Giant (sort of healthy) Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookie

 I've been really itching to bake lately.

Well, really I've been itching to eat baked goods, if we are being honest.

And I think we are.

Anyways, I have not been baking lately for two major reasons.  One, I have been on a healthy kick and two, I have been out of butter and eggs.

So when I was at Target this week, I actually remembered to get butter.

But I forgot eggs.

And this recipe only uses one tablespoon of butter.

Where am I going with this?

Well, let's just get down to brass tacks, shall we?

Giant (sort of healthy) Peanut Butter, Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookie
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 tbsp flax seed meal mixed with 2 tbsp water (or just use 2 tbsp of a beaten egg)
5 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oats (I used old fashioned, but quick outs would be good, too)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix all this together & form dough on a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet.  You can either form 4-6 little cookies and bake for 10 min or form a giant cookie and bake for 15.  Your call.  Bake in a 350 degree oven.

Makes 4 servings.  This cookie is chewy and hearty.  It would actually be a feat of tummy strength to eat the whole thing.

Intrigued by giant cookies?

Check out my Sock Monkey Cookie

Or my Lean & Mean Cookie Pie

Lean & Mean Cookie Pie

Ok, that name is kind of misleading.  There is nothing mean about this pie.  Unless someone makes it and doesn't share with you.  But then the person would be the mean one.  Not the  pie.  Whatever.

It is, however, somewhat lean.  This pie (which I teased about on Saturday's post) is composed mainly of chickpeas.  Yes, the stuff you use to make hummus.

So, next time you feel the need for a cookie, but don't want all the guilt that comes along with it, consider this  super easy chocolate chip cookie pie.  I'll tell you, when mixed with fat free Cool Whip, this tastes just like an oatmeal cream pie with chocolate chips.  Swoon.

Lean & Mean Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola if you'd rather)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend the chickpeas in a food processor.  Add the rest of the ingredients into the food processor, except for the chocolate chips and blend until all ingredients are combined.  Mix in the chocolate chips & pecans. Pour into a greased 9" pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Cool for at least 10 minutes.  Serve with fat free whipped cream and sugar free chocolate sauce (if desired).

This can easily be adapted to be a vegan recipe, if you are into that sort of thing.

Recipe adapted from Me and My Pink Mixer blog

Sock Monkey Giant Cookie

Oh, Sock Monkey.  You are my greatest creation.  I love how this guy turned out.  He's just adorable.

A little background on my baking style:  I am terrible~no exaggeration, seriously~at decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc.  I think a blindfolded preschooler could do a better job than I do on this sort of thing than I could.

I don't know why.  I'm crafty and stuff.  It just does not translate to baking decorations.

So, knowing this, I made a plan to conquer this sock monkey cake (that turned out to be a cookie) that my nephew requested for his 6th birthday.

I kept is simple by using this Wilton gingerbread man pan  for the cookie base.

 

I had yet to use this for anything yet, so this was the perfect occasion to try it out.  If you live in the Memphis area and want to borrow it, I'd be happy to lend it to you so you don't have to buy one (email me if you are interested).

Here's some instruction if you would like to attempt this giant cookie.

Ingredients:

Pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough

Chocolate frosting

Buttercream (or white) frosting

Pull & peel Twizzlers

2 Whoppers

2 Chocolate chips

1. Spray the pan with non-stick spray.

2. Cut the cookie dough in slices and lay them all in the pan (I used about 1 1/2 tubes of cookie dough on this) then squish them all together.

3. Cut 3 extra cookie slices (to make the ears and snout).

4. Bake the cookie on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Also, bake your 3 extra cookies for 8-10 minutes.

5.  Let the cookies cool and get ready to decorate.

Here's what the cookies look like before frosting:

Um, kind of scrumptious looking.

6. Anyways, cut two cookies in half and lay them on top of each other for ears.  Then position the other cookie as the snout.  "Glue" the ears to the side of the head using frosting.

7.  Frost the body and ears with brown frosting.  I mixed some white into mine, to make it less brown, but I don't think it made much of a difference.

By the way, I totally frosted this monkey with a butter knife.  No fancy equipment needed ;)

8.  Frost the snout, hat, hands & feet with white icing.

9.  Add Twizzlers for the hat fringe, stripes on hat, hands and feet and mouth.

10. Place Whopper eyes and chocolate chip nostrils & you are done.

Is it hard for anyone else to see your "creations" get eaten?

Poor sock monkey never stood a chance.

According to my Blogger dashboard, this is my 100th blog post!  I just thought that was pretty cool & worth mentioning :)

So to celebrate, I added some organizational tabs to the top of the blog.  Browse through the recipes & craft tutes if you have a chance.

Have a great Monday, everyone!!!