Hot Chocolate Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is something about hot chocolate cookies that is just so good.  Maybe it's the richness it adds to the cookie.  Or maybe it's how yummy the cookie dough is.  
 

Hot chocolate cookie dough taste amazing ... and I am not even the type that like to eat cookie dough.  The hardest part of this recipe is chilling the cookie dough.  I am a very impatient person.

But I have found that chilling cookie dough for at least 1 hour minimum makes cookies so much richer in flavor.  So if you have the time ... and the patience chill your cookie dough. 

Hot Chocolate Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

4 ounces hot chocolate mix (not sugar free)

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup raisins

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Whisk flour, cocoa mix, salt, and baking soda together

2. Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes)

3. add eggs 1 at a time.

4. Add vanilla

5. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture until combined. DO NOT OVER MIX

6. Fold in the raisins and semi chocolate chips

7. Chill dough for about 1 hour

8. Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.

9. Use a cookie dough scooper and drop about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

10. Bake them 1 sheet at a time for about 9 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

I am working on incorporating local produce into my cooking.  When the new Fresno State market opened I had went and purchased some raisins.  Let me tell you, I will never purchase regular raisins again.  The raisins that I got from the Fresno State market were huge, juicy and sooooo yummy!  There was no sugary white film on the raisin that you can something get with regular store bought raisins.  Buy local friends!  Buy local!

I brought these cookies to Mother's Day dinner with my family and my little cousin JakeEE gobbled one up.  I would say they were a hit. 

Support local business!
XOXO

Banana Apple Raisin Cranberry Bread

So my banana apple raisin bread has become quite popular in my circle of family and friends. 

Since my mother in law loves dried fruit I decided to make it for Mother's Day Brunch.  Calm down!  Other items were served as well.  You didn't think the bread was the only item I served did you?

Banana, apple, raisin, cranberry bread
Adapted from Anncoo Journal

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons milk 2% fat
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cranberries, dried
1 Fuji apple, grated
3 large bananas, mashed

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a mini loaf pan
2.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.  Mix well and set aside.
3.  Combine eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, grated apple, and mashed bananas.  Mix well.
4.  Add in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.  Mix until combined.
5.  Add in raisins and dried cranberries.
6.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

I am normally not a big fruit fan in my bread but there is something about this bread that is so yummy.  I think it's a good snacking bread.  Does it fall under fruit cake?  I am not quite sure.  Make it and let me know!

So Khloe the pup has a little issue when playing fetch.  Don't get me wrong, she is a awesome fetcher.  The problem is getting her to let go once she brings the ball back.  El Hubby and I have been working with her by giving her a treat to get her to let go of the ball.  It's working.  For now.  But who wouldn't do something for a treat?  If someone held up a mini snickers bar and asked me to "let go" I would do it.  Oh well.

Bake on friends!

XOXO

Banana, Raisin and Apple Bread

I am always trying to find recipes that my Asian family and friends will like.  Not that I don't care about my other friends but lets be honest the Asians are more critical.  Especially when it comes to dessert or anything sweet.  The Asians like to complain a lot about if something is "too sweet".  So finding something sweet to satisfy these people can be really hard.

The banana, raisin and apple bread was pretty easy to make.  I will be honest.  The recipe originally called for dried cranberries but I was out (El Hubby has been eating oatmeal in the morning and apparently used up all the dried cranberries) so I substituted with raisins. 

This bread turned out amazing.  Seriously.  I brought it to Tzu Chi on Sunday and I came home with a empty container.  The Asian people all seemed very happy.  I think the only thing I would have to comment on is that the raisin kinda sunk to the bottom.  So I guess I need to save some flour to sprinkle on them next time to prevent all the raisin form sinking to the bottom.

Banana, raisin and apple bread
Adapted from Anncoo Journal

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 + 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins
1 apple, grated
3 large bananas, mashed

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 360 degrees and grease a mini loaf pan
2.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.  Mix well and set aside.
3.  Combine eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, grated apple, and mashed bananas.  Mix well.
4.  Add in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.  Mix until combined.
5.  Add in raisins.
6.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

Bake this bread friends.  I promise it is worth it.  I would not classify this as a dessert.  But it passes with flying colors for breakfast, brunch, or snack.

The pup loves her biscuits.  It's one of the few words she knows and knows well.

Keep baking friends!

