Fluffernutter Cookies

I had really planned on taking the day off from my resolution.  After all, yesterday I made 3 things, and the two previos days I've made two things.  We have a lot of food in our house right now, ranging from entrees to desserts.  But then... I get this late-night urge to bake sometimes and tonight I was unable to resist it.  I made the mistake of browsing around my favorite blogs, and I stumbled upon these: fluffernutter cookies.  Yes, fluffernutter.  You know, like a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich?

Okay, yeah, I know I made peanut butter cookies last night.  But these are totally different.  They are peanut butter cookies, topped with mini marshmallows, and drizzled with a chocolate glaze!  All right, fine, maybe that doesn't sound all that different, but these two cookies, while both amazing, are different.  This cookie is reminiscent of everyone's childhood lunch staple, the fluffernutter.  The mixture of marshmallow and peanut butter is something that brings me right back to Westminster Elementary School's caf. 

Speaking of marshmallow, I always find it interesting that Fluff is a New England thing.  I remember being a kid on our Florida family vacations and trying to buy it down there, and people looking like we were nuts when we asked where it was kept.  I believe I saw on a Chronicle episode that Fluff is  actually made here in Massachusetts. So perhaps you aren't sure what a "fluffernutter" is, or EVEN Fluff itself.  And if you are one of these people, then please make these cookies.

Pat and Kenzie were big fans of these babies tonight.  Pat may or may not have eaten three (and he just grabbed a fourth to walk home with, telling me that they were "so good, Bridget!).  And even my picky Mama liked them!  She commented that the peanut butter cookies today are better than the crisscrosses I made yesterday.  I am not sure if she meant the cookies themselves taste better, or just the actual cooking was better (she said she would have liked them a bit "underdone" so they'd stay chewy).  Either way, she was happy, and that makes me happy.  The cookies themselves?  They are chewy and peanut buttery.  The marshmallows on top are melty and sticky, and the chocolate drizzle (courtesy of Mom!) is a great addition.  Go whip up some fluffernutters.

Recipe:
fluffernutter cookies

Marathon Kitchen

Lots of recipes to share today!  And all of them quite fantastic.

First, lunch.  I had a meeting at work from 9-12, and by the time I got home, I was starving and feeling lazy.  I was close to grabbing Spaghettios, but Kenzie reminded me that she has been wanting to try the Greek quesadilla recipe that I had pinned a few weeks ago.  So, quesadillas it is! These were a pretty delicious and easy lunch.  We changed a few things up: no red pepper flakes, no sundried tomatoes, and no olives (the first because spice was unnecessary; the second because neither of us are huge fans, and the third simply because we were out).  And we made some additions as well: Greek seasoning, and fresh oregano rather than dried, since it is going crazy in my herb garden.  I put the toppings on whole wheat tortillas, grilled them on the skillet, and served them up to Kenzie, Mark and myself.  We were all big fans.  The feta was soooo salty and delicious, the spinach was fresh and crunchy.... not too shabby for a Wednesday lunch!

For dinner, I made something Rachael has been asking me to make for a while: macaroni and cheese with broccoli.  To make it even better, it's from the Skinny Mom blog, meaning it's actually low-fat!  Only 335 calories per serving!  And let me tell you: it does not taste skinny.  At all.  Shockingly enough, everyone loved it.  You know that this never happens, so I was pumped.  Rachael said it is her favorite dinner that I've made, since most of the other stuff I make is "wicked weird."  Mom had seconds and asked me to please make it again.  Mark had thirds!  A successful, tasty, and healthy meal!?  Holy crap!

Continuing being Sister of the Year, I made peanut butter cookies for dessert because Rach has been craving them.  To be honest, I was pretty tired, but I figured I could offer to make them and still be off the hook because we were out of some the ingredients, and I wasn't sure where Dad's trusty old recipe was.  Mom attacked the cookbooks and recipe files until she found a handwritten one in the file, and as for Rach?  She was so desperate, she even went to the store to pick up peanut butter and shortening.  So, peanut butter crisscrosses it was!  Actually these were pretty easy.  I love it when things can be made in one bowl.  My fingers are literally shredded because I have cleaned so  many pans lately!   I was able to make them up pretty quickly, even though I had to roll all 54 tiny balls and make crisscrosses in them with a fork dipped in sugar (hence the name).  Rachael, Mom, Kenzie and Mark devoured a bunch, and Rachael said she has no idea why I don't make them more often since they were "so easy!"  I guess I'll have to do a lot of repeats of today's recipes!

