Monday, May 12, 2008

What's Cooking


Here's what is my in my oven right now. Perhaps the last cookies of the season, at least made during daylight hours, as the temperature is rising in these parts. (Sigh.) Not that we need more sweets around here, after the oh-so-amazing strawberry-lemon curd-almond pound cake trifle that hubby made yesterday. But that was so yesterday, and today we need "refreshments" for our Family Home Evening. Plus, this is Teacher Appreciation Week in public school, and that means that we need to send some cookies to Henry's kindergarten teacher. It sounded like a good enough excuse to try out this new recipe. I found it pulled out of a Martha Stewart magazine when I was visiting my mom. Here's the rundown:

Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
  • 1 cup (poisonous) white flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (to make you feel better about these cookies)
  • 1 t. coarse kosher salt
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 3/4 c. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 c. (lethal)white sugar
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 c. ripe mashed banana (see how healthy these are?)
  • 1 cup rolled oats (not steel cut, but still approved by your doctor)
  • 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped coarsely (think of all the antioxidants)
  • 1/2 c. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (Omega-3s, people!)
You know the drill. Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and sugars, then add egg, vanilla, and mashed banana. Incorporate dry ingredients, then stir in oats, chocolate, and walnuts.
The recipe calls for baking in a 375 oven for 12-13 minutes, but this was too much in my oven. I recommend a 350 oven for about 12 minutes.
Now go make these almost healthy cookies and have a Family Home Evening tonight, even if you never have before. Your kids will love it and you'll be glad you did. After all, if there is chocolate involved . . .

11 comments:

Ice Cream said...

That trifle is making me drool. Seriously. Do you have a recipe for it?

Oh, and thank you for the Teacher Appreciation Week reminder.

Anonymous said...

Iam hungry now!

Michal said...

ice cream--
no recipe, really. here's how to replicate the trifle:
the pound cake is from the cake mix doctor (whom i adore.) it's a french vanilla cake mix with a block of cream cheese, 4 eggs, some vanilla and almond extracts, 1/2 c. sugar, 1/2 c. oil--bake in a bundt pan. then, when it sticks horribly to the pan and you decide that you can't possibly serve it for mother's day, look for the 4 cups of lemon curd that your wife has in the fridge left over from a wedding. whip up some whipping cream with a bit of vanilla and powdered sugar. then, layer as follows:
pieces of pound cake, 2 cups lemon curd, a bunch of sliced strawberries, half of your whipped cream. repeat. refrigerate overnight if possible for the flavors to meld. wow your wife, sister-in-law, mom, and all of the men in attendance who bow to your greatness!:)

Anonymous said...

I was one of the men in attendance who bowed to the greatness!:)The salad and meat were fantastic as well.
Love,
Papa

Anonymous said...

The dinner was well deserved by the way for a truly wonderful mother. Michal your the best!

Love,
Papa

Rebecca said...

We have a banana oatmeal cookie we make and like too. I can't do the walnuts...allergic.

An Ordinary Mom said...

I wish I could sample these desserts through pictures!

Prudy said...

Oh, yum. The only thing that looks better than that food is your cute kids singing to nana. You can tell they have it in them to be famous Johnson singers. Will you come Christmas carol at my house, even though I live 10 hours away. Please?

mahina said...

ok, you have a way of just making me salivate with all your yumminess that you make, bake, and create!

yum!

Lynell said...

Oh wow! They look scrumtious! Thanks for the recipe. I can't wait to give it a try! Ü

Anonymous said...

I discovered these a few years ago and they are now one of my favorite cookies especially when there a few ripe bananas around. Forget banana bread, I want chocolate chunks!