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 |  My dad’s “baby” sister turned 70 this month, and my cousin threw an amazing surprise party for her. After asking about Aunt Lois’s preferences—coffee and chocolate over a citrus, cherry or nut combination—I created these to bring along for the big day. Though they boast more chocolate than any of the other biscotti recipes [click headline for more -- or photo in Facebook]  Crunchy peanut butter, puffed brown rice, rolled oats, whole wheat flour and peanuts add an adventurous twist—as well as extra fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals—to this version of chocolate chip cookies. These have more butter and sugar than my typical “savvy” cookies, but less than most traditional recipes. Extra Peanutty Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes [click headline for more -- or photo in Facebook]  Muffin cakes? Yup. Muffin cakes. When you load a “muffin” with chocolate chips and frosting, you can’t really call it a muffin anymore. And since these have more sugar than any of my other muffin recipes—plus the frosting option—they definitely qualify as cake. That being said, they still have about half as much sugar [click headline for more -- or photo in Facebook]  Thank goodness for the Internet! These cookies were inspired by a recipe posted on Kristina Sacci’s the chocolate peanut putter gallery. In addition to added whole wheat flour (via a 50% swap), these contain less butter, sugar and chocolate. That’s perfect for me and my family, who devoured them, but some of you might want [click headline for more -- or photo in Facebook]  Wow! I just made these, and they are incredible. (Can you say that about a newly-created recipe without sounding immodest? I figure it’s OK ’cause it’s not about me; it’s about the food.) The decadence has more to do with taste than ingredients, for these are more nutritious than you might think. I started with [click headline for more -- or photo in Facebook]  I usually refer to one or two—if not several—other recipes when creating and “test driving” my own concoctions. These cookies are unusual, though, for I haven’t seen anything like them elsewhere. Google searches brought up several oatmeal banana chocolate chip recipes, but none with cocoa. This recipe is based more upon a traditional chocolate chip [click headline for more -- or photo in Facebook]  Cherries, oatmeal and blueberries contribute red, white and blue to these patriotic cookies. Chocolate chip cookies of any variety seem to be a national favorite, anyway. I first adapted this recipe to “sneak” fruit and whole grains into our children’s diet. We always have dried cherries in stock, buying them in bulk from [click headline for more -- or photo in Facebook]  Not only do these nutrient-dense cookies have more protein and fruit than a typical cookie, but children love them. Skip the chocolate chips, and you could even serve one or two for breakfast. Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies 1 medium-sized banana, well ripened 1 cup peanut butter, smooth or crunchy 1/2 cup brown sugar, [click headline for more -- or photo in Facebook] | ||||
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