Recipes:
Greek quesadillas
Skinny baked mac and cheese with broccoli

Peanut Butter Crisscrosses
(found in Mom's handwriting from the cookie recipe file, with the random fact that each cookie has 3 grams of fat and 61 calories)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1  1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2)  In a mixer, beat peanut butter, shortening, and butter on medium to high for 30 seconds or until soft.

3) Add half the flour (that's 2/3 cup, for those of you who need a hint), both sugars, egg, vanilla, baking powder, and baking soda to the peanut butter mixture.  Beat till thoroughly combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Then beat in remaining flour.

4) Shape dough into 1" balls.  Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Using the tines of a fork dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1/4", forming crisscrosses.

5) Bake till bottoms are lightly brown, 10-12 minutes.

Blueberry Crumb Bars and Enchilada Lasagna

This morning I agonized over what to bring to a pool party.  It's sweltering hot out there, so I didn't want to do anything warm (like an appetizer).  I decided on a dessert, but I didn't want anything too rich. I figured something with fruit would be summery enough, and went to my beloved Annie's Eats blog for ideas.  As always, she came to my rescue with blueberry crumb bars!  I love anything with blueberries, and anything with crumbles on top.  They were also pretty easy to make, except for the fact that you have to cut the butter into the dough using a pastry cutter.  I definitely will grow muscles in my right arm from that activity if I make enough pastry!  You make one crumbly dough, pat half of it down into the pan, top it with a blueberry filling, and then sprinkle the rest of the dough on top.  These are really good - but my recommendation is definitely to follow the directions and wait until the bars are totally cool before you cut them into bars.  I didn't because we were already running late, and so they look a bit mangled.  Don't worry - it doesn't affect the taste.  The party was cut a but short due to thunderstorms, and my mom is still living off her glazed doughnut muffins, so there are plenty of blueberry crumb bars left if you want to stop by!

At dinner time, I realized I had to suck it up and make the enchilada lasagna that I have planned on making.  I was being brave and making a meal with chicken.  I never cook with chicken, because raw chicken horrifies me, and often I find cooked chicken repulsive as well.  But, to please the masses, I figured I'd give it a try.  Let me say this: it is highly unlikely that I will do this again.  It's not the meal's fault, but standing there hacking at grotesque chicken breasts kind of ruins your appetite (or maybe just mine, but still).  Anyway, after the 7 hours it took me to chop it up (not literally but it felt like it), the rest of the meal came together really quickly.  These are basically enchiladas, but instead of rolled up individually, they are stacked lasasgna-like (other than the layers, it really has nothing to do with lasagna at all!).  The layers are the chicken, Mexican cheese, corn tortillas, and a creamy sauce made from cream of celery, cream of chicken, and sour cream with some green chiles tossed in.  I know - lots of creams - but trust me, it's worth it.  Plus, the cream soups are fairly low in calories.  I added some fresh cilantro to the top, for two reasons: I love cilantro, and also a certain someone who we all know and love thought that he would be "helpful" in weeding my herb garden, and he ripped out an entire cilantro plant.  Sigh.  I also added some black pepper to the top, and I think both of those additions are extremely important.

This meal was a hit.  Everyone liked it, and that never happens.  Alex had thirds, Mark had seconds, and Mom's only complaint was the lack of vegetables.  I might have to agree with her; I think the dinner would benefit from another layer: black beans. Perhaps even in place of the chicken!!!  Mom disagreed with that, but agreed that adding beans would be a good idea.  Some beans may work their way into this casserole next time  - and I do think that there will be a next time!

