Black Bean Brownies

There are so many recipes on the web for black bean brownies and I looked at several. You can mess with oil substitutes, egg substitutes, or sugar substitutes, and some recipes even snuck in more pureed fruits and vegetables.This one looked right for me.

Black Bean Brownies
adapted from Allergen Free Lifestyle

1 can of black beans
3 eggs
1/2 cup agave or honey
1/3 cup cocoa
2 Tbs. oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour into a greased 8 by 8 baking dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips or nuts. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Three Grain Waffles & Blueberry Syrup

Three Grain Waffles
adapted from the Pillsbury Complete Cookbook

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup quick oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbs oil
2 eggs, beaten

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients together separately, then add to dry.

Blueberry Syrup
from Cooks.com

1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sugar 
1/4 cup water

Combine ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Crush berries with back of spoon. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe came from the March 2012 Friend. Jack begs me to make the Friend recipes. Usually they don't excite me too much, but these turned out pretty good and they were really easy.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 egg beaten

1 cup milk

¼  cup oil (I used applesauce)

2 cups flour (I did a mix of whole wheat and white)

½  cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Semi-sweet chips

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a muffin pan with 12 liners. Mix together the egg, milk, and oil in a bowl. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. Add chocolate chips. Fill each muffin cup half full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes.

Zebra Popcorn

I guess I've been in a popcorn mood lately, because it's the first thing I think of when it's time to make a treat. Our family really enjoyed this one.

Zebra Popcorn
adapted from Alpine 9th Ward Recipes
 
12 cups popped popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Almond bark or white chocolate chips
Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250. Put brown sugar in a microwave bowl. Chop the butter into chunks and place on top of brown sugar. Pour corn syrup over brown sugar and butter. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir to combine. Return to microwave and heat for 2 min. Remove and stir, then microwave for 2 min. more. Remove from microwave and add vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. The mixture will foam and rise and turn a creamy light brown color. Pour over the popcorn and stir very well so everything is coated. Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil lined jelly roll pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 min., stirring every 10 min. Remove the pan from the oven and spread mixture out on a large piece of parchment or wax paper. Melt the almond bark according to package directions. Drizzle over popcorn mixture. Let harden. Melt the chocolate and drizzle over the popcorn, same as the almond bark. Let harden. Break into chunks.

Note: If you're having trouble getting your chocolate to drizzle, put it in a ziploc bag, cut off a tiny corner, and squeeze it out over the popcorn.

Sugar 'n' Spice Popcorn

My sad little picture does not do this treat justice. This popcorn is amazing and so simple. We made it tonight for movie night and it was a hit!

Sugar 'n' Spice Popcorn
from Lori Frost

3 T butter
1/4 t nutmeg
2 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
8 cups popped popcorn (1/3 cup unpopped)

Melt butter in a small saucepan over med-low heat. Stir in the nutmeg, sugar, and cinnamon. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Do not overcook! Pour mixture over popped popcorn and stir until coated.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

One of my pet peeves with cookies is when they turn out really flat. I want a cookie with some substance to it. That's why I love this recipe. The dough is a little on the dry side and it makes for a nice thick cookie with a crunchy outside and soft inside.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever (that's the official name)
from Loralee Bowen and Michelle Johnson

1 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars well (until light and fluffy). Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for 1 minutes then transfer to wire rack. Makes about 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last weekend, I was searching for a new cookie recipe and found this one. It's very simple and delicious. I like that they didn't taste overly sweet or rich. They almost reminded me more of a chocolate muffin top. I made them again for the second time tonight.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 c butter, soft
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c white flour
2/3 c cocoa
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add flour, cocoa, soda, and salt and mix in gently. Dough will feel a little dry, almost like play dough. Mix in chocolate chips. Bake for 8 minutes. These would also be great with butterscotch or peanut butter chips.