XOXO

Oatmeal Banana Bread

I try to bring some baked goodies for every Tzu Chi event I go to.  Sometimes what I bring is healthy and sometimes not so healthy.  It all just depends on my mood and what is currently on the top of my "recipes to try" pile. 

I had a oatmeal banana bread recipe that I have not had a chance to try yet.  Perfect! 

I brought this bread to a meeting.  Judging by the empty plate I will say it was a hit.  This bread is perfect for the people who do not like things too sweet.

Oatmeal Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3 bananas, very ripe
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.
2.  Mix mashed bananas, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract.
3.  Mix four, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and stir until combined.  Add to banana mixture.
4.  Stir in raisins.
5.  Pour batter into a greased mini loaf pan.
6.  Bake for about 37 minutes.

You can add chocolate chips if you like but since I was going with the healthy theme I stuck with raisins.

My crazy pup and husband keep me quite busy.  These two seem to always be up to no good.  It's either playing fetch inside the house or jumping on furniture these two are always up to something.  What can a girl do?

Keep baking friends!
XOXO

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

How do you make a banana muffin healthy?  You add oats in it of course!  Okay.  So that's usually my solution to making any baked goods healthy.  Or add wheat flour.  But whatever!  I am pretty sure it works.

Bananas are one of those foods that you can eat at every meal.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.  There is a restaurant in my town that makes banana beef.  It's not too shabby.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins
Adapted from babble

Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin pan
2.  Mash bananas, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.  The mixture will be lumpy.  It is okay.
3.  Mix flours, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until combined.
4.  Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.  DO NOT OVER MIX.
5.  Add raisins.
6.  Use a ice cream scooper and scoop batter into prepared muffin pans.
7.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until tooth pick insert comes out clean.
8.  Cool on a rack.

These muffins are best with a slab of butter.  Oh wait.  Everything is better with a slab of butter!  On a more serious note this muffin is for sure a breakfast muffin.  This muffin is not too sweet and with the blend of oats and wheat flour it makes them perfect for my crazy Chinese family who always complain that "American" muffins are too sweet. 

The sweet pup waited with me for the muffins to cool.  Waiting is not something she enjoys to do.  Hence the face she is making.  Of course she was even more upset when she found out that there was nothing for her once the muffins where cool.  So of course I felt bad and gave her a teaspoon of peanut butter.  She waited nicely with me after all.

XOXO

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut

 

Memorial weekend was a great way to rest after our family vacation the weekend before.  What was even better was we had some friends who were hosting a BBQ.  Don't get me wrong.  I love hosting, but when you are hosting you just don't get to enjoy the moment as if you were a guest.  When I host I am always worrying if there is enough food, if people are having a good time, cleaning up, etc.  Blah!  Much better when I just get to eat, chat, and soak up some sun. 

What to bring?  Oatmeal cookies!  I figured we needed something healthy at a BBQ.  Ha!  These cookies are  loaded with goodies. I know when most people think of BBQ they don't normally think of oatmeal cookies.  But then I like to be different.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flaked coconut

3 cups quick oats

3/4 cups raisins 

3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.  Cream together butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3.  Add in eggs one at a time.

4.  In a separate bowl whisk flour and baking soda together.

5.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just incorporated.  Do not over mix!

6.  Add coconut, oatmeal, raisins, and chocolate chips until just incorporated

7.  Use cookie scoop onto parchment lined cookie sheet.  

8.  Bake for 9 minutes.  Cool for about 5 minutes on sheet before moving to cooking rack.

Sometimes the things I bring to a potluck are either a hit or a bust.  These cookies were for sure a hit.  They were gone in a matter of minutes.  The poor husband asked if there was any more at home and looked pretty sad when I told him no.  What a hard life he lives. 

Enjoy!

XOXO

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies

I have been cleaning my pantry and realize that I have some raisins and a overstock of mini chocolate chips. So of course the first thing I think of is cookies!

2 sticks butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and milk and mix until combined.

In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix dry ingredients with a whisk. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins, and mini chocolate chips.

I use a ice cream scooper to scoop out my batter onto the baking sheets. Space the batter about 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies for about 11 minutes. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

I used a small ice cream scooper so my cookies came out bite size. Perfect for snacking.

I really enjoyed these cookies and I normally am not a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies. I am sure the chocolate chips helped.

XOXO