Recipes:
blueberry crumb bars
enchilada lasagna

Muffins and Rolls

I got up early this morning - yeah, that means 10:00 - and decided to make my mom the muffins that she has been pestering me about.  She is apparently obsessed with the glazed doughnut muffins that I have made a few times before.  Since she is so picky, it's easy to just make her her favorites sometimes!  Luckily they are quick enough to whip up.  Since Mom demands these quite often, I will give you guys the recipe right here in the blog; she swears by them because they are cakey, soft, and spicy, and she is in love with nutmeg and cinnamon.  This was the first time I used my new silicone baking cups on them, and I am in love with them possibly more than the muffins.  No tedious cleaning of a muffin tin, no greasing, and they're dishwasher safe!  Wahoo!

Then tonight I ended up being home alone.  I wasn't sure what to do with myself, and then it hit me that it has been way too long since I last worked with yeast.  A quick scan through my yeasty pins, and I decided to make no-knead dinner rolls.  Now, to me, no-knead is really not as fabulous as it might be for normal people.  I love kneading bread (how did I get to be such a dork?).  But I thought I would give it a try since it says that it's a good bread for beginners.  I am not a beginner, but as I start to hear about more and more people actually reading my blog and trying out recipes (!!!!!), I figured it wouldn't hurt to try a few easy yeast recipes.  I cannot stress enough how amazing your house will smell when you bake yeast breads, and really, although yeast seems scary before you start working with it, it is actually quite easy.  There is a lot of time just sitting around waiting, and lots of sticky, doughy fingers :)  If you haven't made your own breads before, try this recipe.  Trust me.  Easy, and delicious.  From start to finish including rising time, these took about 3 hours and were pretty simple to make.  It makes a very sticky, soft dough, which was kind of fun to roll into a log and then cut it with my nifty pastry cutter (thanks Tuck and Linny!)  I did check my rolls in the oven when they still had about 10 minutes, and they were browning a bit too fast, so I tented them with foil like the recipe suggests.  I recommend checking your rolls after around 20 minutes just to be safe.  They came out perfect: hot, buttery, fluffy and delicious.  Unfortunately I am the only one around to enjoy them, but something tells me they will be a fabulous roll to house my chicken salad for lunch tomorrow (by the way, I have legitimately been living on that chicken salad for every lunch and dinner for the past two days.  Amazing).

Ran out of eggs tonight, and since I was home alone with Dad, that meant no more baking for me.  I have plenty of ideas for tomorrow though :)

Recipes:
no-knead dinner rolls

glazed doughnut muffins

from My Baking Addiction, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:
For the Batter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

For the Glaze
3 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water

Directions1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin.  Or use your amazing silicone baking cups :)

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.
3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.

5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8.) In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.

9.) When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins twice, and I even drizzled the extra glaze over a couple of lucky triple-dippers.

10.) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

So Good to be Back!

It feels great to be back in action in my own kitchen, and I have spent the past night and day whipping up some of the intriguing recipes I have found lately.

Annie was interested

First, last night I decided to make what is known as "Terribly Terrific Toffee."  I know, the name is pretty dorky, but something tells me that you have probably had this toffee before, and you would most likely agree that it is terribly terrific.  You remember: saltine crackers coated with toffee and covered with chocolate?  I have had it, and it's delicious, and easy to make, so I made some last night.  Basically you just have to boil butter and brown sugar, pour it on top of saltines, bake it quickly, top it with chocolate chips, let them melt, spread it evenly, and voila: toffee that is totally terrific.  I do recommend keeping leftovers in the fridge if it's humid like it is today!  It's best when it is really crispy.  I love the mix of flavors and textures: at once it is salty and sweet, crunchy and smooth.  It's no culinary genius recipe, but it's still damn good.

Then this morning Kenzie told me I was in charge of lunch.  I had sent her to the grocery store with a huge list last night, so I had lots of plans.  I decided chicken salad would be a good lunch meal. Now, I am not a big chicken salad fan.  I hate mayonnaise, so chicken salad has been mostly off limits.  Then, I found it: a recipe for chicken salad that uses Greek yogurt instead of mayo!  Genius!  I still hate making anything with meat, so Kenzie got me a rotisserie chicken.  I have to say this might be just as gross as cooking my own, but in the end I had enough chicken to double the recipe.  There are some interesting things going on in this chicken salad, things like brown sugar, green peppers, red grapes, and dijon mustard.  I tasted it and thought it was a bit too dijon-y (I hate all condiments, basically) so I added a couple mor tablespoons of Greek yogurt.  Thus I ended up with a salad that is a bit too wet for my liking, but the flavor is amazing.  I like the weird mix of tastes, and knowing that there is no mayo makes me happy enough to devour a sandwich for lunch, and I am looking forward to another one for dinner!  The recipe recommends honey wheat rolls, which I wish I had, but Kenzie didn't find them at crappy Market Basket.  She got onion rolls, and it works quite well in there as well.  Obviously Mom had a complaint - I didn't cut the peppers up small enough - but Nick liked it so much that he had seconds, without bread! 

