Cookie Craziness!

If you know me you know I love to bake. I don't do it all that often, but I love to make cookies and cupcakes.  Our dear friends Nick and Kristina gave me a great cookbook for my birthday, Martha Stewart Cookies! I have looked and looked at it and finally broke it out to make two of the recipes inside. The occasion? D has a hockey tournament this weekend in Maryland.  Being the helpful girlfriend that I am, I wanted to make him some treats to take. 

  

As a side note, I always wanted to make my recipes more healthy even when I was an adolescent. I remember the first time I found out that applesauce can in some cases help reduce the fat and calories in recipes I tried it all the time....in everything...as a substitute for almost everything...it was bad. I would see how much butter I could take out and still get the same results...I would change lots of things.  Usually the treats were still edible...sometimes...not so much.

Peanut Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Cookies

Because D is going to have so many hockey games this weekend I wanted to fix him something that would give him some energy in addition to being sweet. We picked the Peanut-Chocolate Chip & Cinnamon cookies (pg 179).   I chopped up the peanuts and took out 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips simply because I ran out so the calories are a little less than those noted. 

Snickerdoodles with Ground Flaxseed

While those cookies were chilling in the refrigerator I began making the Snickerdoodles.  I remembered at that point that I could use the Ground Flaxseed I had been keeping in the pantry to add additional protein, Omega-3s and fiber.  I substituted 1/2 cup of the flour with Ground Flaxseed and added 1 additional tablespoon of water as the flaxseed box suggested. I also reeducated the baking time by about 2 minutes.

  

I made about 5.5 dozen PCC&C Cookies and 4 dozen Snickerdoodles (although the recipe said I'd only get 20...?!). Unfortunately our oven isn't the best and although I kept the temp the same, the heat cranked up and 1.5 dozen of the PCC&C Cookies are burned on the bottom. :( I reduced the oven heat and checked my thermometer again before putting in the last of the Snickerdoodles and reduced their bake time too. 

Hopefully these will keep him happy and full and ready to kick butt in his games!!