Honey-snap cookies

I've been having trouble finding inspiration for stuff to write here lately, so lets just skip right to the cookies. I think I'm going through a "cookie phase" right now, because I just made those chocolate ginger cookies, and now I have a batch of honey-snap cookies in the kitchen. These have toasted millet, which are supposed to be very healthy due to its rather abundant B-vitamin content (look at the WHFoods: Millet page for more info). Here's how they were made...

The Recipe:
Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup minute oats (any rolled oat will probably work as well)
• 1/3 cup wheat bran (can substitute oat bran, small flaked coconut, or psyllium husk if you don't want gluten)
• 2 tbsp toasted millet (toasted in dry pan until they popped)
• 2 tbsp skim milk powder
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• (optional) 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Sift and stir together cornstarch, milk powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. In a small pot, heat honey and butter until the butter melts and mixture is runny. Take off heat, and allow to cool slightly. Add sifted mixture, oats, bran, millet, and egg, and stir to get an even mixture. Add cocoa powder if desired. Place spoonfuls of batter on a lined baking sheet, making sure to leave at least a 2 inch (~5 cm) border around each spoonful because cookies will spread while baking. Bake at 350F (or ~175C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and cookies will become crispier as they cool. 

Note: Cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature to preserve crispness; they will turn into a moist, cake-y texture if stored in the fridge. 

Millet and oats, with milk powder, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon on top

Spoonfuls of batter before baking (these ones have cocoa powder)

The baked cookies. Again, these have the cocoa powder and appear darker. 

Healthy high fibre fruit-nut-coconut granola bars

The nice weather makes me think of going for long hikes, and the thought of long hikes has prompted me to make these nutritious and delicious granola bars. They have protein and fibre, crunchiness and chewiness, sweetness and saltiness, and are just delightful in every way.

The recipe (in case you want to try these too):
Ingredients to toast:

• 2 cups wheat bran
• 1 cup oat bran
• 3/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• 1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries
• 1/4 cup quinoa

Other ingredients:

• 1/3 cup defatted soy flour
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup chopped dried pitted dates

Binder ingredients:

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup margarine (I used a reduced fat and it worked just fine)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (dark brown sugar, if you can find it)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 – 4 tbsp water

Heat wheat bran, oat bran, and  almonds in a dry skillet separately until you smell a toasty smell. Allow them to cool on a baking tray while you toast wheat berries and quinoa in a hot, dry skillet, covered with a fitted lid. Shake the skillet periodically and listen for the popping sounds inside. Once the popping sounds have almost subsided, remove the grains to another baking tray to allow for cooling. The wheat berries and quinoa are now puffed and crunchy. While everything cools, gather and measure the "Other Ingredients" list.

To bind everything together, heat peanut butter, margarine, and brown sugar on low heat. Once mixture is smooth, more runny, and combined, toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Finally, add egg whites for structure, and enough water to until a crumbly cookie-dough texture forms. Press mixture into a flat, ~1.5 cm layer on two lined baking sheets and bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Slice these into bars while they are still warm. These bars are tasty whether warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Happy trails!

Note: Don't use non-stick skillets because the dry heat and abrasiveness of the grains will damage the non-stick coating. Of course, feel free to make substitutes to suit your liking.

Feathery berry cakes

Today is my last day of winter break before going back to school for another long term. After 3 weeks of blissful relaxation, I now face another 3 months of difficult study that I love and hate at the same time. At the beginning of my break, I had unwisely spent a week fretting about how quickly this holiday will pass and worrying about all the long hours I will have to spend memorizing my textbooks. Fortunately, in recent days, I had come to the conclusion that the time would pass whether I'm miserably counting the days left or fearlessly enjoying the seasonal festivities. So I have full-heartedly given in to doing the latter. Even on this last day.

Berry cake

The recipe for berry cakes (in case you wanted to know): I stir together 1/3 cup of room temperature light cream cheese with 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp lemon zest, and 1/4 cup skim milk until a smooth mixture forms. Then, I sift 1 cup of natural wheat bran, 5 tbsp of stone ground barley flour, and 1/2 tsp baking powder over the wet mixture, and stir until a thick batter forms (top picture). In a separate bowl, I beat 4 egg whites until frothy. I add 2 tbsp of white sugar and 1 tbsp of brown sugar (1 at a time) and beat until I get medium peaks. I fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter and roughly stir. Then I carefully (but quickly) fold in the rest of the egg whites using a spatula. Finally I add 1/3 cup of frozen mixed berries, straight from the freezer (without thawing) as a last minute addition. I fill two 5 inch diameter round baking tins with batter and bake in a 325 F oven for 30 minutes.

When they came out, I took a few minutes to take some pictures (bottom picture) and let them cool before slicing into a feathery light cake with dotted with hidden berry gems. Yummy and healthy!