Kenzie had been begging for a dessert she saw me pin on Pinterest, so up next were blueberry lemon bars.  These are basically key lime pie, but with lemons instead of lime, and in bar form.  Plus blueberries, obviously.  You have to make the graham cracker crust and bake it, then mix up the filling, bake them, and chill them, so there was a long period of waiting that Kenzie and I had to endure, but I would say they are worth it: they are very summer-tasting, if that makes sense.  You have to like lemon to like these: there is a half cup of fresh lemon juice in them.  They are tart and tangy, but the graham cracker crust is a nice and sweet contrast to that.  Plus you have the juicy pop of the blueberries every now and then!  I'm keeping these guys in the fridge for now as well so they don't melt, but hopefully they won't last too long.


Recipes:
totally terrific toffee
healthy chicken salad
blueberry lemon bars

Nothing Fishy Here!

My poor little blog!  I need to stop vacationing because you get abandoned.

Here is the truth: like I said in my last blog entry, cooking at our beach house sucked.  Lack of supplies and space were two of the biggest issues, but there were plenty more, including a heat wave and the fact that a gas stove throws off a ridiculous amount of heat.  Anyway, besides the stuffed shells, I really only made one other meal, but it was a pretty good one.

Rachael helping to sear the fish

It was really my first fish experience.  I had made foil-wrapped fish with Mark before, but he did most of the fishy work on that one.  I prefer to cook meatless, but considering my cousins were slowly but surely emptying out the Atlantic of every striped bass, I knew I had to put some of the fish to use!  I like to eat fish, and touching raw fish is significantly less repulsive than raw chicken, so it was time for me to make something fishy for dinner!  A quick spin on Pinterest found me a recipe made my someone who is a culinary instructor.  She said that this is always one of her most popular recipes in her fish class, so I was hooked... pun intended.

This dish is actually pretty easy to make.  You just season the fish with salt and pepper, sear it, then bake it.  When it comes out, rub it with a gremolata, garnish with orange slices, and voila!  Dinner.  The recipe called for fish with the skin still on, which freaks me out, so ours were skinless.  Also I tripled the recipe to ensure that we had enough for the 12 people in the house.  The part that took the longest was honestly sectioning the oranges.  I'd always wondered how they do that and get rid of the membraney stuff.  I now know how, and after doing 9 oranges, I'd say I am an expert.  The oranges get marinated in a little balsamic (I recommend not tripling the balsamic if you triple the recipe; it tasted perfect).  Then there is the gremolata, which is kind of like a salsa but made with garlic, parsely, cilantro, and orange zest.  Rubbed over the fish after it's baked, it creates the most delicious, clean, crisp flavors! 

gremolata! Mmmmm

This meal was a huge hit.  I was nervous because I know that the Cormiers eat fish a lot since they catch so many, and they all love it fried.  But luckily everyone loved this dinner!  Betsy and my mom kept telling me how great it was, and you know how hard Mom is to impress.  I am happy that my real first fish experience was a good one.  Since the Cormiers did catch six more fish yesterday, maybe this dinner will be appearing again soon!

Recipe:
striped bass with orange gremolata

Hi from Seabrook!

My family has officially moved to Seabrook, NH for the next two weeks. While there are tons of amazing things about being here (i.e. being feet from the beach, staying with family, the ice cream truck), this year I have discovered something not so good: the kitchen. I had no idea that when my mom joked about me bringing my kitchen supplies from home, SHE WAS NOT JOKING. This kitchen has nothing, and even if you buy something and expect it to be there the next year, things disappear here.

