different from granulated sugar. So-it's pretty much awesome. I made a wet bottomed version, which means that there is a crumb topping but the bottom is more sticky and...well..."wet". And, although it's not healthy, it's not terribly awful for you. There's very little butter and not a great deal of sugar either. It's pretty much just molasses and water and such. Oh...and in this case....chocolate. Which I think really helped make it a bit more sweet and rich. I loved how rustic it turned out! And the textures-you have that nutty earthy whole wheat pie crust, the gooey chocolatey/molasses-y filling, a slightly crisp crumb topping and then the toasted pecans and sea salt take it from being just an "Ok" dessert to a "Mmmmm give me another piece!" sort of pie. I loved it. I think Stephie & Alex would (even though chocolate isn't usually Stephie's biggest thing), and I know you will too!

Now check out all the other delicious things Stephie's blogger friends made for her virtual shower!

The Cooking Actress – Chocolate Shoofly Pie with Pecan Whole Wheat Crust
Girl Versus Dough – Mini Meyer Lemon Coconut Scones
Sarcastic Cooking – Mini Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Pot Pies
The Roasted Root – Sweet Potato Rounds with Guacamole and Bacon
A Cedar Spoon – Strawberry Mint Mascarpone Crostini with Lemon Honey Drizzle
Very Culinary – White Chocolate Raspberry Parfaits
Rachel Cooks – Broccoli and Bacon Beer Cheese Dip
Bluebonnet Baker – Maple Bourbon Balls
Nutmeg Nanny – Broccoli Bacon Salad
Laura’s Mess – Spiced Apple and Buttermilk Cake
Seaweed and Sassafras – Herband Cheese Scones
Stetted – Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie
All Day I Dream About Food – Chocolate Fudge Crumb Bars
Dessert for Two – Mini Lemon Cakes
Foodie with Family – Smoked Salmon Cucumber Pizza

Easy Whole Wheat Hoagie Rolls

I'm still loving this recipe for French Dip sandwiches. What I'm not loving? My inability to find whole wheat hoagie rolls. And...really....I love being able to make things myself anyway. So when I found a recipe for easy hoagie rolls I knew I would be adapting a whole wheat version for my next sammie!

And I am now completely in love. Like...I want to use this recipe for garlic bread, any and all future sandwiches I make, and I don't even know what else! Just...everything. Because that's what this recipe is--everything.

It's really a super simple bread recipe and it doesn't even take that long to make (with rise times it only really takes like 2.5-3 hours, which in the scheme of bread baking isn't bad. And 99.9% of that time is inactive, just letting it rise or bake, etc.)

Even Michael liked them! I'm not sure that he even noticed that they were whole wheat (something he tends to whine about)--he has very specific desires for hoagie rolls. He likes them to be not too big and somewhat soft (but still sturdy enough) and that is what these are! They're wonderfully golden on the outside and so soft and fluffy on the inside. They're just sturdy enough for such messy and gooey sandwiches as the 'aforementioned french dip. And I'm just a huge fan. Love love love these hoagies.

Healthier Dark Chocolate Brownies-Peanut Butter & Co. #MysteryIngredient Challenge

Did you know that March in National Peanut Month? Well-IT IS! To celebrate, Peanut Butter & Co. wanted to showcase the versatility of peanut butter by providing a mystery ingredient {to those of us who accepted the challenge} to be paired with peanut butter in a recipe. ((And, also to celebrate, we're having a PB & Co giveaway! Scroll past the recipe to find out how to enter))

My mystery ingredient? Espresso powder.

Truthfully, I'm not a fan of coffee. I don't like the flavor (although I ADORE the scent). However I have heard multiple times how adding coffee/espresso to certain chocolate desserts just intensifies the chocolate flavor. And...um...I LOVE chocolate. The more deep, dark, and intense the chocolate flavor the better! So I knew that I would be pairing the espresso with my favorite PB & Co peanut butter: Dark Chocolate Dreams.

In case you haven't read any of my previous posts about Peanut Butter & Co, here's why I love them (aside from the sole fact that they make a dark chocolate peanut butter...which is pretty epic on its own): their peanut butters are natural (hooray-a short and pronounceable ingredient list) and no-stir and they contain no cholesterol, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, or high fructose corn syrup (and they're also certified gluten-free, vegan, and kosher!) If I'm not making homemade nut butters, PB & Co is pretty much the only peanut butter brand I use.

Back to these brownies. I knew I wanted to use the espresso to really amp up the chocolate flavor of whatever I would make, and that Dark Chocolate Dreams would help me do that. I'm also still trying to make healthier treats since I'm pre-wedding. So I decided to adapt a recipe that I found for whole wheat brownies (which already called for instant espresso) and replace ALL the butter in said recipe with the Dark Chocolate Dreams. Oh yeah. I also significantly decreased the amount of flour (the peanut butter is much thicker than regular butter, so this worked out nicely) and slightly decreased the sugar and...well...I was pretty nervous about how they would turn out.

But omigosh these brownies came out PERFECTLY! Even Michael (Mr."I don't like when you healthify my desserts I just want brownies that taste like my mom's") adored them-especially the texture! They're dense but feel like just a classic, comforting brownie. And, as desired, the chocolate really shines. So much so that you can actually barely taste the peanut butter (it's just a little hint of that tasty peanutty specialness). The espresso really does add some smoky nuance and just lets you taste the chocolate to its fullest potential. Dark chocolate chips are studded throughout and help add to the experience even more.

To sum up: this challenge was a success! The brownies are soft, gooey, chewy, and intensely chocolatey.