So tonight I made stuffed shells, 40 of them to be exact. It's the spinach-and-ricotta-stuffed ones I've made many times before (and if you are looking for the recipe, just search for stuffed shells on my blog. Not sure how to link to it on my iPad). The recipe is an easy one, but only if you have the right components! For instance, when it calls for grated Parmesan, not having a grater is a big problem (thanks to Jay for slicing it for me with a knife!). And not having a bowl to mix the cheese mixture in is an issue; I ended up using the container the spinach came in! And having to clean every pan before you use it is a pain. Not to mention the fact that the gas stove made the whole house about 105 degrees! Whew.

What I learned today is that my hobby is not so fun when I do not have the proper supplies. I really miss my grater, brand new this year! But let's be positive: I fed 11 hungry beach-goers and they were all very grateful. Excuse the poor-quality iPad photo, but they were enjoying their dinner!

You Won't Feel Awful Eating Falafel!

I am a little bit in love with Middle Eastern food.  Perhaps it's because I am dating a Middle Eastern man, or maybe it's my obsession with Shiraz Armenian Restaurant in Worcester that Mark introduced me to.  Either way, when I find recipes for some of the Armenian/Lebanese foods that I am in love with, I have to try.  Hence, falafel!

I first tried falafel a couple years ago and was shocked I hadn't had it earlier.  Patties that are not made with beef, but rather with chickpeas and herbs and spices!?  What's not to love?  The answer is nothing.  Many falafels are fried, but mine were baked.  Even better!

Beautiful falafel patties about to go into the oven!

These little patties-o'-love are rather speedy to whip up, if you forget about the fact that I had to dig out the 40-year-old food processor.  Basically you just blend together all the ingredients (which range from chickpeas to garlic to my beloved cilantro to lemon juice to cumin - I left out the tabasco).  Then you make patties, and bake them for 20 minutes.  While I was forming the patties, Mark got to work on the tzatziki sauce, which is a must with falafel.  It's a yogurt-based sauce with diced cucumber.  It's very refreshing and goes great with the patties.  It was also pretty quick - you just mix together the ingredients (including fresh dill, lemon zest, and garlic) and chill it until you're ready to make the sandwiches.  I used white pita pockets - couldn't find whole wheat - and added lettuce, 2 falafel patties, and lots of tzatziki.  I am in love with this lunch.  Mark had seconds (and finished up thirds today!), Kenzie and I devoured ours, and even Maggie, who had been dubious of chickpea patties at first, said it was delicious.  She especially loved what she called "the dip," or the tzatziki sauce.  This is a definite make-again meal especially since Mom never got to try any.  I will definitely want to double this next time.

FYI - tomorrow my family goes on our one and only family vacation to Seabrook, New Hampshire!  I will be bringing a computer, and doing some cooking, so I will still be updating - just perhaps not as often.  Tonight I need to try to figure out exactly which of my beloved cooking tools I cannot live without for two weeks.  This is difficult.  I love my mixer, but it weighs about 73483295 pounds.  I love my pastry board, but really, is a beach vacation the time and place to make bagels?  My citrus zester?  My awesome new Casey's Cupcakes apron?  Ah, such difficult choices!  If you were going to a desert island (or a beach house), which of your cooking supplies would you bring with you?

Daisy was interested

Recipes:
Baked falafel with tzatziki sauce

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day, everyone!  We are celebrating over here with a visit from Tuck and Linda, and lots of time in the kitchen.

Yesterday I made lunch for me and Mom.  I have been meaning to try this recipe for "summer lasagna" for a while, but the plan kept falling through: people weren't hungry, or got pizza, or no one felt like pasta.  In addition, it was rather a lot of work because it's not a typical lasagna that you make in a casserole dish and bake.  You don't bake it at all, or even put it in a big dish.  You make each serving separately, layering on the different foods onto each person's plate.  But, I decided that Mom and I were worth it.

The layers consist of cherry tomatoes sauteed with olive oil and garlic, zucchini and basil, parmesan and ricotta, and of course lasagna noodles.  This is an amazingly delicious, light-feeling summer lunch!  It's not served hot, but not cold either; the noodles and veggies are still warm from cooking, but the cheese is cold, so the meal itself is warm, which I really liked.  It was perfect for a hot day's lunchtime.  Mom announced that she is in love with this meal.  We are brainstorming ways to make it at out vacation for a crowd; perhaps a buffet, make-your-own kind of thing?  Or I could put it all in a casserole dish, but I think it would be hard to cut.  Something to ponder.

After lunch I made the sponge and dough for bagels.  I have made these a number of times now, and while I just cannot get them as pretty as in the pictures, they are delicious.  There are many steps, and it takes two days, but they really are easy.  I think anyone who may be slightly nervous in the kitchen should make bagels, because it is a confidence booster!  I ended up with 14, and I made 4 cinnamon-sugar just by sprinkling it in the tops.  I only tried a plain one straight out of the oven, and it was delicious.  Tuck and Linda even split one and Tuck said it was one of the best bagels he ever tasted.  Wahoo!

Lastly, since it's the Fourth, I needed some sort of Patriotic dessert, so I resorted back to my good old red, white and blueberry cheesecake yogurt cupcakes.  Tuck had eaten a couple last time since they aren't too many carbs, and they are red, white and blue, so I whipped up a batch this morning.  This is the first time I actually had the mini cupcake tin wrappers, so it made 24 mini muffins.  The only issue was that you are supposed to use vanilla wafers as the crust, but they didn't fit in the mini muffin cup, so I had to crumble them.  It worked out just fine.  There are enough left that I think I may bring them to a barbeque tonight.  It's always great to have a delicious dessert that is less than 100 calories per cheesecake!

Recipes:
summer lasagna
bagels
red white and blueberry cheesecake yogurt cupcakes

For Delilah

My poor Delilah is sick.  She has a UTI.  She has quite a few of these, but this one really knocked her for a loop.  She was lethargic - and if you know Lila, you know that lethargic is not a word to describe this hound.  She has been taking amoxicillin for a couple days, and is now feeling much better (and back to counter-surfing).  But still, I decided that I would bake her up some special biscuits to make sure she gets totally well, and stays healthy.

The controversy over the bladder benefits of cranberries is continuous; some people swear that cranberry can keep the UTIs away, but some people - including Dad's doctors - say that it does nothing.  The idea is that the juice is acidic and changes the pH in your bladder so that bacteria can't stick.  Whether it's proven or not - and that depends on who you ask - I decided I was going to make some cranberry-based treats for Lyle.

Yum!

I found a recipe for cranberry coconut dog treats on a blog called Pup Culture Magazine, but it had a glaring error in the amount of baking time, so I am going to retype it here with my minor changes.  For instance, it says to use oat flour, but my dogs happen to be fine with gluten.  I also used old fashioned oats rather than quick cooking rolled, and all was well. 

These were not so quick, like any recipe that calls for cookie cutters, and the dough is a little sticky and hard to cut, with all the coconut and cranberries.  It took me quite a while, but as you can see, they were well worth it.

Giving paw for biscuits!

While they are mostly for Delilah, Daisy has also enjoyed these biscuits.  And Lila is obsessed - although she eats turkey poop, so don't take it from her.  Bizarrely enough, take it from my mother.  She hates probably 50% of the things I make, and yet I had to yell at her to stop eating the dog biscuits.  She also has been passing them out to my sisters and cousins.  Mom said if I added nuts, they would be one of her favorite cookies.  WHAT!?  I do have to admit I tried one, and they are pretty good.  There is nothing weird in them: just flour, oats, and baking powder, and they are flavoried with dried cranberries, coconut (it calls for unsweetened but I only had sweetened), honey and vanilla.  But these are dog treats, Mom!  Stop raiding the dog biscuit jar :)

Recipe:
cranberry coconut dog treats

yield: approximately 2 dozen treats

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups flour
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cup coconut flakes
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. 

2.  In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, baking poweder, honey, vanilla extract and wateruntil combined.  Mix in dried cranberries and coconut. 

3.  Sprinkle table liberally with flour and roll dough out to about 1/2" thick.  Cut out with cookie cutters and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

4.  Bake until cookie bottoms just begin to brown, 15-20 minutes. 

5.  Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.  Serve to sweet, droopy basset hounds (or your favorite breed!).

Daisy daintily removing the cranberries from her treat... good thing she has a bladder of steel!