And they happen to also be low-fat, whole grain, and dairy-free ((I mean...aside from the choc chips))

*happy dance*

Multigrain Waffles/Pancakes

This recipe can also be known as "the one that finally made me throw my waffle iron out."

Hold on! Wait! Don't go! It's not the recipe's fault! My waffle iron was sort of broken for a bit and this is just when I realized "Oh hey....the top of the waffle iron isn't cooking at all." which was extremely frustrating because it took me quite a few waffles that ended up all messed up and in the garbage before I realized the problem wasn't on my end-that it was my waffle maker. I did manage to salvage 1 waffle so yay! We got some pictures! And with the remaining batter I just made some pancakes!

So yes...my waffle maker is now dead. BUT the good news is there's only a couple more months until my bridal showers where I will hopefully receive the one I registered for :D.

Anyway. On to this recipe. It is super hearty and full of good for you stuffs. I also folded in some whipped egg whites to make them crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside (which is much more noticeable when they are in waffle form).

The pancakes and waffles are chewy and tasty and pretty and this recipe makes a bunch so you can freeze whatever you don't eat and just pop into the toaster (or microwave or oven) when you're ready for a simple, healthy, breakfast!

Plus--you can totally play around with how you top them or what you add into them. As you probably know by now, I like to add chocolate chips and spread nut butter on top. Michael likes chopped apples and cinnamon in his pancakes, and he pretty much is always a fan of fruit and whipped cream on top of waffles--he's also a fan of the classic butter & syrup combo. How would you eat your pancakes or waffles?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Oat Pie

Sooo...this recipe falls into the semi-healthy category. It's not like it has 2 sticks of butter plus 2 cups of sugar buuut it's not butter-less or sugar-less either. What I'm saying is-it's not too bad and it's so crazy delicious that it feels like a wonderful compromise between your tastebuds and your waistline. 

I have a bit of a culinary character flaw: I have the hardest time getting inspired for what to make for dinner but I always have a million ideas for desserts! I'm never ever ever tired of making new sweet treats but when I'm faced with what to make for an actual meal I'm like, "Uhhhhhhh I don't KNOOOOW!" It's a problem.

A tasty and sweet problem but still...a problem.

This pie tastes like a super chewy and gooey oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with just the right amount of sweetness, but....ya know...in pie form. The graham cracker crust gives it a little extra oomph and there's delish chocolate chips and yum yum yum sea salt on top! Michael took one bite and exclaimed "MMm! This is REALLY good!"--he particularly loved the chewy texture. I'm right there with him.

You'll be right there with us when you try some!

Crispy {Healthier} Waffles

Those darned liege wafels make me want to eat Nutella on my waffles. All the time. It's irresistible. Especially now that I was able to go back to NY for a bit and have another taste of my beloved Wafels and Dinges. *Le sigh* I really need to redouble my efforts to recreate their waffles (maaaaybe after the wedding, though.)

Hey-you remember those "leggo my Eggo" commercials (heck...they may still have them on. Perhaps just on children's channels?) Anyway...toaster waffles. They're a thing but they've never really done it for me. However I have a hard time finding the time or energy to make myself a legit. breakfast in the morning. Usually I just grab something small and easy that is sitting around. If there's nothing healthy...then cookies happen.

Which I know is bad.

But-good news! I've learned that if I break waffles into fourths and freeze them I can then re-heat them in the toaster and eat them up in the morning time with very little fuss! And if you make your waffles fairly healthyish...it's a pretty good breakfast. (Yes...I realize...nutella does not a healthy breakfast make. Pretend I used almond butter.)

These waffles are great because they use whole wheat flour and coconut oil to make them a bit healthier plus they have rice cereal in them! Which is a unique and fun little spin that adds a bit of extra crispness.

(But...pssst....these waffles are still my favoritest.)

I love this new breakfast hack so much that I am much more motivated to occasionally make a bunch of waffles because I know that I'm going to be having some gooood breakfasts for a few days, at least! And I know little cheats like this will make my life easier when I-eventually-start having kiddos. 

Now I'm trying to thick of really healthy waffles I could try to make to feed my theoretical, down the road, children....yepp. Par for the course with my brain.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

My brother was so excited one day. He was like, "Have you ever had chocolate chip pancakes with peanut butter on them? They're SO good! And healthier than like butter and syrup." "I know," I responded, "that's the only way I eat pancakes." And he was all like, "Oh." And then he wanted me to make him pancakes. Healthyish ones. And then, after I'd purchased all the necessary ingredients....he cut out carbs.

*facepalm*

After I ensured that he was, in fact, not going to be eating pancakes in the immediate future, I bit the bullet.

I made pancakes for myself. And only me. (Michael doesn't love pancakes.)

And it was glorious.

You're probably all, "Kayle! It makes so many pancakes! You couldn't eat all of them!"

You're half right, I couldn't eat all of them at once. Leftover pancakes are easy-peasy. You just heat them up in the oven (250F-300F degrees, usually) for 10-15 minutes and they're all warm and crispy again, just like when they're fresh!

I would take 2 pancakes, heat them up, slather them in peanut butter, and then go work out. Perfect system.

And yes-these pancakes ARE fairly healthy! They're made with whole wheat flour and filling/heart healthy oats. Throw in some Greek yogurt for protein + fluffiness. Minimal other stuff. Plus you can totally customize what you do with them--I chose to use chocolate chips and top with peanut butter. Maybe you want to put some chopped up apples + cinnamon in them. Or bananas. Or nuts. Really...you can have a lot of fun with these lovelies. And they are super thick, hearty, soft, filling, and just....my new favorite pancakes.